The Latest and Porters

Looking into February

MTBeer stickers (hopefully) will be here within a couple of weeks. I went with the top 3 vote getters: Classic, Blue, and Irie. When they come in, I’ll post the details on how I’ll distribute them to subscribers. Thanks for all of the input. The comments and follow-up was good positive energy. Fun!

The first installment of the quarterly IMBA/STC Q&A is lined up for March. Dave and Ted are providing us insight into our mountain biking community that few others can. You will get unedited responses to sets of questions that I send. The first set are done, which are mostly light introductory kinds of questions. I plan to open it up so that you can submit questions, too, for the next 3 installments, thinking we will go more in depth with subject matter. The responses will appear here, exclusively, at MTBeer in March, June, September, and December.

February 2021 discounts/promos will be released tomorrow/Feb 1. Most of the January businesses are staying on for February and San Diego’s Burning Beard Brewing Company is on board with a sweet discount all month at their tasting room. Also, Guanabikers in Costa Rica and Georiders in the Republic of Georgia have extended their offers through 2022, considering Covid and vaccinations and planning such trips. I’m planning/hoping to get to Georgia in 2022. Note: I’m still waiting for the first non-CA brewery to join us at MTBeer, but alas, despite all of the emails and phone calls, nothing has panned out. More work to do!

The 2 columns—Fully Rigid and No Dabs—are giving me a creative outlet like never before, and the response to them keeps me motivated. While they go out only to paid subscribers, I can see “behind the screen” that they are likely going well beyond those subscribers. So be it. It’s beyond my control.

Upcoming features will include the Valley of the Moon, another take on “E” MTB, Q&A with a former bike touring guide/Tour Divide/long-distance cycling adventurer, and an ode of sort to Long Canyon in Idaho, now lost to the mountain biking community due to wilderness status. Also, did you know there are a few trails in Yosemite National Park open to mountain bikes? I’ll provide a little guide to riding one area so that if you’re planning a trip there, you might consider taking your bike with you.

Our local mountains got some 16+ inches of snow here in San Diego’s east county. We needed it. Upwards of 10 feet of snow dumped in the high Sierra. All of that goes to say that watersheds will be doing better. Still, conservation is the name of the game.

A little beer cheer this time around comes in the form of porters. When the weather turns colder, the skies look bruised, the wind bites, it’s porter season. Great Lakes Brewing Company has Edmund Fitzgerald and Deschutes Brewery has Black Butte Porter, both immediately popping into my head when I think of porters. Here’s one from San Diego that has won 3 gold medals over the years at the Great American Beer Festival, having become my go-to porter in these parts:

That’ll do it for the latest round of updates. Wishing you all a healthy week ahead, and thank you for supporting MTBeer.

Cheers,

James/Jim/Jimmy