Fiction Beer Company

  My buddy Dave S. and I recently visited Fiction Beer Company, located in west Denver.  As the name suggests, Fiction Beer is a brewery with a literature theme.  Books and beer, now that’s a brewery right in my wheelhouse!  The brewery is small, perhaps the word cozy would be a better word, yet comfortable with bookcases stuffed with books.  There is an outdoor patio but since the wind chill temps were in the 20’s the day we visited we decided to pass.  The staff was friendly and efficient.

     I chose A Beer of Very Little Brain, their honey wheat ale (to spell it out, it’s a play on the title A Bear of Very Little Brain.  You know, the book starring that honey loving bear Winnie the Pooh).  I found it to be mellow with a medium malt flavor.  The honey flavor was very subtle, because they don’t actually add honey to the brewing process; the flavor actually comes from the honey malt used in the brewing process.

     A Bear with Very Little Brain comes in at 4.9% ABV with 25 IBUs.  With its mild flavor and lower ABV, this is a beer you can drink several of in one sitting.  That’s why it would be an outstanding beer for a hot summer day.

     I give it a hearty four belches:

      

     For those of you who are hop-heads, Fiction Beer has a very robust IPA selection.  I can’t tell you if they are good or not, because as I’ve previously made clear, I ain’t into IPA’s.

     Fiction Beer Company is a small, friendly local brewry that I heartily endorse and intend to visit again in the near future.

Fiction Beer Company, located 7101 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver

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The most common types of bicycles

    

     Walking into a bicycle store can be an overwhelming experience, especially for newbies or those getting back into riding after years/decades away from it.  There are so many bicycle options to choose from that many riders don’t even know where to start.

     So let me help cut through some of the confusion.  Below are some descriptions of the different styles of bicycles and what their intended use it.  Be aware that these are just generalizations.  Talk to the staff of your local bike shop for more in-depth information.  These folks are a wealth of information and are more than happy to help introduce you into the bicycling lifestyle.

The most common types of bicycles:

Road bicycles: once upon a time these were called “10 speeds”, for those of us old enough to remember that term.  In the modern era most road bikes come with 21 to 27 speeds.  Road bikes are the Ferrari’s of the cycling world, because they are fast and nimble (and not so very comfortable).  They also tend to be very expensive!

     There are several sub-types of the road bicycle genre:

  • Endurance/comfort: the geometry of this style is designed to put the rider in a slightly more upright postion than the racing style.
  • Race: this geometry is designed to put the rider in a more aggressive and aerodynamic position.  The trade-off is that it’s not quite as comfortable as the endurance style.
  • Specializations: Triathalon, Time Trial and Gravel:  not for your usual rider.  You’d know if you needed one.

 

Mountain Bikes (MTB):  Mountain bikes are the Jeep’s of the cycling world.  They are designed to go off-road and absorb abuse.  The frames are much sturdier than road bikes, and most MTB’s come with some sort of suspension to soften the bumps and dips in the path.  The three most popular types are:

  • Hardtail:  most common type mountain bike.  Only has a front suspension, hence the name “hardtail”.  Not as comfortable as a full suspension, but longer lasting and more affordable.
  • Full suspension:  as the name implies, it has suspension in both the front and back.  Much more comfortable and better handling over rough terrain.  Comes with a hefty price tag, and tends to have a shorter lifespan than the hardtail.
  • Fat tire:  MTB’s with extra wide tires.  Great for riding in snow or sand.

 

Hybrid (also known as recreation/fitness/commuter) bicycles: These are the family sedan or SUV of the cycling world.  They are very versatile and, perhaps more importantly, very affordable.  As the name implies, hybrids are a cross between road and mountain bikes.  They are almost as light as road bikes but their geometry puts you in a more upright (MTB) position so they’re more comfortable.  They are great bikes for commuting and fitness riding.  They come in two “flavors”, road or mountain bike style:

  • MTB style:  these come with a slightly beefier frame of the two styles, and they also come with a front suspension for dealing with ruts and potholes on your local bike trail or dirt path.  NOT designed for hardcore mountain biking!  The frame and suspension are too lightweight for that kind of riding.
  • Road bike style:  lighter frame than the MTB hybrid, and comes with a standard front fork.  They are built for going farther and faster, and the preferred model for most commuters.

 

Cruiser/comfort the mini-van of the cycling world.  Built so the rider can sit in a full upright position, they are usually equipped with fairly wide tires and a wide, cushy saddle making them very comfortable bikes.  They tend to be fairly heavy and slow.  These bikes are for easy, fun rides around the neighborhood or heading to the local park for a picnic.

 

My ride is a Trek 7.3 road bike style hybrid (click to embiggen).

     There ya go, a simplified overview of the most common bikes you might find in your local bike store, with a description that will help you match the right bike for the type of riding you want to do.

 

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Why I finally stopped drinking soda and you should too

     Adult onset diabetes has afflicted several members of my family, most notably my father.  He was diagnosed with diabetes in his early 60’s, an age that I am rapidly approaching.  If I wish to avoid his fate, I recently realized that I need to change my eating habits.  Let me rephrase that: I have been fully aware that I need to make changes to my eating habits for a long time.  What I finally realized is that if I don’t start making changes now, I will eventually have to make these changes when I eventually become diabetic.

     I recently had my blood sugar level checked by my primary care physician.  Even though I hadn’t made many changes to my diet yet, I was still not pre-diabetic.  The doc thinks that spending spring, summer and fall bicycling has kept my blood sugar in the normal range.

     But that is not good enough.  I need to completely change the way I approach food.  But making wholesale changes to my eating regimen all at once would be self-defeating.  Instead, the first change I have made is to drastically reduce the amount of soda I drink.  Notice I said reduce.  I have tried to quit soda completely in the past, and failed every single time.  So I allow myself to have 6-7 ounces of Pepsi a week.  That way I don’t feel deprived.  There are 41 grams of sugar in one Pepsi, and I was drinking two a day.  So I’ve gone from 574 grams of sugar a week to just 18-21 grams by doing this one small change.  To put that in an even more stark perspective, that is the difference between consuming 2 pounds vs. 65 pounds of sugar in a single year!

     I am now slowly reducing my sugar intake in other ways.  I no longer have a sugary dessert every evening.  Instead, if I must have dessert I save it for the weekend and only eat it after dinner.  While the effects to my waistline haven’t made themselves apparent so far, I know if I continue to change my nutrition plan to a more healthful one, the changes will eventually make themselves known.  Especially once bicycling season starts.

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