June 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

 

Gob Stopper Grape Ale (Batch 377)

If you follow along on this blog, or SheppyBrew.com, you likely know that I have been trying to work through BJCP Styles that I've never brewed.

For the most part, I am able to enjoy just about every style of beer, however there a a few I don't necessarily care for.

So ... working through this BJCP Style Goal has the potential of creating beers I may not like as much.

So, far, since I've started the Roll-a-Style list, I have not really rolled any styles that I downright don't like.

However, this one has that potential. We'll have to see.

If you read Roll-a-Style 12: 29D. Grape Ale, you probably were able to determine this was coming:

Gob Stopper Grape Ale

 

Halfway to Helles vs Astrosuds Lager

So, part of the logic around brewing Halfway to Helles Leichtbier in May had to do with my May "Seasonal" Helles in a Hand Bock-sket.

Last year, while drinking Hand Bock-sket, I made the comment:

#WillDrinkInJune. Great bready malt character. Loving this beer. I think the only improvement I can think of is making it lower ABV ... But it wouldn't be a Maibock then 😎

I believe this was shortly after drinking a beer at Green Mountain Brewing Company that really reminded me of  Hand Bock-sket, but was lower in ABV. It's name was "AstroSuds Lager".

While a 5A. German Leichtbier isn't really anything like a lower ABV Maibock, it is sort of similar in that they are both German lagers.

Before my latest camping trip, I saw cans of AstroSuds Lager in Green Mountain's beer cooler, and I decided to pick up a four pack.

Around that time, I poured the Halfway to Helles Leichtbier and AstroSuds to compare side-by-side.

 

2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 3)

So ... as you know if you've been following along on this blog, I've been posting Fathers' Day photos recently.

If you have not been following along and are interested, check out 2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 1) and 2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 2).

Now, I'm posting the finale, Part 3.

We got up Sunday morning and the boys made me pancakes for breakfast. Then we packed up the camp.

Juneteenth Paddle on Chatfield

I'm pretty inexperienced at Paddle Boarding. My first "real" time doing it was last year Labor Day Weekend SUP, and I've only really done it once or twice after that so far.

But, it's a fun thing to do on hot summer-like days.

This past Thursday was Juneteenth, which my employer has as a holiday. It was hot, and the wife  (aka the SheppyBrew Beer Model) also had it off. We thought it would be fun to get some paddling in.

So we packed up our paddling stuff, some beer, a lunch and headed down to Chatfield Reservoir.

My wife had an electric pump, but it takes much longer than me with my manual pump. I even had to finish off pumping her paddle board. I think maybe we need to look into a better one.

Anyway ...

 

2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 2)

A couple days ago I posted 2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 1), and I have more photos from that trip.

After the hike on Part 1, we decided that it was too early to go back to the campground, so we decided to drive up Trail Ridge Road, which is the main road running through the park 48 miles from Estes Park to Grand Lake.

 

2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 1)

Fathers' Day was this past weekend.

We hardly go camping anymore. I actually suspect that I'm the only one who actually likes camping and the rest of the family only tolerates it to make me happy.

So, over the past few years, we pretty much only go camping on Fathers' Day weekend.

Oh well. At least I get to go once a year, and at least my family loves me enough to make me happy.

And ... this past weekend, we went up to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) for the weekend, and camped in the Aspenglen Campground.

Here are some photos of our trip .... (and I'm planning on posting more in a couple of days)