DRAFT Magazine

Danger! It's Madhouse Larry!

I first met Larry “Madhouse Larry” McIntosh when I was looking for pub recommendations while I was attending South By Southwest last year.

Larry, who has lived in Austin for 31 years, recommended the stellar Draught House, where we met for a beer. He’s never let me down since.

By day he runs a branding/advertising/design agency. By nights and weekends he’s equally at home on the mountain bike trails or with a craft beer in his hand.

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get to know Madhouse Larry.

Age 51

Family Married to Mrs. MADHouseLarry for 26.5 years. 2 kids - a saxophone playing, 17 year old high school senior, Eagle Scout, CAP, ROTC boy who is gunning to get in the Air Force Academy, and a 12 year old 7th grade girl who plays volleyball, basketball and softball, and rocks hard on the drums.

Beer of choice IPA is my favorite, followed by Scottish ales, Porters and Stouts. No particular brewery, I like to try them all.

The Beer Runner: What are your beer runner credentials?

Larry McIntosh: I sample a lot of beers. If I want to keep my current wardrobe, that means I have to compensate. I ride road and mountain bikes and hit the gym. Austin has some good road loops. Lots of hills. On the MTB side, there a a number of great trails within 30 minutes riding time from my house. Plenty more if I want to drive a little. Most of the trails here are twisty, technical single track with crazy drops and climbs. They are a blast - and a great workout.

BR: How did your homebrewed oak chocolate Trunkload porter turn out?

LM: Trunkload turned out to be a turd-load. Not much chocolate to it at all and I think the oak added some off flavors. If I mix it with something with a good malty flavor, the chocolate comes out. Trunkload came from the trunks porters carry. When I told my designer buddy what I was calling it (over too many beers at the Flying Saucer) he said the label would be in my inbox by the time I got home. I dig it. A few weeks after the label was created, we were having a small dinner party. One of the guests, a very funny attorney lady who has a number of political ties, asked if I had been brewing. I told her about the beer and that I was calling it Trunkload. She said, Ohhhh….” and did a wiggly dance that looked just like the lady on the label. I cracked up and brought her the label. She rolled on the floor laughing. We were definitely on the same page!

BR: What’s the story behind your Mackintosh Chieftan Scottish-style Ale?

LM: It’s a 90 shilling Scottish-style ale. My last name is McIntosh and my ancestors are from Clan Mackintosh in Scotland. The name Mackintosh comes from the old Scottish name Mac an Toisich, or Son of the Chieftain. My designer knocked this label out one morning. He did another that looks kinda like an anime version of a chick in wearing a kilt. I like ‘em both.

BR: Your agency The Mad House specializes in working with the fields of health and fitness, craft beer and cycling. How did that focus come about?

LM: Actually, we help build brands that bring enjoyment to life. We sat around a table and figured out that we really do our best work when the client’s business supports our passions. One of our designers is into camping, snow skiing, mountain biking, craft beer, good food and music. One of our brand strategists is into shoes, craft beer, wine, yoga, running, and is a foodie. Another designer digs good craft beer, cigars, mountain biking, plays in a band, and eats like a horse. I’m into cycling, craft beer (big time!), mountain and water sports, driving fast and good food. So, naturally, those are the kinds of accounts we love. And it shows. Our package design concepts for Freetail brewing won ADDY Gold Medals in February.

BR: What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

LM: The MAD House is in its 12th year and has won a boatload of awards. I’m proud just to have made it this far. There have been great times and some slow and scary times. Through it all, I’ve been very lucky to have worked with some of the most talented creatives around. Our pro bono portfolio is an extension of our mission to work on things we like. A few years ago the local Advertising Federation got together and formed a public service group. One of the early recipients of our help was the Hill Country Ride for Aids. It is a two day charity ride to raise money for Aids Services of Austin. I volunteered to help put a creative team together. The team developed a new logo, posters, direct mail pieces, web elements, banners - and helped launch its most successful fundraising year. The ride has grown yearly and the AdFed still helps out.

BR: As someone in the design and branding fields, what beer brands impress you the most?

Larry and Sam from Dogfish Head

LM: Craft beer is going off huge. What strikes me the most is how the grocery stores in our area rely on the big distributors to set the shelves. So, usually half the cold case belongs to the big three, and the rest is split between the craft brands their distributors carry. Anything left goes to the smaller distributors. So, for the casual beer buyer, the craft selections look like a mish-mash. The eye goes to Sam Adams, or New Belgium or Shiner (I am in Texas, after all) mostly because they have the most craft beer facings. Local breweries get lost in the crowd. A brewery from another state trying to make an entry into the market may only get one facing. If the packaging is marginal, it gets lost in the crowd, sells slow, and may not get re-ordered. I think Shiner has done a nice job, Sam Adams and New Belgium are consistent, as is Dogfish Head. These days, social media plays a huge part, but like everything else it needs to stay true to the brewery’s branding.

BR: Anything else to add?

LM: If you’re in Austin and need beer direction, shoot us an email or a Tweet. Cheers!

Urban Iditarod Flickr photo by Misserion

As the 38th Iditarod makes its journey across Alaska, one of the more unusual beer-fueled races unfolds today through the streets of downtown Portland.

The annual Urban Iditarod — sometimes also called the Idiotrod — features teams of dogs, sleds and checkpoints spread out through four miles of the city. Except the dogs are actually absurdly-costumed runners, sleds are shopping carts and checkpoints are bars.

There are no prizes awarded in this race, though you could say anyone running through the streets dressed as an astronaut or bullfighter while hunting for beer is already victorious. In years past checkpoints have been Bridgeport Brewery, Rogue Public House and the Marathon Tavern.

Here’s a description from the Portland State student newspaper The Vangaurd:

As might be expected, costumes play an important role in the race. Last year presented a wacky mix of both predictable and absolutely original team themes. There were Ghostbusters, Devo and Troll dolls. Over-the-top Italian chefs threw flour at people. A team of Richard Simmons fitness instructors turned on a CD player and did a dance workout routine. Another team, called Speedos and Tuxedos, stormed through the crowd while dancing on a pole affixed to their cart.

The Portland race is expected to attract around 1,000 participants. Don’t live in Portland? There are also Urban Iditarods in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Brooklyn and Ann Arbor. Or you could start one in your own town.

Photo by Peter DiAntoni

Hands down, my favorite new beer of 2010 so far is Lakefront Brewery’s Fixed Gear American Red Ale.

The Milwaukee beer also gets the nod of approval from urban bike magazine COG, for its inspiration from the messenger community. The single-speed fixed gear bike is the type of model favored by many city cyclists.

This beer comes just in time to toast Google map’s new travel-by-bike feature, which has been very happily received by the cyclist community.

According to the beer label, Fixed Gear Ale was “inspired by the energy and audacity of the fearless fixed gear courier.” It came about when “Lakefront ran smack into this arresting creation - it’s red, it’s bold, and it tastes damn good… This one’s got an attitude.”

The 6.5% AVB is now being sold around Milwaukee, but going fast.

Hood to Coast movie trailer

The craziness of the world’s largest relay race  will make its bigscreen debut this week at the South By Southwest Film Festival.

“Hood To Coast is basically a party for most of the teams on the course,” said Anna Campbell, producer of HOOD TO COAST and a veteran of the race. “And the beer tent on the beach is all the motivation people need to make it 197 miles from the top of Mt. Hood to the ocean.”

She added: “I should mention I also both run and drink beer.”

HOOD TO COAST follows four unlikely teams — including one whose training consists of beer drinking — among the legendary Oregon race’s 1,000 teams and 12,000 runners. Director Christoph Baaden (Campbell’s husband) ran the HTC race for the first time in 2007, and when he finished he vowed to shoot his first feature documentary about the event.

The film makes its debut on Saturday, March 13 at SXSW. You can see the trailer here.

“We’re madly putting finishing touches on the film now,” Anna said, “but by Thursday we’ll be in Austin for the festival.”

Daniel Del Grande

The Beer Runner: What are your beer runner credentials?

Daniel Del Grande of Bison Brewing: I don’t buy the “Never trust a skinny brewer” mantra. I’m 6′2″ and I like to be 190-195 to feel comfortable in daily active life, so unless I exercise, I can’t drink all the great craft beer I want. Each week, I cycle most Sunday’s, run a couple times, and do karate a couple times. I like to mix it up.

BR: How did you get into karate?

DD: I’d always admired guys in high school and college who did it, but I did track, cross country, and was a rower, so never had time. Then this studio opened up across the street from the brewpub in 1998. It was easy to duck across the street to work out, then come back and take care of business. I loved to spar. Now I don’t heal fast enough to go hard in the ring, so I focus on quick take downs, ground fighting/wrestling, and traditional forms, isometric tension, etc.

BR: Have you ever combined karate with beer? Would that be dangerous?

DD: That would be dangerous. A couple times I’ve had a pint or two before class but I know I don’t have the same level of control I’d expect from my partners–especially with hand strikes close to the face–when I’m buzzed. Nothing bad ever happened, but since I don’t want to hurt my class mates, I don’t do it anymore. I’m confident I can take care of myself when buzzed if I DO want to hurt somebody–so don’t try nuthin’.

BR: Tell me about the Brewer’s Sustainability Guild. How did that come about?

DD: I wanted to create a forum for brewers to collaborate on making beer more sustainable. Consumers care more then ever about the environmental profile of the products they consume, and craft brewers have an opportunity to become leaders in offering products that taste good while doing good. By sharing the carbon footprint analysis I did for Bison, other breweries could accelerate their own progress in fighting climate change. As a first step, I held an “unconference” at GABF. Dozens of brewers came together and set four areas of focus: water conservation, energy minimization, waste reduction, and how to involve the whole staff. This association should be formally in place by end of March.

BR: Why do you brew organic beer?

DD: I was buying all my personal fruits and veggies at an organic farmer’s markets, and when we started doing the same for the brewpub, I wondered why the I wasn’t supporting organic agriculture with my main product–beer. Really I was just syncing my personal life with my business. Making the conversion was a way I could positively impact the agriculture practiced on acres and acres of barley fields in North America and Europe. It took several years of converting until good quality specialty grain was stocked by the barley maltsters. Once I could make Chocolate Stout organic, I got certified and never looked back. It costs about a $1 a 6-pack for my customers to support organic agriculture. A committed organic beer drinker can set aside 1/8 of an acre of land for organic agriculture used for growing barley and hops–that’s a measurable difference!

BR: How are you celebrating 20 years of Bison Beer?

DD: I brewed an imperial brown ale and put it in bourbon barrels this year which we’ll release sometime next year. I also launched a campaign to buy my customers a carbon offset for a case of beer, hopefully making a difference by educating, and encouraging them to offset the rest of their unavoidable carbon footprint impact.

BR: How else are you staying healthy?

DD: I don’t count calories. I don’t deprive myself of pleasure of any food item, and sometimes overindulge, but I feel healthy if I avoid processed food, refined sugar, excess cheese, and deep fried food. Bacon is not too good for you, but its a weakness of mine. I really like to share dishes when I’m out with friends to graze and try a lot of things. I like Michael Pollen’s seven simple words: ” Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” I think eating this way is sustainable, and eating organic this way is even more sustainable.

Cowtown Marathon - Ft. Worth Star Telegram photo

Deep in the heart of Texas, they love beer and running.

In Fort Worth on Saturday, nearly 5,000 people ran distances from 5K to the marathon — and afterward raced through 60 kegs of beer.

“The funny thing is I don’t even like beer, I don’t drink beer on a regular basis, but after a race it’s what I want,” marathoner Lisa Tessarowitz told a Dallas-Fort Worth TV station. “Tastes great, replenishes your body, does all the right things you know.”

“You see the shirts that say “will run for beer,” there’s a reason for that,” added beer distributor Brian Butner.

The Fort Worth Star Telegram also noticed the beer angle of the race with an article that highlighted one serious runner’s reasoning for a post-race beer:

Stacy Caudell, 57, of Lucas, is one runner who has no qualms about going straight for the beer. And it doesn’t seem to be hurting him. He’s finished a marathon in all 50 states and he’ll continue by running in the Cowtown Marathon.

“Having a few beers after a marathon is a great way to get started rehydrating and soothing the achy muscles,” he said. “The body is craving liquids and carbohydrates anyway, and the taste is noticeably more appealing.”

Be smart about it and you should be OK, Caudell continued.

“Right after a marathon, although my stomach is empty, it takes a few minutes to settle down before I am ready to start eating,” he said. “Beer is a good way to relax the stomach in preparation for the feast to come. I think that just drinking beer, without food or other liquids, would not be beneficial, since the body needs to make repairs to the damage done by the marathon.”

The winning marathon time was 2:31:58 by Logan Sherman, and Camille Riggins paced the women with a 3:01:59 finish. There was no official time for who took down the fastest post-race beer.

Rachael Ray adds a dash of beer

At least that’s the impression I get from People magazine, where the cooking show empire owner discusses running while drinking beer.

“I started running 3½ miles every morning after throat surgery to remove a cyst last year,” Ray told the magazine while reportedly “sipping a beer.” (It does not specify what kind.)

“The gym used to be my adversary. But that has all changed,” she says. “Now, I look forward to it every morning.”

People reports that Ray spends about 30 minutes running, 45-60 more minutes of elliptical training and then hits up weight machines for circuit training.

People is becoming my definititve source for revealing celebrity beer runners. Or at least Rachael Ray and Patrick Dempsey.

You can see some of Rachael Ray’s beer and food pairings here and her Can O’ Beer Chicken recipe here.

The Bike and Brew Tour Crew (from left) Anders, Sara, Tracy and Caroline at Pyramid Brewing

Last fall, Sara Morrisson and Tracy Montigny quit their jobs, recruited two others, and embarked on a cross country bike adventure from New York to Seattle to visit as many breweries as possible.

As documented on their excellent site bikeandbrewtour.com, the trip’s genesis went something like this:

Sara: I‘d like to bike across the country
Tracy: I’d like to check out all the breweries in the US

Enlightened moment: Let’s bike across the country and go to breweries!

In the Beer Runner’s first ever collective interview, Tracy and Sara explain the highlights and lowlights of visiting 50 breweries in 74 days, and what they’re up to now in Australia.

The Beer Runner: What motivated you to quit your jobs and bike from New York to Seattle?

Safety 1st: Tracy home brewing w/ helmet

Tracy and Sara: Both of us had been working in the New York photo industry for a few years and we were looking for a change of pace. Sara grew up in Seattle and had always dreamed of biking home when she left NYC. Tracy had already cycled across the country once, so when Sara needed advice about planning such a trip, she asked Tracy. Meanwhile, Tracy had been inspired (by Sara) to start home brewing, and had developed such a love of craft beer that she aspired to do a cross-country brewery tour. So when Sara started talking about cycling, Tracy said, “I’ll go with you if we can stop at as many breweries as possible along the way.”

BR: Were you nervous to quit your jobs and just head out across the country?

T&S: More than anything! But having such a great trip ahead made leaving New York a no-brainer.

BR: Who joined you for this ride?

T&S: The first was Tracy’s friend Caroline, who thought biking across country would be a great adventure despite the fact that she didn’t drink beer. She was already planning a trip to New Zealand, a break from New York, so Tracy convinced her to postpone her flight and bike with us first. Then, in the process of planning the trip, Sara met a guy named Anders. They started dating, which seemed like unfortunately timing, until Sara decided that he’d just have to come along. We were also lucky enough to have a few guest riders throughout the trip- ranging from friends and family to some awesome folks that were following our blog.

BR: What was the highlight of the trip?

T&S: In terms of biking, our favorite was up the Oregon coast on 101. It was a sort of idyllic beauty that is really best enjoyed on two wheels. In terms of breweries, it would be New Belgium in Ft. Collins, Colorado. We were incredibly impressed with the facility, their nearly completely sustainable practices, the employees and their love of their jobs, and the variety of beer. Before we went there, we had only had a few of their beers (maybe you’ve heard of Fat Tire? hehe), but at the brewery they had at least 30 different beers on tap, including some experimental beers that had been made by their brewer, guest home brewers, or as collaborations with other breweries. Plus, they are great bike-friendly brewery and they were very enthusiastic about our trip.

A bad weather day in La Crosse, Wisconsin

BR: How about the lowlight?

T&S: Our roughest day of riding was from Spring Green to La Crosse, Wisconsin. It was a 90-mile day that we’d started too late and the terrain was unexpectedly hilly - probably some of the steepest grade hills on our trip. As the day progressed the weather turned, pelting us with rain and gusting to the point where we were nearly blown off our bikes. We entered La Crosse exhausted, wet, and in complete darkness. As with all days though it ended well when we rolled into our destination and met our hosts for the night — four awesome college students (friends of Caroline’s friend’s girlfriend) — who gave us their living room for the night and made us pancakes in the morning!

BR: What was the most unexpected part of the journey?

T&S: Most unexpected was definitely the people all across the country who opened up their homes to us and gave us beds, food (…showers, laundry, Advil, bike shoes!) and general kindness in exchange for our stories. Oh, and also that Nevada is the most mountainous state after Alaska. Who knew?

Riding the Rockies

BR: Do you know how many miles you biked and beers you drank?

T&S: We know we biked just over 3,400 miles but number of beers is tough. We rarely had more than 2 beers on any given night (we were just too exhausted from riding) or we would often try the brewery sampler. We probably tried a couple hundred or so different beers at the 50 breweries we visited.

BR: What’s the biggest lesson you learned from this trip?

T&S: Be the twig. It was a lesson imparted on us by our first random-stranger hosts, Chris and Michelle. On the first night where we were without a plan or specific destination we flagged them down on the side of the road in rural New Hampshire to inquire about the nearest campground. It turned out they owned the bed and breakfast up the street and invited us to camp in their yard and have dinner with them! Basically, they just told us that their motto is to go with the flow and be the twig floating down the stream, not fighting the current. Subsequently, we had serendipitous things happen nearly every day of the trip. We took the twig idea so much to heart that at the end of the trip Tracy got a twig tattoo on her forearm as a reminder.

BR: You’ve written, “We are riding to promote a healthy and quality beer lifestyle.” Care to elaborate?

Caroline with a beer sampler

T&S: Basically, we are active, healthy people who enjoy high quality beer in moderation. After a long bike ride we want to drink beer that is made of fresh, high quality ingredients - sometimes local, sometimes organic -by independent companies that bring something new to the table. The bigger breweries have dominated the American market for such a long time now that many Americans have a generalized idea of “beer” as the bland, cold, fizzy stuff that makes you burp and gets you drunk. We want people to realize that they don’t have to settle- there is better beer out there! The craft brewers in this country (and all around the world) are providing tasty alternatives -from IPA’s to sours to barley wines - that incorporate ingredients as varied as chocoate from Belgium, pine nuts from Nevada, or cherries from Wisconsin. We were asked many times if there was a “cause” for our trip, to which we always answer “we are raising awareness about good beer.”

BR: What are you up to these days?

T&S: At the moment we are in Australia, having just finished a 2 ½ month jaunt in New Zealand– where we visited a number of breweries and even had the chance to work at a couple. After Australia, we’ll be spending some time back in Seattle and New York before deciding where to go next.

BR: Do you have any future bike/brewery tours planned?

T&S: We have a few trips we’d like to do depending on timing and funds. The first is a trip from Seattle to San Diego, to hit the many amazing west coast breweries that we missed on our trip. The next could be spending another winter down under to do Bike and Brew New Zealand, where the biking is beautiful and craft breweries are just starting to take off.

BR: Any tips for someone who’d like to plan a similar trip?

T&S: Never drink and ride. Also, don’t plan anything past 8pm, because chances are you will fall asleep!

Congrats to Brian Yaeger and Derrick Peterman for organizing and running a beer run during the recently wrapped-up San Francisco Beer Week.

“Since we both love beer and both love running,” Brian said, “we figured, why not organize an actual beer run?”

The 5K run went into Golden Gate Park and started and ended at Magnolia Pub & Brewery.

“Now that we’ve earned a pint, I’m going to get a pint of Dark Star Mild,” Brian said in this interview. “That’s my rehydration trick”

Now I have to figure out where I can find me some of these socks.

The Beerinator

Beer Runner bio Jonathan Surratt, DRAFTMag.com Web Director, founder of Beermapping, self-described “beer jogger,” @beerinator on Twitter

Favorite beer fest Great Taste of the Midwest

Last beer consumed Eugene Porter from Revolution Brewing, a brand new brewpub in my neighborhood

Last run 3.25 miles, as of this interview

Little known fact I often pick my entrees at restaurants based on the side dishes.

Motto “I like beer people more than I like beer.”

The Beer Runner What are your beer runner credentials?

Jonathan Surratt I drink beer, study beer, build websites based around beer and sometimes dream beer. I run 4-5 times a week. I can’t really lie and say I live a healthy lifestyle, but I am attempting to balance the eating, drinking, and sitting in front of a computer with as many 3 or 4 mile runs as I can complete.

BR: How did you become a beer jogger?

JS: I was becoming tired of my sedentary lifestyle and knew I needed to lose some weight if I was going to keep enjoying beer and food. I started on the treadmill and have eventually become one of those people you see jogging on the side of the road in a mish mash of shirts/tights/pants in 20 degree weather.

BR: How did you lose 40 pounds last year without cutting down on beer?

JS: I started running in mid June, and picked up a nike+ sportband at the end of July and used it to track my outside miles. I’m a visual person and it really really helps to see stats and look back at how much I increased my pace and how many miles I logged. Without this stimulation, I’m not sure if I would have kept it up. I started trying to spend at least 30 minutes a day on cardio and for me, a 5k turns into almost 30 minutes. So I basically lost the weight by running five 5k’s a week. I still eat what I normally would have and I definitely haven’t stopped drinking. The past few weeks I’ve started picking up a few more 4 or 5 mile runs to get ready for the Shamrock Shuffle, my first 8K race.

Jonathan and Ken of Team Beer

BR: Tell me about Team Beer.

JS: It’s just a few beer-focused twitter users (@kenoftheyear, @sarahhuska, @chicityrunner, @BeerPrincess) that started motivating ourselves a bit with post run beers. We’ve actually only met once, but I foresee a few group runs in the future followed by pints.

BR: What are your plans to start a beer run in Chicago?

JS: I’d love to have a short run (5k or so) planned for Chicago Beer Week. I am not sure that I really want to be responsible for more than 10 or 15 other runners. But we could start at a local beer haunt, loop out and use that beer bar/brewpub as the end point where we all hang out and enjoy a pint or two. We’ll see if I actually make this happen or not.

Beer Mapping featured in Cosmo

BR: Did women suddenly find you more desirable when Beer Mapping was mentioned in Cosmo?