One of the best ways to build your fitness and increase your ability to workout better, is by using your heart rate to set your workouts.  I’ve been training with a heart rate monitor for nearly 27 years and have found it to be very helpful. Back in the Fall of 2008 I did a series of posts on using heart rate based training to improve your fitness so I wanted to re-introduce you to it here:

The Series

Heart Rate Based Training Part One:  An introduction to heart rate based training, why it is important to train using heart rate, and how to get the most from your workouts using this proven technique.

Heart Rate Based Training Part Two: How to test yourself to determine your “training zones”.  I give you three different ways of determining these zones based on how accurate you want to be.

Heart Rate Based Training Part Three:  How to build your training program and “zones” using the information from part two.  I also give a couple of sample workouts to help you get started.

The Goal And An Offer From Me

The goal of all of this is to help you get more from your workouts.  Once you know how to properly determine and use heart rate to train you can do better workouts in less time as well as train correctly for a 5k, Century Ride, marathon, or whatever other goal you may have.

For those of you that are interested I am offering to help you build a basic training program based on heart rate.  Like I said in the “Intro Video” last month, I am not a fitness professional, just a guy who has trained for endurance events most of my life.  That being said, if you are interested, send an email to me at mark@bikebeerbbq.com and I will let you know more information on what support I can provide.  I need to charge something for the service.  It will be very affordable, but I haven’t reached a number yet.

Books You May Want To Read

There are a lot of good books out there that can help you develop a training program based on heart rate. Here are a few that I suggest you check out:

Total Heart Rate Training: Customize and Maximize Your Workout Using a Heart Rate Monitor

Precision Heart Rate Training

The Heart Rate Guidebook to Heart Zone Training

Heart Rate Monitors At Amazon

Continuing down the trail of Stout reviews I decided to try a Milk Stout from Longmont, Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing.  Milk Stouts have a higher percentage of unfermented sugars in them, usually lactose, that help give the beer a sweetness that counters the strong roasted character of Stouts.  I haven’t had many Milk Stouts so I was interested to see how Left Hand’s effort tasted:

The left hand Milk Stout is a nice variation on the Stouts I’ve been drinking lately.  It had a nice slightly sweet flavor that did cut through the roasted malt.  There wasn’t a ton of coffee or chocolate flavor components in this beer like many of my recent reviews.  It’s a good, basic Stout with a touch of sweetness and extra body.  The flavor and aroma isn’t real complex which hurt the score a little.  This is still a very good beer though.  It’s easy drinking to boot.  I would have no problems recommending this Milk Stout.  Try it!

Here’s the score

1. Appearance- 7 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 7 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 16 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 9 points (out of 10)

Total  39 (out of 50) Points- 4 Mugs

ABV 5.2%

Approximate Calories: 160-187 (12 oz)

One of my resolutions for 2010 is to read more.  I used to read a lot but have gotten away from it recently.  But, my new E-Reader, the Libre from Aluratek, is quickly turning me back into someone who loves to read.  I have been interested in e books and e-readers for a number of months and finally got serious about doing some research.  What I found was that there are a lot of options in the market and many of them are fairly affordable.  I wanted something straight forward that was lower priced and offered a lot of flexibility.  My research led me to the Libre.  Here is my video review of it:

So far I am really enjoying the Libre.  It is easy to use, has very good battery life, and is easy to read from.  The controls are fairly intuitive.  It  works with a number of ebook formats as well as allowing you to download books from the library, something the Kindle doesn’t allow.  I really like the ability to zoom the text, especially at the end of the day.  The Libre uses a reflective LCD screen, not an e ink screen like many of the other eReaders out there.  The advantage of this is that the page changes are very quick and the cost is a bit lower, resulting in a very affordable eReader.  I have not experienced any eye strain using the Libre.  The contrast is good and it’s easier to read from than a backlit screen.

If you are looking to take your reading into the digital age, an E-Reader might be for you.  There are lots of choices out there so do your research before you buy.

E Book And E-Reader Resources

Here are some links to resources I used when deciding which E-Reader to buy:

MobileRead Forums:  This is a great resource.  There are forums discussing all the major e readers as well as software tools, including Calibre, which I use to manage my growing ebook collection.  Spend some time here and you will learn a lot.

Calibre Ebook Management Software: Calibre is a fantastic FREE software package that helps you manage your ebooks and e-readers.  It does a lot of great stuff.  Check it out!

Ebook Readers on Amazon: This is a place to at least start looking at what’s available.

Inkmesh:  If you want to compare prices on ebooks, Inkmesh.com is the place!  A very useful site.

Aluratek Libre:  This is the page for the Libre I got.

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout has been on my “to drink” list for a while.  It comes in both nitro widget cans as well as bottles.  I have heard that some people tend to like one more than the other.  So, I decided to do a back to back review with the can 1st, followed by the bottle to see which is better:

This is a yummy beer!  I love chocolate and Young’s Double Chocolate, in both the can and bottle, delivers.  The chocolate is more on the bitter sweet side than milk chocolate.  It is a bit like drinking a liquid chocolate bar There isn’t much else to the flavor other than some nice roasted malt flavors.  The finish is slightly acidic and has a chocolate note.  Drinkability is pretty good.  So, which is better, the can or bottle?  Well, they were both very close.  The only discernible difference I could really get was in the “creaminess” of the beer, with the nitro widget can tasting slightly better than the bottle in this regard.  Also, the appearance of the canned version was better than the bottle, due once again to the nitro widget.

So, I declare the canned version of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout the winner, by a widget, over the bottle.  Both are very, very good so please try them, especially if you like chocolate!

Here Are The Scores:

Can:

1. Appearance- 9 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 8 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 17 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 8 points (out of 10)

Total  42 (out of 50) Points- 4 Mugs (The Winner, by a Widget)

Bottle:

1. Appearance- 8 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 8 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 16 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 8 points (out of 10)

Total  40 (out of 50) Points- 4 Mugs

ABV 5.2%

Approximate Calories: 160-187 (12 oz)

Stew And Stout Time

It was a cold, rainy, and windy night; perfect weather for staying inside and making a nice, hearty stew for dinner.  I hadn’t made stew yet this Winter so we decided to do a Beef Stew and pair it with a Stout.  I picked up a 4-pack of Guinness Draught in the 14.9 oz widget can, fired up the gas cook-top, and started cooking:

The Beer

Guinness is a decent beer.  It has a fantastic appearance (due to the Nitro widget), an average aroma and flavor and pretty good drinkability.  Nothing about it is bad at all and it’s an entirely decent beer.  Don’t expect any real complexity but do expect a consistent, easy drinking beer.  It went perfect with (and in) the Beef Stew I made.  I still have 2 cans of the beer in my fridge and I will enjoy them very soon.

Here’s The Score:

1. Appearance- 9 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 6 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 13 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 8 points (out of 10)

Total  36 (out of 50) Points- 3 Mugs

ABV 4.2%

Approximate Calories: 162-194 (14.9oz)

Beef Beer & Barley Stew Recipe

Here is the recipe I used for the stew.  You can use barley groats rather than pearl barley in this stew to give the dish a little more texture.  Substitute rutabagas, parsnips, or other root vegetables of your choice for the carrots and turnips.

Yield: 6 (big) servings-we got more like 8 out of it.

I enjoy coffee.  Most days I have a couple of cups.  Besides tasting great, it wakes me up and helps me get going.  I love the aroma of a fresh cup of coffee in my hands.  Well, in my tour of Stouts this Winter, I’ve had some very good beers that have a strong coffee component.  I thought I would try yet another, Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout,  brewed by Terrapin Beer Company and made with coffee from Jittery Joe’s, which is based in Athens, GA  just like Terrapin:

This beer from Terrapin is amazing!  I had this beer a little more than a year ago and remember liking it then but this time around I LOVED it   It pours nice with a mocha colored head that sticks around and leaves good lacing.  The coffee component of the beer is just about perfect with a smooth roasted coffee aroma that fills your nose right before you taste the beer.  There is a strong coffee component to the taste but also a nice malt and slight bittersweet chocolate flavor that reminds you that you are drinking a beer, not coffee.  There is no real bitter/acidic flavors, just nice dark roasted coffee goodness.  Drinkability is very good, especially considering the 8.1% ABV.  The beer goes down very easily and without a bitter aftertaste.  I was very impressed with the Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout and I think you will be as well.  Try this beer now!!!

Here’s The Score:

1. Appearance- 8 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 10 points (out of 10)-The first beer to get a perfect 10 for this!
3. Taste- 19 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 9 points (out of 10)

Total  46 (out of 50) Points- 5 Mugs

ABV 8.1%

Approximate Calories: 230-257 (12oz)

It was a cold rainy night, perfect for a movie.  So, after a delicious dinner of pesto chicken and roasted veggies we headed to the basement to watch Spiderman 3 on the big screen.  I was looking for some dessert so why not have a beer with Chocolate in the name?  I decided to try Rogue’s Chocolate Stout.  I haven’t really been disappointed with any of their beers before so I was looking forward to it:

Well, I was not disappointed at all. Rogue Chocolate Stout is amazing! It pours nice, smells fantastic, tastes super good, and drinks great. I was VERY impressed with this beer. The aroma and taste are just like liquid chocolate. There is that nice bitter-sweet chocolate flavor that hits you right up front and then finishes with a nice little bit of bitterness. There was not much, if any coffee flavor in this beer. It was pretty much all chocolate all the time, which is a great thing.   As a dessert beer, Rogue’s Chocolate Stout is hard to beat. Compared to some of the other great beers I’ve had recently, this beer is right up there with the best of them.  If you like chocolate and beer, try this beer!

Here’s The Score:

1. Appearance- 9 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 9 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 19 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 9 points (out of 10)

Total  46 (out of 50) Points- 5 Mugs

ABV 6%

Approximate Calories: 329-378 (22oz)

After all the Stouts I’ve been reviewing I decided to take a quick trip to Belgium and try a Saison/Farmhouse Ale from De Proefbrouwerij:

This was a good side trip I really like beers that are sour and a bit “funky” so I can usually depend on a Saison to help me get my fix. The De Proefbrouwerij had a nice mix of classic Farmhouse Ale and Belgian Dubbel. There was some sourness/funk backed up with a nice malt flavor. This is a tasty beer, not super complex, but good. Drinkability is good as well. If you want to try a “moderate” sour beer, this might be a great choice. I enjoyed it and now that I got my “funk fix” I’m ready to dive back into the Stouts.

1. Appearance- 7 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 8 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 17 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 8 points (out of 10)

Total 40 (out of 50) Points- 4 Mugs

ABV 8.5%

Approximate Calories: 220-245 (11.2oz)

Asheville, NC is a great beer town.  There are several breweries in the area as well as some nice beer bars and pubs.  We were up there last August and spent some time touring Highland Brewing.  Highland makes a few different beers but during the tour we drank a couple of glasses of their Black Mocha Stout, which Brewmaster John Lyda really seemed to like.  So, 5 months later, I’m finally getting around to reviewing the beer:

Black Mocha Stout is a tasty beer and a great example of a well brewed Stout.  There is a nice chocolate and coffee component that comes exclusively from the malts used in the beer.  This is a very dark beer that looks good in the glass, smells good, and tastes good.  Drinkability is also pretty solid.  When we toured the brewery this was the beer we drank and I liked it then as much as I like it now.  If you have Highland Brewing products in your area you need to give them a try.  They are brewed with love and it shows.

1. Appearance- 8 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 8 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 17 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 8 points (out of 10)

Total  41 (out of 50) Points- 4 Mug

ABV 5.3%

Approximate Calories: 164-190 (12oz)