Barry

RE: Kooper. I very likely have tried Kooper Spirits at a whisky show, but I don't recall them specifically (that usually means I didn't care for it). I've seen the bottles a bunch, but haven't gone for them because their age, price and mashbill puts in them the "probably low value for my preferences" range. Their rye is very much in the KY style, since they mashbill only has 51% rye, and that's not my preference anyway. I do like TW, but I generally find their salespersons to give questionable advice, and they generally steer folks to the whisky they're pushing, and not the whisky they personally like. Contrast this with Spec's or Oak Liquor Cabinet, or even Deb's, where I can actually have a good conversation with someone who clearly knows and enjoys the whisky they're pushing. And I'm glad you're enjoying the WTRB Rye!

Glad to motivate, however it happens.

Awesome ride man! Congrats!

Strava heatmaps is how to find the real sooper sekrits.

I bought this pretty good bike work stand from Jeff Bezos in mid-June. But I don't think it was actually his, since it came from China. It is in absolute perfect condition and served me well for a few weeks. It's a knock-off of the Feedback Sports stand, but with a crappier knobs. It is super lightweight though, and seems very robust. I paid near a hundo for it, but you can have it for $50 if you come get it. (Don't show up with $40 looking to deal. This thing is in mint condition, only 6 weeks old, and half off. If you can't break a $20 on the way to my house I'll go ahead and take $60 for it.) Ultimately I decided to get the Feedback Pro Elite, which I found for only $260 at Mellow Johnnies. They still have one left too. So maybe go buy that one instead of this one. Anyway, here's the stand: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B5MT1BG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details Honestly, it's a sturdy and well functioning stand. Get it from me for half off if you need one. No photos, just look at the link. That's it.

And somehow it managed to turn Patrick Stewart into a sex symbol. Prior to that, only Ian McKellen thought he was hot.

Ah, neat. I assume you mean the dotted lines in WoodGlen shown here? I'll check it out the next time I connect to Behrens from the south.

Our Brushy Burrito Buffet was born out of the discussion on this thread. So far as I'm aware, only 5 people have completed a variation on that loop--certainly it hasn't had any organized version. Coincidentally the Peddler shop was planning to organize some version of this in late 2019, about the same time I first did this loop, but they never got around making it happen before Covid. And they were calling it Nutcracker 2. It didn't involve LGT that time. But there's been lots of discussion about throwing an LGT loop into something like this. And according to @Tree Magnet, a ride that includes all this, plus LGT should be called the Complete Chimichanga. I appreciate that Behrens is pretty uninspiring, but it does have a couple of fun spots. And they way @schoolie discovered to connect it to WilCo is absolutely spectacular. So I like to hit it as part of this big loop, or as a gravel bike ride from the house. I don't think I've ever done Behrens without including WilCo.

Too many Kardashians in DS9. I don't like them, because there are four lights!

TNG or GTFO.

Sweet! Hey @schoolie, it looks like this will connect spectacularly well with next year's Brushy Burrito Buffet...

I drove by the house while in Albuquerque. No pizza on the roof at the time. https://time.com/5695599/breaking-bad-pizza-scene-evolution/

If you're not looking to get smart, I have a dumb trainer available for the price of picking it up.

Congrats on the sale. Now this can be a "who else has that sign as a photo" thread. I'll go second.

Well you're the first to say it! But anyway I don't much think our administration is staying on top of this particular issue. Although our PM system might be working overtime at the moment.

Yas! Hartman Rocks is one of the best places anywhere to ride a bicycle!

Once I have a bottle like that open, I'd say it takes roughly 6 to 8 months to finish it. It's usually my first or second pour of the evening, and I rarely have more than 1 of those per setting, and only about 1 every couple of weeks. But generally @Jessica helps with them as well. And when we do have friends over, I always offer them a pour of whatever bottles we have open, including the really expensive whisky. But I usually only have one very expensive bottle open at a time, and probably 5 or 6 bottles in the $70-100 range open, and a dozen or more less than $50...so there's a lot to choose from! But in any event, there's no way I'd down a significantly portion of a bottle like that in an evening, even if I'm sharing generous pours. We'd move on to the next thing pretty quick. And speaking of the very expensive bottles, I currently have 3 of this value range (maybe 4 counting the L,S&B 18yr, but it was a little cheaper). Jessica got me that Laphroaig as an anniversary gift about 5 weeks ago now. So you can see the drink rate. It's the only one of these 3 bottles I have open, and I opened it as soon as she gave it to me! And that's kind of the trick. If you don't open it because having it IS the special occasion, you're stuck looking for an excuse to open it. Take that WP BH for example. 3 years ago Jessica got me that, and a bottle of Ardbeg Grooves for my birthday. My plan was to get them both open and drinking right away. I opted to open the Ardbeg first, because it was cheaper. But when I went to open the WP, it occurred to me that I had just had that peaty Ardbeg...so there was no way I wanted to try the WP with my palate saturated with peat! So I didn't open it right away and now I have it 3 years later looking for an occasion to do so.

It's just awful.

100% ADL rye: My absolute favorite rye is produced by Alberta Distillers Limited (ADL), a company owned by Beam/Suntory. But you can't buy it from them--although they've gotten closer recently to sealing the good stuff, but more on that later. I've posted this photo before, but this is certainly my favorite whisky line, let alone favorite rye, which is therefore my favorite whisky grain. My favorite version of ADL rye is by Cooper Spirits. They're known for keeping Alberta rye from being blended and proofed down into Canadian rubbish. They (like WhistlePig and a couple others) buy in bulk and bottle rescue Alberta distilled whisky from this fate, and sell it to us. Below are some of my real goods (apocalypse ready) from Cooper Spirits. I've so far emptied 4 bottles of the L,S&B 16yr, 1 bottle of the L,S&B 18yr and one bottle of the Hochstadter's 16yr Reserve. I've also recently added a bottle of L,S&B 20yr to the collection—it'll probably be my favorite rye that I’ve not yet tasted. Prices on these bottles range $110 for the 13 year up to $360 for the 20 year. As each new version comes out, the old one is long gone. Older 100% (or thereabouts) rye gains a profile that you don't really find in other whisky. It's deeply leather & shoe polish, and a bit like old books without being musty. And the finish lingers for several minutes, and gets fruity over time. That Hochstadter's Vatted Straight Rye Whiskey on the right is a slightly different animal, given that it's a blended rye from a lot of different suppliers. But it still has many of the characteristics you can find in a great ADL rye for about $50. And it's available locally too. So if your question was what to try next, then maybe this one. I've seen it at both Specs and TW in the last couple of weeks. But WhistlePig's 10 year, their 6 year Piggyback line, and (most) of their Store Pick Barrel Proof line is another great example of ADL rye as well. For $40, you can get the PiggyBack. It's got a lot of the fruitiness that you'll find an a good ADL rye, but it is fairly underwhelming given its youth and low abv. The 10 year is great at about $70, but for about $10 more, I always go for the Store Pick Barrel Proof versions, almost always available at Specs and TW, but Deb's has gotten a few good picks in as well. I’ve probably had 12 or more WP store picks, and while they’re all a little different, they’re all very good to spectacular, and I always have a bottle of it open. Currently it's a killer 15 year Deb's pick! -Alberta Premium Cask Strength. Regarding my "can’t buy it from them" mention above. For years, Beam/Suntory sold absolutely no version of this whisky in the US. You could get garbage blended versions like Alberta Dark, or Basil Hayden rye, but these were very much in the historical Canadian rye flavor profile--soft and sweet. At least that’s until Jim Murray declared that 2020’s Best Whisky in the World was Alberta Premium Cask Strength. Even just 3 years ago the only ADL pure rye available in Canada was the very young version that tasted like a softer and younger version of WP’s PiggyBack. But finally they released 2 new ADL whiskies: 1) an older low ABV older version, and 2) this much celebrated, but younger cask strength version in Canada ONLY. I specifically asked a Beam/Suntory rep at Whiskies of the World in fall 2019 whether Beam/Suntory would ever release a pure ADL rye in the US, and he claimed that “absolutely that will never happen.” But then Jim Murray happened, so now this whisky is widely available in the US for about $60. Anyway, is it “The Best Whisky in the World?” Not by a long shot. It’s too young to have that those unique and killer old rye notes. It’s pretty much exactly WP PiggyBack, but a cask strength version. It’s good—really good even. But I’d go for a WP Store Pick over it any time. Midwest Grain Products (MGP) rye: The shelves are absolutely lousy with MGP rye. You can't throw a baseball at a whisky shelf in the US without breaking some bottles with MGP in them. This can be an absolutely AMAZING rye, with some of best ever versions rivaling some of the best ADL rye. There is some variation, but for the most part at least half of the bottles in any big rye selection is filled with the well-known 95% rye, 5% malt distillate from MGP. Even some very well-known rye, like Bulleit (for now) or Dickel rye are MGP. And many of the other "craft" ryes as well. Look for "product of Indiana" on the label in small print, for example. Some of these have interesting barrel finishes and are pretty darn good. Others are just too expensive for what they are—and usually have some BS story on the label about their family whisky heritage in large print. -Redemption Barrel Proof 10 year Rye. For about $90, it's an absolute toss up as to whether you should rush out to buy this, or a WP store pick. But this is about as good as a non-finished MGP rye can get right now. Older and higher proof MGP completely loses the infamous “pickle” note they’re known for, and gains an interesting smoke and leather notes. -Rossville Union. This was MGP’s attempt to put out their own line. It’s a middling version at a premium price. SKIP! -James E Pepper 1776 Rye. They have various versions of MGP rye, but they put out some the most…pungent versions of MGP available and at low price points. I like it, but the pickle note and the grassy rye notes are the most powerful flavors in a whiskey outside of peat. The Cask Strength version is positively loud. It looks like JEP is stating to put out some of their own rye now, but it’s young and expensive so I haven’t gone for it. -Angel’s Envy Rye. This is probably the second best finished rye available. Luckily it’s always available for about $80. And a bottle will last you a good long while because its rum finish adds a huge sweet note to the not too young MGP whisky profile. This is dessert or breakfast whisky for sure. There are others out there like Templeton or Redemption who are pushing rum finished MGP rye, but they’re not remotely as good as AE Rye. We always have a bottle of this. -WhistlePig’s Old World whiskies are pretty good finished MGP. There are a ton of different versions, and they’re all good, but they’re a little expensive IMO for their quality. They’re in no way as good as this next one… -HighWest’s A Midwinter’s Nights Dram. It’s getting hard to find, but this is the gold standard of finished rye. I have one open now, and one in the cabinet. They put it out every fall, and I used to score about 2 bottles a year, but I haven’t gotten one in the last 2 years. The whisky is their blended rye, Rendezvous, finished in port and French oak barrels. It’s dark fruit and oily. And Rendezvous is pretty good on it’s own, but it is also getting harder to find. Their DoubleRye is also good, but the young MGP component holds it back a little. The wild card here is that occasionally you can find special release versions of their finished ryes, like this excellent Syrah finished DoubleRye bellow. HW has even started blending in their own distillate into their DoubleRye and even Rendezvous. Since I’m a fan of their quality, I’m anxiously awaiting for them to release their own non-blended rye. Kentucky style rye: Wild Turkey Ryes, BT's Sazerac, HH's Pikesville & Rittenhouse, JB’s Old Overholt as well many other versions of what I call KY rye is "near bourbon" in that they still use a very mixed mash bill grain. Basically they're all just 51% rye, with the other portions being a mix of corn and malt. Interestingly this often makes for a spicier rye, but is still very much in the bourbon profile wheelhouse. For example, a very high rye bourbon like Four Roses, will taste kind of similar to a Wild Turkey rye or an Old Overholt BiB. Rittenhouse (very sweet banana notes) and Sazerac (spicy tobacco notes) both have very district flavors and stand out as being a little different from the others, but they're still literally bourbon's next door neighbor. And you mentioned liking RRSB. Since this is a Wild Turkey brand, I'll also suggest you look for WT’s relatively new RareBreed Rye. There are rare exceptions to the KY rye model however like E.H Taylor Rye, which is more like ADL or MGP rye than a KY rye (and very good!). And the impossible to find Booker's Rye, which was a one-off (and amazing). Others: -Lot 40. This is my favorite rye that says Canadian Whisky on the bottle. It's a little soft, but it has a nice grassy rye note. I think it's largely malted rye, so that gives it an interesting profile. -Willett Rye. They've been doing limited releases every few years. I've had the 2, 3 and the 4yr so far, and they're getting much better with each release. It's a high-rye content, and you can really see that this is headed in the right direction. -Peerless Rye can gfts. I'm glad I've never bought a bottle. It's just massively overpriced as compared to its contemporaries. And much like Garrison Bros, I don't know why people go for this shit. I've only ever had it (or Garrison) at a whisky show, and I while it ain't bad, it certainly ain't "worth every damn penny" (to continue to throw them under the Garrison bus). Other than price, Peerless is in no way offensive--just unspectacular. It has a somewhat muted nose, and hits with decent rye flavors. But then poof, it’s gone with no aftertaste whatsoever. “Smooth,” most would say. I say gfys. -Balcones Rye. 100% rye that uses a large portion of chocolate rye malt. And you can tell, because it has a huge Cocoa Pebbles note to it. I like it a bit, but for some reason I like the 50% abv version as much or more than the Cask Strength version. This is almost never the case, but for $35 you can't go wrong with the standard version. -Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Cask Strength Rye is very good, and worth trying again sometime. It's a fairly high rye, I think at 70%, and I think I'll revisit it from time to time. I don't think it's as good as the JDSBBP bourbon TN Whiskey. -So many others.

We have had the same situation TWICE with Peddler's North. In late 2018 @Jessica wanted to try out some gravel/touring/adventure bikes and the sales person argued with us and effectively refused to grab a medium for her to try (she hates cramped frames). So we went to BSS (RIP) and got her a 54cm Specialized Sequoia literally 20 minutes later. And just last week, we stopped by Peddler's after Red Horn during our Brushy/SubNinja ride. We were hoping to look at clothes since we both needed shirts and shorts. Our plan was to have a quick look, then come back after the ride. But we couldn't have a quick look, since there was nowhere we felt safe storing our bikes (I know this is a bike theft thread, not a complain about LBS thread, so here is the tie-in). There's no reasonable place just inside the door--it's super crowded with stuff right there. And they had their massive window blocked with an equally massive wall of helmets. There's no chance of keeping an eye on your bike while shopping, and since we were mountain biking, we didn't plan on locks. So, when we got back to the car at Brushy, instead of going back for whatever they might have had, we went and spent about $350 on clothes at Sun&Ski and REI. Contrast that with our bike shop tour just this weekend, where we took our bikes inside both Trek Lamar and MJ's with no drama.

Yes! They have training wheels likker!

@AustinBike be sure to stop by Santa Fe Spirits Downtown Tasting Room for some glorious Colkegan Whiskey or some really spectacular cocktails.

Not sure if I'll edit this post or make a new one. But I'll have to wait until I have a LOT of time to answer. Like when I'm at work.

My SC Reserve 37 IW rim matches my 2.6 Rekons perfectly (it measures exactly 2.6 on the fat rim). For me the 2.6 Rekon is a great high volume but fast rolling and light tire. I ran 2.4/2.5 Minions for years in the north-east. I went higher volume (2.6 instead of 2.4 or 2.5) for around here because of all the loose dirt and loose rocks. This is for 27.5, but if I pick up a 29er SS, I'll probably still run 2.6 Rekons on 35ish rims.

Maybe it's your bathing habits.