Day 31: Madra Alta IPA (Lavery Brewing) - 12 miles

What better way to cleanse your body than to eat vegan, well at least for dinner. After I ran twelve miles earlier in the day I was getting a little hungry. This is the Madra Alta IPA (6.4%) by Lavery Brewing Co. (Erie, PA). This was smoother and a little less bitter than most IPA beers. I also had the Shape of Hops to Come by Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. (Croydon, PA). This one was a more traditional IPA. Both delicious!

Days 30: WING BOWL

Day Thirty: It's four a.m. and fifteen of us are crammed into a van headed to the Wells Fargo Center. Someone hands me a Coors Lite can and I crack my first beer of the day. After a quick unload we start on a fresh round of beers. The sun is still hours away and we're feasting upon wings, eggs sandwiches and breakfast burritos. With a smorgasbord of beer I take what I believe to be a decent photo of this Pale Ale (5.5%) by Saranac Brewing (Utica, NY). I am sure it was a great brew but I really can't say. There's no time to wax on the subtleties of molt undertones and hop profiles. It's time for Wing Bowl 23 by 94WIP!

A motley group of professional eaters, some local superstars and a few celebs are to compete in two fifteen minute rounds of wing eating, followed by a two minute championship round. The rules are simple: eat wings, if you heave, you LEAVE. Like prize fighters the contestants parade around the stadium with an entourage of beautiful wingettes. As the horn signals the start of round one the action on the stage is surpassed by the crazy antics of the booze fueled scantly clad crowd. The jumbo tron toggles from chipmunk cheeked eaters covered in chicken residue to sexy wingettes carrying trays of wings. Drunken spectators trash talk, girls kiss, exposed buttocks are everywhere, people are shouting and dudes are passing out. The event in all it's glory appears to end rather abruptly. Then again, that could have been the lack of sleep and elevated blood alcohol levels. The final wing count of the top two contestants is 444 to 440. Some dude has just won twenty five thousand dollars and at this point no one seems to give a shit. We all just leave. Presumably to go drink beer in the parking lot.

I arrive home sometime after five p.m. The world is a tilt & whirl but I still have a run to get done. I set my alarm. Sometime later my alarm goes off. Where am I? Oh shit, then I remember. It's now after ten p.m. and there is an evil creature trapped in my skull trying to escape. I throw on my gear. Twenty-five degrees and wind. I run six miles. It is easily one of the worst runs of my life. Fun has just died. My liver has aged considerably in the past twelve hours. I might collect social security soon. So I shower and immediately go to bed. The streak lives on.

Day 29 - Florida Cracker (Cigar City Brewing) - 10 miles

After an exhausting day at work I stumbled through a slow ten mile run. Upon my return I learned that I had secured a ticket to Wing Bowl. I quickly gulped down the Florida Cracker (5.5%) by Cigar City Brewing Co. (Tampa, FL). For best results toss a lemon wedge in this Belgian style white and sip causally poolside. No pool? Well, chugging this ale down quickly with left over pizza ain't no tragedy.

Day 28 - Red Hot Iron Ale (Pittsburgh Brewing Co) - 13.5 miles

In an effort to bank some miles in the log before the weekend I ran thirteen and one half miles, some of it was Skip. I tried the Red Hot Iron Lager (7.2%) by Pittsburgh Brewing Co. (Latrobe, PA). Basically they took a nice lager and added a shit ton of cinnamon. This was very, very hard to get down. I do not under any circumstance recommend this beer, unless of course you want a beer that resembles one of those old school hot ball candies.

Day 27 - Red Rocket Ale (Bear Republic) - 11.5 miles

Exhausting day. The storm missed Philly but work was a storm in itself. After nearly twelve hours of work I jumped into a track workout. I managed 5 x 1000 meter, averaging 3:09/K. I ran a total of eleven and one half miles. Legs were in the shit bucket from step one so I'm happy with the effort. Afterwards I didn't feel like cooking so I started eating random shit out of the frig while sipping Red Rocket Ale (6.8%) by Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Cloverdale, CA). I am very familiar with this brewery's Racer 5 IPA. I was too tired to think much about this one. Decent beer, I could definitely down a few of these babies and grab a nice buzz.

Day 26 - Rustic Harvest (Ithaca Brew Co) - 11 miles

The calm before the storm was an eleven mile run and a rye IPA. Eager beaver news anchors, government shut downs and hysterical grocery store mobs are easily avoidable, just lace up and pound that pavement. The Rustic Harvest (7.2%) by Ithaca Beer Co. is everything I could hope for in an IPA: balanced hop and a crisp clean finish. I like some giddy up in my IPA but drowning a decent brew in citrus and floral flavors is a deal breaker. This one is just right.

Day 25 - Chocolate Sombrero (Clown Shoes) - 16.5 miles

There must be something about road races in Jersey. Every Sunday there is a 5K race for five bucks at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. Runners are expected to jot down their name and age on a legal pad before the start. At the finish each runner is handed a place card and asked to again record their name and age. The course is unmarked and this week there was no lead bike. The prizes are random food items out of a trunk. Crazy right? Shit's crazy, like clown shoes!

My breathing was a bit off but my legs felt rested despite the longer run yesterday. I lost contact with Paul shortly before two miles. My watch recorded the split as 10:31. With not much fight I slowed considerably and ate complete and utter shit on the last mile. My watch read something like 16:14 for 3.03 miles. After turning in our cards Paul suggested we run a fartleck around the course by switching off surges. The leader would take off unannounced at the pace and duration of their choosing. This went a little better for me and we finished the second loop in about 17:15. After collecting our prizes (I got a bag of ruffle potato chips) we ran another eight miles. I ran a total of sixteen and one half miles.

After the recent chocolate overdose that was the Birthday Ale I grabbed another chocolate stout called Chocolate Sombrero brewed by, you guessed it, Clown Shoes (Ipswich, MA). This stout was more beer than chocolate, a balance I much prefer when drinking a beer. The flavor was strong enough to mask any boozy taste that one would expect at 9% ABV. Well done, Clown Shoes.

Day 24 - Loser (Elysian) - 12 miles

I managed to finish my twelve mile run with just a little left in the tank. The milder temperatures made for a great day to run. For the day's beverage I went with Loser Pale Ale (7%) by Elysian Brewing Co. (Seattle, WA). This one has enough hop that I totally forgot and thought it was an IPA. At 7% ABV it was very drinkable.

Day 23 - Birthday Beer (Spoetzl Brewery) - 8 miles

There was an all too familiar feeling in my head as I started the work day. Probably could have skipped that last pint but at least I could rally around Friday. After a rather underwhelming nap I hit the road for a deathly slow eight mile run. Real pedestrian shit, but hey I got it done. After the prior night's binge I needed something different- Birthday Beer (5%) by Shiner (Shiner, TX). It's a chocolate stout, oh yeah, this baby is just saturated with chocolate. There is absolutely no beer taste to this, just chocolate but I'm not complaining. Fun fact, this brewery is 106 years old. The brewery is listed as Spoetzl Brewery.

Day 22 - Evolve IPA III (2nd Story) - 11 miles

A new Brewery and Restaurant in Philly!

Another Thursday night with Skipper Jones and the Fishtown Beer Runners! All and all I ran over eleven miles on the night. This time we met up at the 2nd Story Brewing Company for some discounted brew and bar bites. This place just recently opened and I am not sure their beer is available retail. I spent most of the night enjoying the Evolve IPA - III (4.5%). This IPA is approaching aggressive on the hops scale but not enough to give you heart burn. Interestingly their brewery currently features multiple beers under 4% ABV. Certainly a rarity for a microbrewery. Still, after five pints I was sufficiently happy. I also tried the 117 Pale Ale (4.9%) and the Root Cellar Helles (5.1%). Assuming the waitress gave me the right drink I found the Root Cellar to be a little too buttery for my taste. I can't say I remember much about the Pale Ale. My taste buds were pretty well drowned by that point.

Day 21 - Dortmunder Gold (Great Lakes Brewing Co) - 11 miles

It was one of those days that I just did not want to run. There was about an inch of snow on the ground but I did see a few runners out. I went with a German style lager called Dortmunder Gold (5.8%) by Great Lakes Brewing Co. (Cleveland, OH). This beer is so perfectly balanced and smooth I almost chugged it, then I remembered I only had one in the fridge. 

Day 20 - Liquid Gold (Captain Lawrence) - 11 miles

Tuesday night at Franklin Field and there were plenty of workout groups to choose from. I opted for a sampling: 3200 m (10:44), 400m rest jog, 3 x 1000 m (3:11, 3:07, 3:06 on 90 sec rest). After a hard workout I needed something smooth and easy and Liquid Gold (6.5%) by Lawrence Brewing Company (Elmsford, NY) fit the bill. At just 15 IBU it was a soft, sweet Belgian with a strong undertone of what tasted like lavender to me, although the brewer's profile does not list it as such so it was most likely the orange and other spices.

Day 19 - Imperial Porter (Wyndridge) - 11 miles

Fueled by some designer coffee I felt a little extra giddy up in my step as I set out on a mid afternoon run. Clear skies and milder temperatures made for a nice run of a total of 11 miles. After a quick shower I headed over to Local 44 for a tasting of Wyndridge Farm Brewing (Dallastown, PA). After sampling both ciders we tried the 10 Point Ale and the Laughing Crow IPA, of which I preferred the latter. Among some additional brews not listed on the website included the Imperial Porter (7.5%). I rarely, if ever, drink Porters so I was happy to give it a shot. The flavor was earthy, even chalky and utilizes both chocolate and vanilla flavors. As far as my limited experience with Porter brews go I found this one to be well crafted and highly drinkable. 

Day 18 - Raging Bitch (Flying Dog) - 10 miles

Thirty three degrees, rain and sheer ice under foot. It was a real bitch of a morning for a run. After nearly falling on my ass several times I met up with the typical Sunday group plus a couple. Other than our group and a fresh car accident there was little signs of life on the Schuykill. Impressive, these guys are all tough I thought. If you'll run in this shit, you'll run in anything. I lasted just long enough to run ten miles total. It wasn't much of a long run. At seventy-four miles for the week it was my largest weekly volume since the marathon. From one bitch to another I guess. Raging Bitch by Flying Dog (Frederick, MD) seemed an apt choice, especially for it's 8.3% ABV. A few words came immediately to mind: hoppy, bitter, complex. Now here is a beer I can wrap my head around! It's hops like these that keeps me coming back for another IPA.

Day 17 - Pumpkin Ale (Stevens Point) - 12 miles

Sun and above freezing temps was a welcome change. I ran a total of twelve miles with some one minute pick ups. It all felt rather slow. For the daily beverage I went with a change up, Pumpkin Ale (7.5%) by Stevens Point Brewery (WI). No doubt pumpkin is a highly distinctive flavor but it works well in a beer, thus the widespread influx of spiced pumpkin ales every fall. I found the flavor of this particular brew to be well balanced. It's certainly not overbearing and two of these should provide a nice little buzz.

Day 16 - Baba (Uinta Brewing) - 8 miles

A groggy workday morning was waiting on the backside of last night's bar romp. It was evening when I hit the pavement to grind out an easy one. Along the river path I was joined by Paul. We chatted about running and racing. I can't say I have kept up with Paul on a track workout yet, but it's trying to run with guys like him that probably accounts for my biggest fitness gains. All in all, I ran a modestly paced eight miles.  Sticking with the theme of 'modesty' I selected the Baba Black Lager by Uinta Brewing Co. (Salt Lake City). When it comes to potency this craft beer sits at the kid's table at just 4% ABV. What it lacks in potency this brew makes up for in a rich flavor. Probably a coffee and or mocha situation. If you're a self proclaimed beer connoisseur, which I'm not, this is probably a good one to pair with your dinner.

Day 15 - Pomegranate Wheat - (Naked Brewing) - 11.5 miles

Skip sent me a series of messages at about noon. He wanted to run and drink some beers at the bar. This was of course a no brainer. After grabbing just over five miles I met up with Skip and pounded out some more. In total I ran 11 and 1/2 miles on the night. We finished the run at Founding Fathers Bar and met the Fishtown Beer Runners. After stuffing nearly a hundred smelly, sweaty runners into the place the team captain made a toast. Something about running and drinking beer, not too sure because I had already had a couple on the night and was only vaguely aware. Anyway, to the beer. I started out with the Abbey Dubbel. The ensuing fiasco upon my taste buds made me quickly change gears to the Pomegranate Wheat (4.6%) by Naked Brewing (Huntington Valley, PA). Well done, it was exactly as advertised. An explosion of fruity sweetness. Probably better in the summer but I needed a palate cleanser. Anyway, the quality of the beer isn't quite as important as the quality of the company you keep. By that measure the night was a success.

Don't be fooled by this intimate beer lit menu. It was a steamy cesspool of runners!

Day 14 - Back In Black (21st Amendment) - 10.5 miles

The hump day run got a little excitement when I spontaneously ran into Skipper Jones and we joined pace for a mile. I ran just over 10 and 1/2 miles for the day. After the beer triumph of yesternight I was compelled to keep some momentum. Enter Back in Black IPA (6.8%)! Okay, so I chugged this shit on the regular when I was drinking with the fishes back in my SF days. What can I say- 21st Amendment Brewery (San Francisco,CA) is a brewery for serious beer drinkers and I figured it a smart choice to have a few familiar landmarks in my menagerie of beer. If I had to pick a historical figure to drink with Paul Revere would definitely make my top five, so why not cherish this beer made to celebrate his legendary ride. With a generous portion of dark malts this brew has the character to make it a great pub beer.

Day 13 - Fade to Black (Left Hand) - 11 miles

After a long break from workouts I met the guys for some pickups in a fartleck style run on the track at Franklin Field. We ran three miles with 6 by 200 meter fast, 600 meter float. I ran 11 miles on the night. To toast the first track workout of the year I grabbed "Fade to Black Volume 1" (8.5%) by Left Hand Brewing Co. (Longmont, CO). That's right, this bad boy is just the first in a series of four. The first sip was kick ass! Strong chocolate and espresso packs this stout with flavor. My favorite pour of the year so far.

Day 12 - Urban Pale Ale (Goose Island) - 11 miles

Rain, a cranky boss and late hours at the office, must be Monday. Silver lining, it stopped raining just long enough and I ran eleven miles, completely dry. While I was on a roll I threw together a pizza with some left over BBQ pulled pork and cracked open an "Urban Pale Ale" (5.4%) by Goose Island Beer Co. (NY & CO). I'm a sucker for pale ale. It'd have to be real shit for me to complain on a Monday. Still, this was a nicely balanced brew, highly drinkable. Not amazingly unique but a sure pick any day of the week.

Day 11 - Reunion Ale '14 (Shmaltz Brewing) - 12 miles

Freezing cold again. Skip and I met at Franklin Field to grab some miles, all in all I ran twelve miles on the day. After a refuel I headed into Center City to watch some football with Skip and chase down some beer at Food & Friends bottle shop. While watching the game Skip gave me the most random beer he could find in the back of his fridge, "Reunion Ale '14" by Shmaltz Brewing Co. (Clifton Park, NY). Yes that's right, the Jews make some fine crafted beers! At 8% abv this beer had a decent chocolate flavored aftertaste. It won't be playoff football without a beer in hand!

Day 10 - Scotty Karate (Dark Horse) - 11 miles

It was cold as shit out. By ten thirty it became apparent that twenty degrees was a pipe dream so I threw on my shoes and I ran 11 miles. Yeah that sucked. Good thing I had a slow cooker filled with pork waiting for me back at home. Alex brought over some home made baked beans and I threw together a batch of coleslaw. With some uncertainty I reached for the "Scotty Karate" Scotch Ale (9.75%) by Dark Horse Brewing (Marshall, MI). I expected something harsh but with a killer buzz, what I got was something smooth and deep. It reminded me of a Guinness but with twice the kick. Put this one up in the W column.

Day 9 - As Follows (Stillwater Artisanal) - 7 miles

Long day. On the way back from the store I selected five new beers then I ran 7 miles. Afterwards I picked out the most bad ass beer I had bought, "As Follows" (9%) by Stillwater Artisanal (Stratford, CT). I mean look at that decal, it's like the cover of a Slayer album. As Mac would say, THAT'S BAD ASS! The label also said things like, Belgian style Golden Ale, bold and hoppy. This beer sits upon a throne of lies! Hops you say? Well, okay. I may have gotten a bad bottle because this one was just tasted flat.

Day 8 - Kind Ryed IPA (Otter Creek Brewing) - 10 miles

I ran 10 miles in a slow 76 minutes. As I made dinner I sampled the Kind Ryed IPA by Otter Creek Brewing Co. (Middlebury, VT). Everyone loves a good pun and an unfiltered IPA to go with it. The serving instruction on the bottle read, "Just Chill Bro." It's Thursday night and I couldn't agree more. 

The ABV is listed as 6.5%  on the bottle and 6.00% on the website.

Day 7 - Witte (Brewery Ommegang) - 10 miles

It was a slow ten miles easy on the day. I went for a change of pace and grabbed the Witte, a Belgian style wheat ale by Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY). Great flavor on this one but beware when pouring, it is unfiltered. At 5.2% ABV it's a nice weekday compliment to dinner.

Day 6: Midwestern Pale Ale (Bell's Brewery) - 10 miles

Ten mile run in the snow today! I tried the Midwestern Pale Ale by Bell's Brewery (Kalamazoo, MI). It was a pretty standard pale ale but I noted that they do not sell retail in Maine. Makes me wonder what else I can get now that I have moved to PA.

The Run - 10 miles in the snow!

Day 5 - Horizon Red (Summit Brewing) - 10 miles

The run was god awful thanks to it being mostly into the wind. I managed to grind out a total of ten miles ran for the day. I went with the Horizon Red IPA by Summit Brewing Company (St. Paul, MN). At 5.8% ABV this was fairly smooth and a nice compliment to my dinner.

Day 4: Purple Monkey Dishwasher (Evil Genius Beer Co) - 14 miles

I recorded one of my longest runs since the marathon, a total of 14 miles in 98:04. I felt well but kept the pace easy. Mid fifties and raining but so far I am liking this mild Philly winter. This day's brew is a Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter (6.7% ABV) called Purple Monkey Dishwasher. The distinctive chocolate peanut aftertaste was a nice compliment to a dinner of veggie burgers. With beers like "I Love Lamp" and "Turtle Power" Evil Genius Brewing Co. has caught my attention.

Day 3 - Chainbreaker (Deschutes) - 6 miles

An easy six miles late in the day. I cracked this brew open just after mid-night. Needless to say the birthday celebration got a little out of hand and I can't for the life of me comment as to the tastiness of this most likely excellent beverage. The Chainbreaker (5.6%) is a white IPA by Deschutes Brewery (Portland, OR).

Day 2 - Blizzard of Hops by Troegs

I joined Skipper on my Birthday run of 10 miles in 73:40. Before hitting the town with Skip to celebrate I had the Blizzard of Hops Winter IPA by Troegs (Hershey, PA) at Local 44. It was a pretty standard IPA.  Not too sure where the winter part comes in but I'll say this for it, the hops were nicely balanced in this brew.

2015!! Day 1 - Snow Blind (Starr Hill) - 10 miles

The last time I celebrated the New Year escapes me. No matter how many B list celebrities the networks are willing to drag out the Times Square ball drop is still anti-climatic. Sure, if there had been an event to get me out of the apartment I would have braved the crowds, absorbed the cover charges and dealt with the bitter cold of the early morning but there wasn't. Really what is there to say... 2014 that just happened.

A week ago I had brought up the topic of resolutions to my father. He was quick to point out that most of what I proposed sounded more like goals. The idea of a resolution was tabled until I heard from my friend Jeff. Now something you should know about Jeff is that the man once ran one hundred miles and drank one hundred beers in a week. While I had never undertaken a running drinking challenge I did manage to run every day of 2012. In this spirit Jeff returned to a previous conversation in which I had proposed a run and a beer a day for one year.

Is this possible? Sure, sure it is. Still, the chance of injury and alcoholism are worth consideration. Then again, if I continue to binge on Netflix like a complete meth addict I'll be the next Mike Teavee. I quickly told Jeff that I would give January a try and then evaluate. I mean who knows, maybe I'll find my golden ticket at the bottom of a bottle?

The Beer: Snow Blind - Starr Hill Brewery (Charlottesville, VA)

I was expecting a typical heavy winter lager with a lot of complex flavor and a bitter aftertaste. Then I read the brewer's comments. Described as "full bodied" with "massive caramel aroma". The first sip of the dark brown brew was remarkably sweet and smooth. There was no bitterness about it. At 7.4% ABV it left a nice warm buzz. I'd certainly fill it up again with this one, pass me a Santa hat and I'll lay low by the fire all night.

The Run: 10 miles easy (1 hr, 14 min)

My asthmatic lungs still feel charged after a full week at the parent's house for Christmas. Damn allergies.