May Update on 2025 Cycling Goals

I do quite a bit of cycling for a middle-aged couch potato.

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, biking a ridiculous amount helps keep me somewhat in shape.

So ... I spend lots of time cycling around the foothills of Denver, which I always track on Strava.

Anyway ... as you may remember from 2025 Cycling Goals, I have 5 cycling goals this year:

#MetricCenturyEveryMonth / #8200MilesIn2025 / #16EverestsIn2025 / Triple Bypass Ride / #GCCUSA

Here is an update for these goals as of the end of May, 2025: 

1. #MetricCenturyEveryMonth
   I got 2 Metric Centuries done in May: Leisurely 100k and 5th Lookout Mt Climb.
   
   
2. #8200MilesIn2025
   As of the end of May, I logged 3,323 miles. This put me "behind" by 69 miles for the year. However, I will catch up now that we are entering the warm-weather months.
   
   
3. #16EverestsIn2025
   16 x 29,032 = 464,512 feet. At the end of May I logged 198,803 feet climbed. This puts me ahead of the goal by 6,635 feet. 
   
   
4. Triple Bypass Ride
   Part of the reason I'm ahead on the #16EverestsIn2025 goal is because I've done a few long-climb rides training for the Triple Bypass. 5th Lookout Mt Climb was 6,841 feet over 75 miles.
   
   
5. #GCCUSA
   So far, I've raised $676 of my $2,500 goal. I have not really done any "Fund Raising" yet, so I would say I'm doing pretty well so far.
   If you'd like to help out, you can do it here: https://greatcyclechallenge.com/riders/EricShepard

So, I'm on track for these cycling goals. 

Month		Miles		YTD			Elevation		YTD
January		573		573	-121		33,724		33,724		-1,423
February		595		1168	-158		36,932		70,656		+263
March		746		1914	-108		43,340		113,996		-543
April		697		2610	- 86		42,683		156,679		+3,963
May		713		3323	-69		42,123		198,803		+6,635
June		..		..	..		..		..		..
July		..		..	..		..		..		..
August		..		..	..		..		..		..
September		..		..	..		..		..		..
October		..		..	..		..		..		..
November		..		..	..		..		..		..
December		..		..	..		..		..		..

If you'd like to follow along, bookmark any of the "Labels" at the end of this post. Or just follow along on this blog.

As always, stay tuned on the regular SheppyBrew Channels to see what is happening with beer, barbeque, biking and other things in my life: SheppyBrew's Facebook Page; Sheppy's Twitter Feed; SheppyBrew's Instagram Page; and SheppyBrew's Website.

M is for Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub

Here we are at "M" of Round 6 of the A to Z Series of Posts!

Half way through! Wow!

If you've been following along for awhile, you might remember that when I posted A to Z Denver Breweries Round 5, I wasn't sure we'd continue along on Round 6.

In fact, if it were up to me, we wouldn't have continued, but the Beer Model (aka my wife) did want to do it, and nothing rhymes with husband.

If you read L is for Littleton Brewing Company, you know that I wasn't sure what local "M" brewery we could use.

But as luck would have it, we headed up to Salida, Colorado for Memorial Day Weekend, which allowed us to have dinner at ...

M is for Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub

L is for Littleton Brewing Company

If you've been following along on this blog, you probably know that we've been working on round 6 of our A to Z series of posts.

If you have not been following along and have no idea what I mean by A to Z series of posts, feel free to check it out. It's not real difficult to get the gist.

We're visiting breweries, letting the alphabet guide us to which brewery we visit next.

As I mentioned in K is for Knotted Root Brewing Company, we needed a "L" brewery next, and I was pretty sure which one we'd hit.

According to the Colorado Brewery Map & List, we had a few choices, but if you know the brewery scene in our area at all ... it comes as no surprise that ...

L is for Littleton Brewing Company

K is for Knotted Root Brewing Company

Here it is May already. We're getting close to being halfway done with 2025.

We're actually getting pretty close to half-way done with Round 6 of the A to Z series of posts as well.

We just started Round 6 late November last year with A is for Arms, Call To Brewing Company.

And ... 

Just a couple weeks ago we hit J is for Justice Lady Brewing.

Which means we had to find a good "K" brewery to visit.

While technically, we've hit all the "K" Denver-area breweries on the Colorado Brewery Map & List, there was a Nederland brewery I wanted to visit ... 

K is for Knotted Root Brewing Company

April Update on 2025 Cycling Goals

Soooo ... it wasn't until mid-march that I shared my 2025 Cycling Goals, and now it is already mid-May.

As always, I'm fairly certain very few people care. I might be the only one who reads through these, but I do like to have a record of my progress.

I'm sure next year sometime I'll read this and be glad I have it.

Anyway ... as you may remember from 2025 Cycling Goals, I have 5 goals:

#MetricCenturyEveryMonth / #8200MilesIn2025 / #16EverestsIn2025 / Triple Bypass Ride / #GCCUSA

What the hell is up with Oisin Owl?

I have a confession to make.

Quite often on this blog when I say that I ask ChatGPT something, I am lying. For the purposes of this blog, I lump all AI Chatbots together, and refer to them all as ChatGPT.

I actually use MS Copilot a lot more. But, still on this blog I refer to them as ChatGPT.

 

SheppyBrew's Biggest Big Beers

It is rare that SheppyBrew Home Brewery makes a "big", high alcohol beer.

By some standards, you might even say that SheppyBrew has never brewed a big beer.

Generally, my beers are in the 4 - 6% ABV range. Sometimes I go a little higher. But, not very often at all.

For me, two of the beers I have on tap right now Kemosabe Quad and King Fergus Wee Heavy are high abv beers at 8.5% and 8%.

 

Big Brew Day ... Halfway to Helles (Batch 375)

It was the American Homebrew Association's annual Big Brew Day this past Saturday.

If you follow along on this blog, you may remember that Big Brew Day is quite often a day that the Beer Model and I brew with one or more our homebrewing friends "Du" and "Doc".

But, "Du" recently moved out of state and "Doc" was busy doing something else this year. So, the Beer Model and I did a brew day all by ourselves.

I had a Pork Butt thawed, and we decided to make a feast even though it was just the two of us.

If you are a regular on this blog, and were paying attention to the Roll-a-Style posts, you might actually have a guess as to which beer recipe we brewed:

Halfway to Helles Leichtbier

King Fergus Wee Heavy

Category: Strong Scotch Ale (Wee Heavy)  
Brewer: SheppyBrew Home Brewery
ABV: 8%  
IBU: 21.6  
SRM: 15.3  

Appearance: 
King Fergus Wee Heavy showcases a deep mahogany hue with ruby highlights. It pours with a creamy tan head that may not persist but leaves behind elegant legs on the glass.

Aroma:
Richly malty with a strong caramel component. Subtle smoky notes add complexity, while low to moderate esters suggest hints of dried fruit like plums or raisins.

Easter Ribeye Roast

I know that it has already been awhile, but I did holiday cooking on Easter.

Of course I did.

If you follow along at all on this blog, you know that Ribeye Roast is one of my favorite holiday meats.

As luck would have it, I had a Ribeye Roast vacuumed packed and waiting in the freezer. 

For whatever reason, we must have purchased extra last Christmas.

And ... that is what I cooked this past Easter.

The process is pretty much the same as always. I smoke the meat to a rare internal temperature. Then, I sear the roast for a bit to get a nice crust on the meat.