After last week’s whiney blog about how much photography sucks donkey balls, I need to explain why I go through all those horrors and play the photography game!
First off photography forces me to explore new places! I love getting in the car, on mass transit, or in an airplane for a destination I have found on a map that I have never explored! The photo below was taken at The Singapore Botanical Garden.
Before I became a photographer, a botanical garden would not be on my list of places to visit. As a photographer, a botanical garden offers an endless variety of beautiful things to click!
Photography offers a hobby/career that a person will never master. Well at least I never will, but I am not the sharpest peanut in the turd! There are always new technologies, new things to click, and new styles to try. Photography is a great cure for boredom!
Click HERE to visit the TTS store filled with original products!
A third reason I love photography is that it is an active hobby/career. Photography gets a person’s ass off the couch, forces you to put down the smart phone, and start burning some calories. The photo below required a 2,000 mile hike in deep snow. O.K. maybe it was only 1/4 of mile, but it was at 7,000 ft. elevation and dammit it got the heart a pumping!
The sport of photography helps a person meet a lot of interesting people. While I was taking the photo below, there was a couple standing next to me also observing the amazing sky over Brisbane. After a bit of chatting the couple invited me to hoist a pint. I love beer and enjoy listening to Aussie’s speak, so I was in!
The fifth reason I love photography is because there is always lots of stuff to buy. A person can spend hours looking at photography equipment and dreaming about the amazing shots that could be captured using the newly purchased equipment. Who doesn’t like new toys?
The last reason I love photography is because it allows a person to create. We all love art as kids. For some reason we grow away from art. Early on it was obvious I would always suck at drawing or painting of any kind. My stick figures never got better. But with photography I can create something that is unique to me! The photo below is my creation and I am the only one in the world that has it! I love this thought!
Now I could go on and on about how awesome photography is as a hobby/career, but I think any of the 6 reasons above is enough for a person to have a blast with photography!
Next topic: WHY KNEE PADS ARE A PHOTOGRAPHER’S BEST FRIEND!
Indian Pale Ales are brewed with English hops and it’s flavors are leaning towards earthy, spicy, and woodsy. This type of ale was originally brewed as extra hopped beers that could survive the long sea voyage from England to India. It is more of a hoppy, beer style and it is in the category of the pale ale. Many beer drinkers consider the IPA as both strong and bitter, and it is not for everyone. The strong and bitter taste can be attributed to the abundance of hops throughout the brewing process. This is also the reason why IPA often smells like flowers, pine or citrus. Modern IPA has different styles, which include the East Coast IPA, West Coast IPA, Double IPA, and the American Style IPA. Modern IPA’s have an alcohol content of between 5.5 and 7.5 percent and many craft breweries have made their own twist on this strong, flavored beer. The American version of the IPA has a more pronounced malt flavor using local ingredients.
History
Contrary to its name, the Indian Pale Ale is not native to India, or the US. IPA was not originally brewed in India because of the tropical climate. This style of beer was first made in England during the 1700’s when the British Empire was colonizing and trading with India. The British troops wanted their beer, but the long voyage from England to India was so grueling that their beers could not survive the trip. The temperature was so extreme and there was no refrigeration at that time, which made it very difficult to transport their beer. The only preservative that the British were using was alcohol and hops.
According to most historians, it was George Hodgson of the East London’s Bow Brewery who actually made the first Indian Pale Ale, which could survive the long voyage to India. The heavily hopped beer, which was called October Ale, was highly bitter and very strong so that it wouldn’t spoil during the six month trip. Gradually, the beer became more refreshing and the color paler to suit the Indian climate.
Why Is Indian Pale Ale So Popular in the US?
IPA has been widely accepted in the U.S.A. and it is considered as a favorite drink in pubs. Even though it can be an acquired taste because of its bitterness and high alcohol content, the majority of the American beer drinkers love to drink the Indian Pale Ale.
The flavor and the bitterness have something to do with its popularity. Americans are fond of bitter tasting drinks and food. Many Americans are beer drinkers, which make them easily accustomed to this style of strong and heavily hopped beer. Also, the beer market is saturated with bland and low alcohol content beers, which make the full flavored IPA stand out.
Drinking a strong and bitter beer such as the Indian Pale Ale provides an image of masculinity and machismo. This is also a probable reason why this beer is so popular among the American, male, beer drinkers. People love to compete with each other and boast about their conquest. They want to explore and push their palates to the limit with a very strong IPA.
Click HERE to visit the TTS store filled with original products!
How Is It Made Differently?
The brewing process of the Indian Pale Ale was based from the style of the Pale Ale. When England wanted to send beer to India, they thought of different ways to produce a beer that could survive the trip. One of the methods for producing their original IPA is to heavily hop the beer and produce more acids that act as a natural preservative. Another method is to reduce the amount of soluble sugar of the beer through yeast to create less residual sugars that will not attract microorganisms and prevent the spoiling of the beer.
Another difference of the Indian Pale Ale is its aggressive use of hops. While the original Pale Ale has a slight hop profile, the IPA has a very high hop profile. This increase in hops provides a richer flavor and aroma with a higher percentage of alcohol by volume.
Different Types of IPA’s
East Coast IPA
The East Coast IPA is often characterized by its stronger malt presence, which acts as a balance to the aggressiveness of the hops. Also, the breweries in the East Coast mostly rely on European hops, which are considered to be spicier than those used in the West Coast. East Coast IPA is considered to be more balanced, with a dry and lingering sweetness to the flavor.
West Coast IPA
In the West Coast IPA, the hops are more prominent and the intensity is stronger than the East Coast counterpart. The malt is a bit subdued and the flavor of the hops dominates the beer entirely. The finish of the West Coast IPA is considered to be very dry.
Double IPA
The Double IPA, also called the Imperial IPA is an American style of beer. It is called “double” because this type of beer doubles the usual amount of hops. More malt is also introduced to create balance. The resulting beer has a strong, hoppy flavor with a deeper, malty taste, and a higher alcohol content that is perfect for beer lovers. Its alcohol content is usually 7.5% and above by volume.
American Style IPA
The American Style IPA is considered to be even more aggressively hopped than the English Style. There is still the usual balance of the hops and the malt, but it leans more towards the hops. The typical flavor of the American Style IPA is a bitter grapefruit flavor and resinous pine.
Conclusion
The modern IPAs today have typical alcohol content between 5.5 and 7.5 percent. If you want a stronger and more aggressively hopped IPA, you should try the Double IPA. Usually, their strong flavors go very well with foods that are also strongly flavored such as grilled barbecues, steaks, salty seafood, and spicy curries. IPA is very popular and considered as a heavy favorite among American beer drinks that prompted many breweries to create plenty of IPA varieties. If you want a strongly flavored beer, you should definitely try the Indian Pale Ale.
Ice racing is an insanely cool sport which involves cars, snowmobile and motorbikes slip-sliding on the ice as they compete for the checkered flag. Soaring around frozen turns and balancing themselves on slick ice, ice racers love the sport because of the adrenaline rush that it brings along with it. Taking one of the most popular motorsports and bringing it to ice can sound dangerous but then where’s the thrill to it if it did not have that element of danger lurking around.
From tires that have no traction to those that are specially fitted with screws, the vehicles that are used could be anything from modified ones to the average cars and motorcycles that you would take to your local pub. You can use a variety of vehicles to race on ice depending on the racing levels and the type of championship you are racing for. The dependency of this sport on ice makes it popular in the snowy regions of Canada, North America and Europe. There are events that take place in ice rinks at places that have a warmer climate.
Image credit: blog.caranddriver.com
History
The history of ice racing is not very clear and there isn’t much information on who exactly got the idea of putting a motorbike on ice to race. We can obviously ascertain that the sport bears its origin in countries where the climatic conditions could allow such a sport. The earliest record of ice racing has been recorded in 1924 in Sweden. As the game gained attention from racers, motorcycles began to be modified for getting more traction. In the 30’s, the tires began to be fitted with short studs that made the bikes skid a little sideways on the curves. Slowly, people got more creative and began using longer studs and motorbikes got faster while racing. These long studs were first seen in a race which was held in Stockholm in 1933.
Once the Second World War ended, championships began to be held in Scandinavia and the then USSR. Gradually, the race began to get a wider audience and it spread to Central European countries as well.
International events began to be organized in 1961 in Ufa and Moscow with the first FIM cup being organized in 1963. International championships have continuously been held since and the game has garnered a lot of attention from racing enthusiasts.
What started with motorbikes has now included other types of vehicles and the sport is globally appreciated now. Snowmobiles, cars and all-terrain vehicles are now used in ice racing. The races are categorised into those that have studded tires and vehicles with non-studded tires. Almost all dirt-track racing vehicles qualify for ice racing.
Tires
If you would imagine racing on ice, you may be picturing bikes and cars slipping and sliding as they try to reach the finish line. That is exactly why tires were modified and studs were added to it for traction and better speeds. Many racers use sharpened studs because it improves traction by increasing the penetration.
Click HERE to visit the TTS store filled with original products!
Tires do not come pre-studded so racers by the tires and then the pit crew screw the studs to the tires. Menard’s Racing in Wisconsin was manufacturing studded tires for cars in 2008.
Tracks
Ovals and road courses are usually used as tracks in ice racing. Very often, dirt track racing tracks are used for racing with the snow plowed off the tracks. Sometimes, tracks have to be created by spraying a dirt surface with water so that the extreme temperature could turn it into ice. In places that enjoy warmer climates, artificial ice tracks are used. Certain racers also create a track by plowing away snow from frozen lakes. Some of the most popular tracks are:
Georgetown Lake– Located in the spectacular Rocky Mountains in Colorado, Georgetown Lake has a team of ice racing enthusiasts who have been enjoying the sport for over 40 years. Racers can take part in the championship or those who love the sport but prefer to watch it, can join the spectators. There is no entry fee for spectators.
White Lake– The small township of White Lake Michigan has a cool way of spending its long winters – ice racing. The AMA Grand Championship 2016 has chosen the White Lake as its track to hold the championship.
Alpines– Not very far from Geneva and Chamonix in the French Alps is an exclusive ice racing circuit which can give you the experience of pure adrenalin. At an altitude of 5,000 feet the 1 kilometer track is the best tracks that ice racers can find.
Conclusion
The love for extreme sports and the need for thrill drive many racers to enjoy racing on ice. This is a sport that can never be rendered dull.
