Beverage Review-Arty's

  Things on the motorcycling front have been quiet this week. The bathroom remodel is almost done with just some plumbing and a few pieces of trim left to do. If I were a plumber or carpenter that would be great news but I'm neither so wish me luck.
 There has been some talk round these parts of parking two motorcycles in our living room this winter. It really would help free up some space in the garage and the two bikes I have in mind aren't due for any winter makeovers. Besides, having bikes parked in close proximity is good for the soul, even if they are just decoration till the weather gets better.
 Meanwhile the Ultra sits in the garage waiting to be ridden but the fact is that not many more miles will get logged for the remainder of the year, unless there are big changes in A: the weather. B: my schedule. The garage is trashed. The sheds are trashed. I need to get my snow blower situation figured out and I still need to do a leaf cleanup in the yard.

 Oh ya, I was gonna do a beverage review. I had a few of these Arty's old fashioneds and lost track of where this blog was going. First, the pic was taken in my newly remodeled bathroom because it now has the best lighting in the house. Looks good, eh? It's a bathroom, you know what the rest looks like. 

 When my wife and I go out for dinner and she is doing the driving, I like to sample a brandy old fashioned or two. Even the bad ones taste alright to me, especially by the time I get to the second one. I wonder why that is?  I was mixing them at home for a while but never found the right combination that was any better than what I was getting at the bars. Because companies thrive on our laziness, the trend has been to offer single serving premixed drinks, and I think it was someone from work that told me about Arty's. I guess the stuff is made about 50 miles from here so I'm not sure how available it is in the rest of the country. They offer a few different mixes but my favorite by far is the brandy old fashioned sweet. Ya you can pour it over ice and add some fruit but occasionally I just sip them right from the bottle. I will warn you that sometimes settling does occur so I like to flip the bottle upside down to stir things up before opening.

 You won't find any fancy talk here about the quality of what might be in this stuff or a touch of this and a hint of that. My taste buds aren't that sophisticated. All I know is that its freakin delicious and you should limit your use of power tools once you start drinking them.

Later.

Beverage Review-Redds Apple Ale

 On my ride home from work I sometimes stop for evening beverages. The coolers at the local quicky mart are full of the latest trends in flavor sensations. It seems beer by itself isn't good enough anymore and now we have flavored ales.
 I decided it was time to investigate this trend and purchased a can of Redds Apple Ale. The best way to describe this stuff would be a mix of beer and apple cider. I think they might be close to having something here but really I think I could mix this up at home and come up with something better.
 The next time I was faced with a choice at the cooler I saw they had something new. Redds Wicked Apple Ale. Wicked you say. What's wicked? Is it the 8% alcohol by volume?  Wicked might be just what this brew needs. I purchased a 24 oz can of the stuff and hauled the precious cargo home in the pac on my sportster.

 The next day at work the DJ's on the radio were talking about this drink. A coworker from our lawn crew questioned what the difference might be between apple ale and wicked apple ale. I stepped up and offered my interpretation of the drinks.
 Imagine a beer and apple cider mix. That's Redd's Apple Ale. Now, think about mowing grass under an apple tree. There are a bunch of fallen apples in the tall grass but you're too lazy to get your ass off the lawn mower and clean up the apples so you just run over them making a big mess of things. A week later you return to the scene of the crime to cut the grass again. What you find are a bunch of rotten apples stinkin up the place. Bees are busy doing whatever they do and there is evidence of deer traffic. THESE are the apples used to make Wicked Apple Ale. I don't know how else to describe this brew and I know it sounds disgusting but it's actually quite delicious.
 Enjoy!

 For those of you that don't give a crap about drinks, I offer this update on my bike situation.
 The sportster rear tire might have enough tread to finish the season.
 The BSA sits on the hoist waiting for some attention. After the Packer game today, I might work on that.
  The Rat Turd needs a clutch cable and on thursday after work I rode to Team Winnebagoland to pick one up. They've made some changes and have much more showroom space. I poked around a bit till I warmed up enough to venture home. On the frosty return trip my hands were getting cold. I had about forty miles to go was counting down the miles till I got home to the warmth of my shop. I can make it. Ten miles to go. I should be froze to the bone by then. The timing will be just right.
 BRIDGE OUT. Crap. I forgot about the construction on County road D. Now instead of a 10 mile ride till thawing out it would be a 28 mile detour.
 I could have stopped and warmed my hands over the sportster engine. A short walk would have helped too. I chose to keep pushing on. Get it over with. As much as I hate getting cold, I enjoy riding a bike. The moon was bright, traffic was almost non existent and the deer were nowhere to be seen. Half of my attention was about getting home in one piece. The rest of my head was involved in thoughts designed to make me forget how cold I was. Why was I here on this road right now? How did this road get here? Who built it and why do I live where I do? Before ya know it I was home warming myself in front of my shop furnace. Another enjoyable ride to look back on.