Cyclist beer
It probably will effect your performance
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Can we really justify a beer 'test' in the pages of JRtB? Hold on! It's called 'Cyclist', of course we can.
To put in some context, this was handed to me in a cycling cafe in Belgium. It is, like all holiday drinks, embedded with nostalgia for that holiday, and the specific time and place of its drinking. Further context should be applied in the form of: I like Belgian beer anyway. I like cycling. This is called Cyclist. It's probably not going to be a very long review.
‘Cyclist’ is purposefully weaker than other Belgian beers; not that this says much if you're from France, or the UK. But it does mean it is much less distinctive than some of the other Belgian brews. Whilst over there I got a taste for a local brew called Maneblusser which seems more 'Belgian-y' somehow: the flavour of a strong ale, with interesting tasting notes, (a blond beer, with citrus notes), and pleasingly without that grim syrup-like structure of super-strong UK beer. Cyclist sits slightly apart from what we might recognise as distinctly Belgian. And the UK is used to Belgian beer – Leffe blond is recognisable from every supermarket booze aisle.
Specifically, Cyclist is a bit less alcoholic. It trades on this, as if it provides some kind of performance edge, or can act as a recovery drink. I choose to take this very much tongue in cheek. It is clear that we need to keep hydrated, and beer is OK at doing this. Good beer, brewed with decent natural ingredients, and no chemicals, is going to be OK, in moderation. But really, let’s not get carried away. We would be the first in the queue for a miracle beer, which is like an energy bar, recovery drink, hydration mix, electrolyte all in one. The YouTube channel Global Cycling Network even got SIS to make them a beer flavoured energy gel.
What Cyclist does do is enable you to drink a light tasting, refreshing Belgian beer, that cycling aficionados will deem worthy of drinking. Whether you choose to go riding afterwards is your own look out. We’d probably have one or two and then just ride the bike home (carefully, adhering rigidly to the drinking laws of whatever country you’re drinking in, of course).
Beer test facts
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Beer: Cyclist
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Frame: it's in a bottle
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Fork: served in a glass
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Drivetrain: n/a
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Weather: Sunny
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When: 2016
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Test terrain: cycling cafe, Belgium
What do we think of…Cyclist beer…in 50 words or less
Refreshing, relatively light, supportive of cycling things. Just don't let the hype carry you away on a sea of beer-fuelled two-wheel antics.
Alternatives
Belgium is full of alternatives, the UK and France less so. America and Canada have lots of bottled beers, some specifically mountain bike targeted (Fat Tire Beer), or there's loads of brilliant micro-breweries. UK import would be something like Sierra Nevada.
á BLOC
Dutch brewers, launched in Netherlands and Australia, coming to the UK.
á BLOC means 'full gas' or 'flat out' depending on your preference for jokes.
Let your followers read this article
Gouden Carolus Classic
'Best dark beer in the world'. Full on Belgium beer, good with meaty stuff.
Brewdog Punk IPA
So, the cycling connection might be poor, but we LOVE this beer.
That's it. It's pretty common nowadays, it was a challenge to get initially; we first found it in Aberdeen. So now there's no (non-cycling-based) excuse