Beer. And Nationals. And Beer.

First off, I want to send my congratulations to the Coalition Brewing Co., and wish them good luck in their grand opening tomorrow night! My good friend and high school classmate Elan Walsky is one of the founders of Coalition Brewing Co., and I'm absolutely thrilled to see him bring his dreams to life. Coalition is built around a brilliant idea: anyone over the age of 21 can become part of the coalition. Portland is home to one of the most active and knowledgeable home-brewer communities in the country, and Coalition aims to utilize that potential. Home brewers can use the gorgeous new brewing facility to brew smaller batches of beer, and the best recipes will be selected for mass production. I had the distinct pleasure of visiting Coalition Brewing Co. two nights ago, at their "sneak peak" opening for friends, and I am thrilled with what I saw. The building has been beautifully renovated, and the interior is as inviting as it is classy. The organic herb garden out back is a lovely touch, and their plans to excavate their adjacent parking lot into a patio will be a great addition. The bar serves a full food menu, and some the tastiest beers in Portland, all at very reasonable prices ($3.75 per pint!). Follow Coalition Brewing Co. on Facebook, or just stop in for a taste!

And then there's nationals. The elite national championships are right around the corner. I've always found nationals to be slightly silly -- mainly because of the fact that there's no money up for grabs. Many cyclists, myself included, love to bitch and moan about how x,y or z local race doesn't pay out enough prize money, but then willingly spend a cartload getting ourselves to the national championships so we can race for one of those coveted national champion jerseys. I'll admit, a stars-and-bars jersey is a pretty nice trophy, and it can help land one of those coveted pro contracts, so I'm pretty happy to be headed out to Bend, still feeling like I've got some form.