Training is not so bad when beer is involved.

I did not have a training trail race this weekend, so I went to a brewery.  My training is going well, I think.  I really will not know until I finish the 50K in two weeks.  This upcoming week I have a 25K that almost retired me last year.  I am on pace to get 200 miles this month.  I have had some soreness in my hips and knee, so I trying to find out if I am going to far too soon.  A coach in my running group said I needed to take 48 hours off from running and give my body some rest.  It was hard after finding some new routes on different trails.  Crazy look on Big Cedar TrailRunning on Big Cedar trail and taking sharp turnsView of Joe Pool Lake from the trails of Cedar Hill State ParkWoodsy section of Cedar Hill SPPrairie part of Cedar Hill SPStill a forest in Cedar Hill SP

I decided to use my 48hrs off by going to a semi local brewery.  I really like this place after one visit.  The selection of beer is just enough to cover all the bases but not overwhelming.  The atmosphere was laid back but enough noise to be interesting.  I, of course, got the hefeweizen and it was fantastic. My favorite was the John Hancock Lager.  It is a dark and smooth lager that was very drinkable.  They also had a small BBQ stand inside the biergarten which was nice.  They had board games and plenty of TVs so we were thoroughly entertained for hours.OutsideInsideMy first flightBBQ sandwich with a John HancockMy wife beating me in Star Wars trivia.

I did kick her butt in checkers 3x.  I am now back to more serious training with just six weeks left till the 100K.  Nothing better than a trails and ales break.

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Beer the other Carbohydrate

Why am writing about beer on a hiking and trail running blog? Why not.

I have been getting into the local beer scene recently.  I am not a beer snob nor a connoisseur of beer.  I like what I like so I drink what I like.  I like lagers, Mexican style, hefeweizens and Belgian wheat beer.  I stay away from IPAs, stouts and saisons.  My taste for beer limits my selections since most microbreweries love their IPAs.

I am going to rundown some of my favorite beers and local breweries just in case anyone is in the Dallas Fort Worth area looking for some good local beer.  I am listing the ones I have been but there are plenty more.  As a bonus I will throw in two Texas brewers that have some great beer.

Austin and Houston have some good breweries but Celis and Karbach are my favorites.  Celis brewery in Austin has Celis White and it is the perfect Belgian Witbier.  This is the beer that puts Blue Moon and Shocktop to shame.   Houston’s Karbach has gone a little big time but Love Street is an awesome lager. It is an easy drinking beer full of flavor.

DFW area breweries:

Peticolas Brewery-I absolutely love this place. You cannot go wrong with any of the beer.  The tour was great and the people are awesome. Velvet Hammer is their signature beer and I hear it is great but it is an IPA so I did not partake.  I did have Golden Opportunity, Sit Down or I’ll Sit You Down and several others but A Lost Epic was by far my favorite.  It is a Belgian Tripel so take notice of the alcohol content. At the time, it was the best beer I have ever drank.

Legal Draft Brewery-A great laid back place to drink in Arlington, Tx.  Friendly and accommodating staff that try to make the customers happy.  It is a very family friendly place.  Of all of the beers, two stuck out for me.  Hung Jury Hefeweizen and You’ve Been Cerveza’d were great.  Hung Jury is my all time favorite hefeweizen.  I was happy that they also have more than usual selection of tasty lagers.

Bitter Sisters Brewery-Hidden somewhat in Addison, TX is the coolest placed brewery.  It is in a very nondescript location that you could drive by ten times and still not see it.  Bring food and games and have a blast.  This is another brewery that has a generous selection of lagers.  I am pretty sure I had one of every beer they had on tap.  Family Trip is their Belgian Tripel and is not to be missed. It is very smooth and is also one of my all time favorites.  The lagers are second to none and Busy Body and Hissy Fit should not be passed up.

Deep Ellum Brewery-It is in the Deep Ellum section of downtown Dallas. It is an IPA heavy brewery but I found a great Mexican style beer that has replaced my usual Dos XX.  Neato Bandito is a great beer Mexican style beer for all occasions.  The atmosphere is outstanding and the brewmasters have a passion for beer and are willing to talk to you for hours about not only the process but also all other things that pertain to beer.

Martin House-I really could not find a beer like the other breweries but this will always make the list due to their Halloween Party.  They have their beer on tap plus tons of other venders sharing their adult libations.  They do have very good IPAs and different types of beer.  I am a hunter and she is my deer.

Other places not mentioned but are not too bad are Steam Theory Brewery and Brain Dead Brewery.  I am going to try to knock out at least 8-10 more breweries this summer.  So if you know any good breweries in the DFW area let me know.