Brew, Bottle, and Taste

Finally...after over a month of patiently waiting, our first batch of beer, Pluto's Not a Planet Amber Ale, was ready for tasting. It tasted surprisingly like...beer. The carbonation was just right and it had a pretty good flavor. Maybe my expectations were low since this was our first batch and I just recently watched Palin's first debate, but it exceeded the expectations I had set.

It was a busy night as we also bottled the Federal Bailout IPA and began brewing Hard Time Belgium Ale. It's looking like some good brews from here on out.


Thomas pouring the first bottle of Pluto's Not a Planet.


Federal Bailout in the carboy awaiting bottling.


Bottling Federal Bailout.


Boiling the barley for Hard Times.

Federal Bailout IPA

When it came to naming our beers, we've decided to incorporate some current events into the process. Coming up next is the Federal Bailout IPA. Should be delicious. Here are some previews:


Hop pellets.


Brewing the wort.


Thomas and Jack with the fermenter.

Delightful Adult Beverage

I admit it. These past few weeks have been filled with a higher beer drinking to cycling ratio. It's inevitable. I love cycling and I love beer, but it's hard to juggle two loves at once.

If there is any redemption to this post, it's that I have been devoting my time to beer for a purpose: the worthy cause of the pursuit of knowledge.

While cycling by Lagunitas a couple of months ago, a few friends of mine and I decided that it would be a brilliant idea to get into home brewing. And this past weekend, we finally brewed our first batch of wort en route to an amber ale.

Here are a few highlights leading up to our first brew night:

A free Monday night home brew seminar with Griz the brewmaster.



San Francisco Brewcraft, located in the Inner Richmond in San Francisco offers a free introduction to home brewing class on Monday nights at 6 p.m. Griz covers the basics of brew technique as well as the “mojo” that makes the whole process, and your finished product, more enjoyable. He gives you “muy importante” tips and tricks that he's gathered from his years of experience as well as an anecdotes and jokes (with an occasional disclaimer for sensitive ears). The seminar lasted about two and a half hours and I would recommend it to anyone that is looking to pick up another hobby. Griz also mentioned that most weeks he'll serve up a home brew to his students. They ask that you call to reserver a spot before 4 p.m. at 415-751-9338.

A tour of one of our largest breweries.


(Stolen from Flickr.)

On the complete other end of the spectrum, while stuck in traffic on the way out to Vacaville, my girlfriend and I decided to stop off at the Budweiser tour in Fairfield, CA. I've actually done this tour once before while in college. Not being a huge fan of Budweiser, there's not too much to praise about this tour. They run tours Monday through Saturday, although bottling is only done M-F. I did like the feeling of being in a How it's Made t.v. show and free beer never hurts.

The big night.

A handful of friends and I brewed five gallons of amber ale this past Friday. We spend about four hours boiling, cooling, and adding ingredients at different intervals. At each step, we sampled our concoction noticing how sweet it was. According to my friend who housed the event, our batch already began “burping” a couple days later, which is a sign that the yeast is beginning to turn the sugars into alcohol and subsequently releasing carbon dioxide (they grow up so fast). The beer will go through a couple more steps before being bottled and becoming a delightful adult beverage. The final product should be done in a few weeks. Can't wait.

Blog2.0

It seems all the talk these days is about web interoperability. Interoper-who? Basically, interoperability is the ability of a program or service to work across different platforms. Think about a program like Firefox that works on Windows, Apple OS X, and Linux. Not so easy to do. Now add a dash of web platform. Imagine a web application that runs on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and more.

Side step.

Over the years, I have been collecting online identities. Four years ago, I signed up for a Blogger account. Three years ago, a MySpace account. Two years ago, a Facebook account. And recently, a Twitter account.

With a pile of web applications on my hands, it soon becomes a burden to update my information. Post a blog twice? Change my status four or five times? Sorry. Not my style.

Recently, I found http://ping.fm. Ping.fm allows you to update your status and add a blog post to multiple sites at once. I had tried to do that using Bloggers API on my old website, but honestly, it turned out to be more work that it was worth.

Ping is currently is in beta and requires you send them your email address and request an invitation code. It takes a day or so to receive, but if you can't wait, the most recent beta code is itsaboutping. Not sure how long that will work for, but give it a shot.

My initial feedback.

Most social applications are supported in Ping. And if you have your own Wordpress blog (I just upgraded today), there's a wordpress plugin. The thing I like about this best is that I don't have to give up my old Blogger account in order to use Wordpress. With ping, I can post to them simultaneously.

Gripes.

I know it's only in beta, but if there was something I could suggest, it would an improved interface. For updating my status, it's perfect. Text area, that's it. But when writing a full blog post, a small text area with a scroll bar makes it pretty tough to visualize what you're writing. I'm doing it now and can't see more than a sentence or so at a time.

So if you're out there blogging (which I hope you are), sign up for ping.fm. And since you can post to multiple sites simultaneously, get a Blogger and Wordpress account! And a Facebook account. And a MySpace account. And a LinkedIn account. And a Twitter account. Soon you'll need a bigger virtual wallet to carry all those online identities.

is changing his status using ping.fm

Marin County Century

Just another plug for an upcoming century. The Marin County Century is a little more than a month away on August 2nd.

This ride has five options ranging from a leisurely 30 mile ride to a grueling 200 mile ride. This year, several friends and I will be doing the 94 mile hill course. I've been thinking about 200 miles in a day, but honestly I am pretty intimidated...maybe next year.

I also just got back from my home town of Arcata. My girlfriend and I stayed at a Bed and Breakfast. We had breakfast in the morning with some older couples and I am surprised to say that 50 must be the new 30. We met a woman who had decided that for her 50th birthday she would buy herself a bicycle and train for her first century. Rock on!

She trained with Team in Training and mentioned that they helped big time. And now that she's done one, she's eager to keep them rolling in.

There are a few organizations out there that will train you for a century, triathlon, or marathon and in exchange for training they ask that you help them fundraise. They ask for a pretty large amount (mine was $2,500 for AIDS LifeCycle) and fundraising can be tough, but everyone I've spoken with has been thrilled with the experience and many continue to do it year after year.

And I think one of the biggest benefits is that they have experience training people for their first endurance event. Endurance events can be tough to train for because it often takes months to prepare and the first one's even tougher because you don't really know what to expect. But the good news is that after you've done one, you're hooked.

Keep on pedaling! And pedaling and pedaling and pedaling...

Buying a New (or New to You) Bicycle

Lately, I've been writing a lot about cycling in hopes of getting a couple more cars off the roads in exchange for a bitchin' two wheeled, human powered vehicle. And lately, I've been asked by a few friends for advice on purchasing a bike. And I've been thinking this would be a great subject for a post. So here it is:

Sean's unofficial guide to finding the bicycle of your dreams!

Disclaimer: This is in no way the comprehensive guide to purchasing a bike, but I will try to offer at least enough advice/insight to help narrow that search.

Buying a bike surprisingly is a lot like buying a car. There are bicycles made for utility, going off road, racing, touring, looking good, and yes...even bicycles that you can literally pick up chicks (dudes) on. Maybe that can be my second reason to ride: Bicycles make you look good!

So first off, which style of riding is your style of riding? Do you want something you can occasionally ride to run errands and ride to work on? Are there great trails nearby that you've been curious about? Are you inspired to pedal from sunrise to sunset and beyond? Do you want to strut your stuff down Valencia's catwalk?

After you figure out what you'll be using your bicycle for, I highly recommend visiting a local bike shop (even if you don't decide to buy a new bike). Just like a car dealership, most bicycle shops will let you ride a bike to get a feel for it. And these days, bicycle shops even offer creative financing and extended warranties. And believe it or not, most bicycle shops have a bike or two on their showroom floor that cost about as much as a car.

While at your local bike shop, you'll be able to ride different styles of bikes and the salespeople can give you some really good advice and guidance on the right bike for you.

A few years ago, I bought a touring bicycle from my friend and I loved it. Touring bicycles are similar to road bicycles, but with a few differences. They have a 'relaxed' geometry that makes it easier on your body to ride long distances day in and day out. They have eyelets which allow you to attach fenders and paniers (used for bicycle luggage). And sometimes allow for bigger tires, which absorb road shock and are easier on your wheels.

Since, I have bought a fixed gear (similar to a road bike, but with only one speed), track bike (a fixie, but with a more aggressive geometry), and a cyclocross/touring bicycle (similar to my first touring bike, but with the ability to put on bigger tires). I personally do most of my riding on-road, so I really appreciate the sleek road geometry and drop handlebars (as opposed to flat handlebars).

One of the main things you'll be keeping track of when test riding bikes is the frame size. Every bike is adjustable to a certain extent, but if the frame size is too far off, it will be really hard fit the bicycle properly. Having a proper fit eliminates pain during longer rides and helps visibility in crowded areas.

Keep in mind, however, that frame sizes are slightly arbitrary. Different manufacturers measure from different points on the frame and different geometries can change the numbers quite a bit. But for the most part, this will give you a general idea of the size you are in the market for.

The next thing you may want to consider is frame material. Frame material can be as exotic as the bike, but for the most part there are three main materials: steel (and chromoly), aluminum, and carbon fiber.

Steel is time tested. It is the heaviest of the three, but it tends to have the softest feel. It is known to absorb road vibrations, which can really be beneficial during long days on you bike. And should you damage your frame, it can be repaired. I personally have only owned steel frames and I think they are great!

Aluminum is strong and light. These days it seems that you can find bicycles from every echelon of bicycles made from aluminum. People say it's very stiff and responsive, so if you're into speed this may be the material for you. I have heard that it doesn't absorb road vibrations as well as steel and it's not as easily repaired if at all.

Carbon fiber is about as high tech as you can get. It's super light, super strong, and consequently, super expensive. I'd say if you have the money, do it!

There's also titanium, bamboo, plastic, wood, and others. But those are pretty specific to certain brands as of now.

Another thing to look at are the wheels and components on the bike. Looking at a bike, the most obvious part is the frame, but the wheels and components can easily cost more than the frame. And as a result, replacing those components over time and paying someone to do it can be a handsome fee. I find bicycles to be pretty competitively priced. If something costs more, generally the parts are made to last longer or go faster. It's not necessary to spend a fortune on a bike, but do keep in mind that buying the nicer of two items can be less expensive than buying the inferior of the two twice.

Used bikes:

I think you can find a great deal on a used bicycle. My advice on this would be to do your research. Craigslists is a great resource as is eBay. Go to the manufacturer's site and read about the bikes that interest you and check out the online bicycle forums. I usually do searches by frame size or manufacturer name and get some pretty killer results.

Also, if you are in the S.F. area, I recommend checking out Refried Cycles. They have a pretty good selection of used bikes and are pretty laid back.

Ask how many miles the bike has or how old it is. Just like a car, certain things will need to be changed over time. And ask if the bicycle has been maintained. Regular tune-ups and proper replacement of parts will help dramatically with the longevity of a bicycle.

When test riding a bicycle, listen. A general rule of thumb is that a quieter a bicycle is, the better. If the bicycle's chain is rubbing constantly when you pedal, this can usually be easily fixed, but if you hear creaking, cracking, crunching this could cost a little more to fix.

Shift through all of the gears (while riding) and make sure the shifters feel like they go from high to low and back smoothly. When shifting, the chain shouldn't feel like it is slipping off of the gears, especially when you really crank on the pedals. This could be a sign of a worn out chain or worse, a worn out cassette/chainring.

When pedaling, listen for noises that originate from the cranks (connected to the pedals), wheels, or handlebar area. These are the locations contain your bearings. Although bearings can be serviced or replaced, they are not easily accessible so disassembly is a given.

Spin the wheels and look for wobbles. Wheels can be trued, but the further they go from true and the longer they stay that way, the harder they are to fix. Also, listen if they spin smoothly. If you hear crunchy noises or the wheels stop abruptly, this could mean that the wheels don't have a ton of life left in them.

Look for frayed cables. Although this is far from a deal breaker, keep in mind that replacing the cables involves getting a full tune-up.

Although most anything can be fixed, it is a real drag having your bike in the shop all week and having nothing to ride.

I hope this gives you some initial guidance about finding the right bike. I think the most important thing is to find a bicycle that's going to make you happy. And almost any bike has that effect, so there are a lot of options. And this post is not meant to discourage you from asking any other questions, but more so a way to get some of my ideas on (electronic) paper and get more people on bikes.

Hope to see you out on the road!

Why cycle commuting to work is better than driving alone...

Slowly over the years, my bicycle commute has grown a longer and a little more consistent. It started with five miles each way a few times a month and now I'm proud to say that on a good week, I put almost 75 miles on my bicycle commuting to work.

Bicycle commuting has always been a fun way to get to work and now with the rising price of gasoline, it's starting to become the sensible option.

Because the commute to work has become a steady part of the week (25 miles round trip), it's easy to see that all those miles can add up pretty quick. Let's say I drove to work by myself every day. I figure that's about $5 in gasoline (20 mpg at $4 a gallon). Now, in addition to that I cross the Golden Gate Bridge every day. Let's add another $5 (it's $4 with Fastrak), but this makes the math easy. That's an average of $10 a day and that doesn't include any maintenance for the car itself.

$10 a day times five days a week times 50 weeks a year. (Math gears spinning). That's $2,500! Whoa! Not to mention that's post tax. Now we're looking at over $3,000 easily. And let's not forget that I still haven't factored in car maintenance. Although insurance, parking, car payments, etc. are pretty much fixed and independent of how much you drive, that will increase that number even more.

Okay...realistically, I'm not going to give up my car. And as much as I want a hybrid, I think driving less is more practical.

So we're looking at a good $3,000 pre-tax that I can work with. Let's say I ride my bike on average of two days a week (more during the sunny months and less during the wet ones). And those other days I find people to carpool with to work (it so happens that I've found three other co-workers to carpool with). Now that means that I drive on average 1.5 times every other week.

So some more mental math here. 1.5 times every other week is 0.75 times per week. That's $7.50 in gas and bridge tolls per week. Wait! The Golden Gate Bridge lets you cross for free if you have three or more people during commuting hours. Now it's $2.50 per week. Multiply that by 50 weeks and you're looking at $125 a year.

Wow! From $3,000 to $125. Maybe that's not enough to make you rich, but it adds up quickly.

So there you have it. Reason number one. It saves you money! And if you carpool it saves you even more. There are plenty of other reasons too, but it's getting late and I have a bicycle commute to do in the morning. Stay tuned.

Bike to Work Day 2008

Yes! Tomorrow's that day. Dust off your bicycle and make the morning commute on human power.

Here are a couple of links to "Energizer Stations" in S.F. and Marin:

San Francisco
Marin

See you out there!

The Hills

Today I rode the Grizzly Peak Century in the East Bay. It was 112 miles. Either too cold or too hot. Windy in the wrong direction. And hilly...just check out the elevation map.



Now it's time to sleep it off.

John Butler

I just got home from seeing John Butler play at the Fillmore. I've seen him quite a few times now, but I must say that he keeps getting better. I've never seen anyone play guitar like he does.

I've been feeling stressed lately and can't quite put my finger on why. Seeing John play definitely helped.

Bicycle Ups and Downs

I really didn't start putting noticeable mileage on a bicycle until a couple of years ago when a friend talked me into signing up for AIDS/LifeCycle 5. At the time, I was really into climbing and surfing and my friend had mentioned how cycling was not only a blast, but a great way to create cardiovascular strength that would actually help the other two sports.

So I bought a nice, but used bicycle and started to adventure around the S.F. Bay Area. It was a great contrast to being confined to city limits, and I loved how I could travel 60, 80, 100+ miles in a day without burning an ounce of gasoline. Although I've owned a car most of my post 16 life, I did try the car-free life for a span of six and eight months. I began to incorporate bicycle commuting to work to the gym, you name it. Cycling consumed more and more of my day almost to the point of obsession.

However, I came to one sad realization.

Owning a bicycle can at times be a lot like owning a car. Maintenance is never cheap and once you put enough miles on one, you wonder if all the money you're putting towards repairs is better spent on a new bike. (The bike I own probably has over 10,000 miles on it including the mileage put on by the bike's previous owner and I've probably spent more on maintenance than I purchased the bike for).

One thing I have learned in terms of bicycle maintenance is that you usually get what you pay for. Every time I have tried to save a few dollars by going the discount route, I usually end up with a problem that could have easily been remedied by spending the extra money for time tested, reputable products. There have been several times where I've bought a component and had to replace it prematurely only to realize that at that point I had spent enough to buy the premium component that would've lasted.

And what's worse, I've attempted at some of the more complicated repairs only to bring my bicycle into the shop in defeat.

The most recent time has really been a drag. I attempted to rebuild a hub that was beginning to sound bad and ended up spending a day trying to hunt down impossible to find, Italian bits and pieces. I was even told by one bike mechanic to throw the wheel away because it was unsafe and wasn't worth the money it would cost to rebuild.

Long story short, I've been collecting estimates for what it would cost to bring my bike back from its crippled condition to the endurance athlete it once was and it's sounding like its going to cost more than the bike is worth. Funny thing is that retiring this bike is almost an emotional thing for me. I've put probably ridden the majority of the entire miles I've ridden on a bicycle on this particular bike.

However, with every bad comes good. I've been looking into new bicycles and have finally decided upon one. It's a bike that was built for a friend of mine by a custom bicycle builder from Davis, California. I already own one bike built by this particular builder and love it. And in fact, both bikes were built at the same time with the same body symmetry in mind. I've reached deeper into my pockets knowing that the attention to detail will really benefit me in the long run.

When buying a handmade bicycle, you are typically buying better components as well as a custom frame. During initial rides, it may feel similar, but it's really down the road that sets a handmade bike apart from the rest. And in addition, you are supporting someone who is just as passionate about building a bike as you are about riding one.

Now I have two bicycle built by Kimo at Innerlight Cycles. Here's the newest addition:

Parrott

Many blogs ago I wrote about my friend David and his velomobile concept. Well...after too much time, he finally came back to S.F. to visit. And he brought his sister, Sarah, along. It was an awesome several days of microbrews, cycling, and business ideas.



Here's a picture of David (in the yellow cap) in this month's critical mass.

It was pretty wet out this month, but the dedicated few were still out. We stopped afterward at bar called Gestalt. It's become a favorite Mission destination of mine because of the indoor bicycle parking and Steins of beer.

Well, it turns out that Steins of beer, wet roads, and fixed gears can be hazardous. I'm not quite sure of the sequence of events, but I ended up taking a spill on the way home and somehow didn't even react to the fall.

David and Sarah - Thanks for coming to visit! I felt like the guest the entire time.

Spanish Devil

Today, some friends (one from high school, two from college, and one from high school and college) and I rode up Mt. Diablo in the east bay. It's about a 3500 ft. climb up to the summit and almost nothing but descent on the way back. Wicked!

On a sadder note, the Wine Country Century is full. I've ridden the last couple of years and blogged about it a couple weeks ago, but registration filled up early. Too bad. However, the Grizzly Peak century located in the same neighborhood as Mt. Diablo still has spots open. The registration spots available are around 900 compared to 2,500 for the wine country century, so I imagine it'll fill up soon. Plus, I've heard it's a pretty popular ride.

Here's the link: Grizzly Peak Century

(Oh, and I remembered to sign up for this one.)

Also, I wanted to give everyone a little glimpse into my day. Here's a picture of my desk with a pile of vintage hardware. Bitchin!

Get Ready...

The weather is getting nicer. With the daylight savings, the days are getting longer. It looks like it's finally time to get out of that winter rut.

Just wanted to share a picture from yesterday's ride. My friend Tom took me up the backside of Mt. Tamalpais, and the view was awesome (the point in the background is Bolinas, a favorite surf spot).

We're starting to get into the swing of things and will be signing up for some organized rides this summer. Organized rides are a great way to get out and put some serious mileage on your bicycle and at the same time have the luxuries of support staff and pit stops. One ride that I've done the last couple of years is the Wine Country Century. It's typically a 100 mile ride in the vineyards surrounding Santa Rosa, but there are also shorter and longer variations depending on how ambitious you are. The Wine Country Century is one of the easiest of Northern California centuries, so if you're looking for a place to start, this is definitely it.

If you're looking to step it up a notch higher, it's time to look at double centuries (yes, 200 miles in one day). I've yet to do one, but it's been on my mind for the past couple of years. I am eying the Davis Double located at my Alma Mater.

Aside from cycling, I've been getting settled at my new job. Things are going really well and I'm learning a lot each day.

Hope to see you on the road!

New Job!

It's official! I am now a Systems Engineer for TVWorks, an interactive television software company owned by a joint venture between Comcast and Cox. The team that I am on is awesome and I haven't screwed up anything that isn't repairable.

So far so good. ;)

Don't forget!

No endorsements here. Just get out there and do it!

Electric What?

It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry. With all the dull weather outside and transitions in my life, it's been quite boring.

Today, however, was an exciting day.

For the past couple of years, I have been searching for an environmentally respectable way to get around. My solution has been primarily to try to get on my bicycle when the weather's nice and ride my scooter when my legs get tired. However, with wet winters, this is far from the ideal way to get around. In addition, I will be starting a new job in the north bay (more details later), so finding a car is almost a necessity.

I've looked at a variety of options over the years from biofuels to efficient compacts to hybrids to rain gear and a scooter and each looks like a considerable option. However, more recently I've been looking at electric vehicles.

I had heard several people talk about Who Killed the Electric Car and finally got my hands on it and watched. I was pretty moved by the message. It sounded like this was a pretty viable means of transportation and something that shook up the oil and automobile industries. For those that haven't seen it yet, please do.

In addition to the movie, I have had the good luck of having friends and acquaintances who are motivated to make a change. A groups of friends (one of which works for Tesla) and roommates have recently decided to pursue building an electric vehicle and today was a day full of connections.

Today, a few of us attended the monthly San Francisco Electric Vehicle Association meeting. It was great to meet some local people who are passionate about being environmentally responsible. In addition, they had some really cool electric cars from Miles Electric Vehicles available for demo. Mr. Miles, the CEO, was even in attendance to personally introduce the vehicles.






After our first SFEVA meeting, a few of us drove down to San Jose to meet with a man named Nick who built his own electric vehicle. Since he was originally trying to sell his vehicle on Craigslist, we posed as potential buyers, but as soon as he found out we were interested in building one ourselves he was eager to share his wealth of knowledge. (Thanks Nick!)

Here are a couple pictures of his setup.






So there is still much research to be done, but it is good to know that there are tons of resources out there and a community of electric vehicle enthusiasts willing to lend a helpful mind.

Stay tuned...

The meaning of Chon.

"CHON is an mnemonic acronym for the four most common elements in living organisms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. These four elements are also notable for being the least massive (and having the lowest atomic number) in their group in the periodic table."

- Wikipedia

I was told it had roots in the Korean language. I'm going to have to tell my parents that we are in fact molecular, not Korean.

Congratulations Dad!

It was probably several years ago when poker started to get popular on ESPN when my father really took a liking to Texas Hold'em. Turns out he's got some skills.

Today he entered a $5 tournament on Poker Stars. Five hours later, he beat out the entire field and won a seat at his first legitimate poker tournament, the European Poker Tour German Open. Poker Stars will fly him out at the end of the month, put him up at a hotel for the week, give him some spending cash, and cover his $7,700 euro entry fee. Not too bad for $5 and five hours work.

Good luck Dad! Bring home $1,000,000!