Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Green Flash

Last night was another run in the rain. We've been having rain for the past few days, and there's no sign of it letting up. At least it wasn't too hot out, and the predicted thunderstorms never materialized.

Somehow, I decided to run last night's run on the faster side. Even including my walk break, the first mile was sub-8. Made me reflect on the fact that before I started running, I ran a sub-8 mile once in my life. Now, I'm walking part of the mile, and still wound up there.

The beginning speed wound up sapping the life out of my legs for the last half mile. I still wound up with 3 miles in, at least. I know I shouldn't be running fast while rebuilding my base, but I figure once won't hurt me (as long as I truly do keep it to a very limited once-in-a-while).

Lovin' the Galloway method still. I'm still lacking some calf power, as I feel like I need to walk after running a mile or so, just to take a break. That works out for me, at least. I wonder if that feeling will go away, and I'll have to force myself to take breaks, or what. We'll see.


I've been lacking a bit of my blogging mojo lately. Blah. Thankfully, I've got a product review coming up (sponsored, even!), maybe some books to talk about, and some new CDs I bought. (I know, CDs. So last decade.)

Today's Alcohol Tuesday entry is Green Flash Brewing's Trippel Belgian Style Ale.




Hailing from the San Diego area, this is a bottle-conditioned Belgian style ale. At a sporty 9.7% ABV, it's got a bit more kick than the average bottle of beer.

They call it a "fiery, golden brew", and I certainly agree with that in regards to color. A decent amount of carbonation, and a moderate head when pouring.

Sipping it fresh out of the fridge yields a high alcohol taste.. not something you really want from a beer. A lot of the trippels have that taste, but it's undesirable (in my opinion, at least). As it warms, the scent and taste of some fruit and spice comes out. It has a slight orange smell, according to Mrs. Raul.


.. Side note.. What is it with the sense of smell in pregnant women? Holy cow. One day, she was picking me up at home. I had a couple of beers in the last hour, but nothing too serious. I had just sat in the car, not even shut the door, and she says "You've been drinking, haven't you?". I mean, wow.

(She doesn't pick up on vodka & tonic, I've found. I only discovered this for the sake of science and experimentation, of course.)

OK. end of side note..


It's a good, but not great beer. I did like it more as the evening went on, due to the different flavors being released as it was warmer. Unfortunately, I do like pulling a beer out of the fridge and starting the consumption right away.

Of course, with a big bottle like this, you're obligated to finish it in one sitting.. I mean, you can't just recork it or anything. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

All in all, glad I tried it, probably won't pick this one up again, however. I'm not opposed to trying the other beers from Green Flash, though.

As always, keep on rockin'..

10 comments:

RunningLaur said...

That's very fast! I love Galloway too, so glad that it's treating you well.

MCM Mama said...

Great job on the run!

I've found that anything Belgian style needs to be a bit warmer than fridge temp (same with oatmeal stouts).

I had a really strong sense of smell when I was pregnant too. I could smell garlic a mile away.

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

Teh 'Bride has never been pregnant (that I know of ... Ian was adopted), but I'd stack her sense of smell up against that of any preggo any day. She sniffs out scents that are so subtle that they aren't even there ... at least, not as far as I can tell. Every time we come back from a vacation, she comes in the house and says, "I smell Waldrons." The Waldrons are the old foax we bought the house from ... 17 FREAKIN YEARS AGO!1!

I never smell Waldrons ...

Anyroad, Belgian Trippels ... Mmm, yeah, I have a 10k to run on the 4th and I think I'mm gonna celebrate it by begging me a nice Belgian Trippel. Or I may just bottle the Octoberfest I brewed up a month ago ...

Glad your new running method is still working for you.

I shall now go forth AND ROCK!

No Longer Using said...

lol- your smell side note= HILARIOUS!!!!! is that true about pregnant women??? so funny!!!

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

WTF? "by buying me a nice Belgian Trippel" ...

"begging"?

I haven't begged for beer since ... what time is it?

Aka Alice said...

When I was preggers, I could smell beer a mile away. I made Walter promise that he'd never touch the stuff because it made me ill (maybe I was just jealous!)

That's funny about the green flash. In San Diego, it's a big deal to go down to the beach to watch the sun set. Some people say that when the sun sets over the ocean, you can see a green flash. Me? I've never seen it. I think people make it up. I didn't know there was a beer named for it.

Denise said...

I've tried Green Flash before but not that one. I love my belgiums so I'll have to try that one.

Anonymous said...

Nice job! If you are feeling good, mixing in a little speed work won't hurt. Just make sure you listen to your body.

joyRuN said...

A sub-8 mile WITH walking break?? Geez - I'm curious to see how fast you were running around the walk break!

I've always had a strong sense of smell. Sucks when the kids take a dump & I get to wipe their stinky butts.

iJuls said...

On the side note: when I was pregnant, my husband and I were out for breakfast. His coffee arrived and the smell hit me like a ton of bricks. "She just served you the bottom of the pot," I told him. He sipped and agreed. It was awful. When the replacement cup arrived he pushed it toward me and asked if it was safe sipping. It was -- as coffee-pot coffee goes.