Beer Reviews, The King of Beer May 14, 2012

My Cup Runneth Over

I get asked all the time why I rack up so many miles and make running a big part of my life. Running has been good to me. It keeps me in shape. It’s how I met my wife. And of utmost importance, it goes great with beer. I run so I can drink whatever I want (to a certain degree) and most hot summer runs are followed by a crisp IPA to help replenish the lost carbohydrates. So for me, I try to incorporate the two as much as possible. A marriage of obsessive hobbies.

For example, last night we had a meeting about the Bourbon Chase (a 200 mile relay in the heart of Bourbon Country) and beers were shared over the discussion. We could have had a meeting without beers, but often times, beers bring out the best ideas (or what we think sounded good at the time) amongst friends.

Which leads me to the races I’ve been looking forward to all year. A race, which isn’t a testament to how fast you can run, but how fast you can run and drink at the same time. A task, I have truly not mastered yet. The beer mile.

The beer mile is pretty simple, but also has rules. A beer mile consists of four-quarter mile loops with the drinking of a full beer before the start of each lap. Beers, which must have an ABV of 5% (which knocks out most macro Lights) or above must be finished completely before you can start your next lap. The runner who can drink/run the fastest is the winner. Also, if you vomit during this whole ordeal, one penalty lap. I can admit with certainty that if you vomit twice, still only one penalty lap. I know, I have the picture to prove I won the Most Puke Award (Not pictured –Ed.).

Lately, my go to beer after a run has been a 16 oz. tallboy of Deviant Dales from Oskar Blues in Colorado. I’ll admit, I wasn’t a big fan of this beer at first and neither was Hipster Steve, but it’s been growing on me like his beard. Beer geek nation has become infatuated with canned beer lately and I don’t blame them when it comes to Oskar Blues. Deviant Dales comes in at 8% ABV with 85 IBUS. Although Hipster Steve says the nose reminds him of onion, I get a nice mix of grapefruit, grass, and a hint of my Grandmothers Pine Sol. Perfect for mowing the lawn and then polishing the furniture afterwards! The citrus hits up front with a grapefruit –esque taste and then followed by a fairly prominent malt presence mixed in with tongue-bending bitterness.

The good news, a great beer. The bad news, we can’t get it in Kentucky or Indiana. If you can get your hands on one, go for it!

Apocalypse Brew Works Grand Opening

Bell’s Black Note

About John King

View all posts by John King

John King can kill two stones with only one bird. He is just that awesome. An Illinois native, John has learned to embrace the Kentucky culture by rarely using his turn signal and drinking his bourbon neat. An avid runner, outdoorsman, and carpenter, John has been able to integrate craft beer into all of these hobbies without a single trip to the hospital. Although his writing is sub-par at best, louisvillebeer.com employs him for his boyish charm and general affection for the local brewers.

Hipster Steve

Deviant Dale’s isn’t bad, but there was just so much hype about it when it came out, that I thought it was a bit of a letdown. I think OB hits the mark best with their G’Knight Imperial Red, Ten Fidy Imperial Stout, and the original Dale’s Pale Ale. All fantastic brews, IMO. But OB seems to have missed the mark both times it has ventured into the bigger IPA’s. I haven’t really fallen in love with their Gubna Imperial IPA, nor with Deviant Dale’s. That said, I’ve drank both Gubna and Deviant multiple times, and they are still good beers. Just not quite great beers.