The Bench - My First Tasting

For years these tastings have been going on up in Nederland. For years, when I would talk to Josh on a Friday, he would say...if you lived here, you could be going to The Bench right now. My visits to Boulder in the past have never coincided with a Tasting...Ok, so at Thanksgiving we did some serious tasting (6 or 7 Scotches, and god knows how many beers) but I had never been to a Tasting proper...at The Bench...until now. It was me Timmy, Stacey, and eventually Mr. Fitness. Too bad...Josh couldn't be there..he had a hot date to see the Beasties again at the Fillmore...a damn shame. My first tasting and no Joshua...next time. The weather was gorgeous, crisp, almost Fall-like, and it was the first Bench for everyone in a little while. First a little back ground. These tastings started a few years ago with Josh and Timmy et al, and it was basically happy hour. but when you live in such a beautiful place as Nederland, Colorado...why would you sit in a dingy bar with a bunch of assholes, when you could be outside drinking some new beers/scotch/whiskey with your closest friends. So everyone would bring a Bomber of their favorite (or new) beer, and or some other libation, and everyone would try it.

You can check out the history of the Tastings at Timmy's blog..singlespeed dram here.

It started something like this:

I broke the rule, by bringing more than one Bomber...but I couldn't resist...IT WAS MY FIRST BENCH!! I brought an Anchor Brewing Small Beer, the new limited release from Left Hand..a Rye Bock, and a Hudson Bay Baby Bourbon...the only legally distilled bourbon from NYC since before prohibition. Timmay! and Stace brought the good stand-bys: Stone Brewings Rejuevination IPA, and Arrogant Bastard Ale...all in Deuce-Deuce oz ..Bombers..of course. Timmy...did you bring that sweet as Unibroue Terrible Belgian Style or did Fitness? but we had that, and the Fitness showed up with anther good one...Aventinus....6 Bombers, and Bourbon...not a bad one.

Obviously the idea is to try some new stuff, talk about, etc. But more importantly just like any happy hour. Its to blow off the steam of the week. To catch up with your friends, and to make plans for the weekend. To friggin relax. we had a great time. Obviously I'm not in Ned that often so they caught me up on all the gossip, and we geeked out on some bike stuff (Sorry Stace...you're a trooper)...It was a GREAT time...one of the many highlights of my vacation.

After a bit, the "tasting" part just went out the window, and we were just DRINKING...and it ended something like this:

After we finished up, Fitness and I went for great Indian food at Kathmandoo in Nederland...so good...

So there...I'm no longer a Tasting Virgin.