kamotE trails

This is another local craft beer from the Philippines from Crazy Carabao Brewery. The Kalinga Kolsch is an adaptation of the Kolsch beer which is like Pale Ale with a kind of fruity flavor. For the beer specs: Alcohol is at 4.5% like most beer. IBU at 14 which doesn't translate to how bitter this beer is. EBC is at 5 which is like Pale Ale. The taste of this beer is bitter. More bitter than the local San Miguel Pale Pilsen. The 14 IBU means that the bitters are low on this beer but the perceived bitterness can be attributed to the malt content of the Kolsch. There are fruity tastes which differentiates it from Pale Pilsen. This is enjoyable on a cold weather while winding down.

As I went through the beer isle, I spotted this Andy Player Whisky and Cola bottle.  I kinda heard the Andy Player name here and there and thought it to be a local whisky.  Now they're selling it mixed with cola. If you like hard drinks with cola as a chaser, this concoction will make you think twice. It has 5% alcohol content in a 330ml bottle based on the label.  Almost the same as other beers but not the same enjoyment. Taste-wise, I found the distinct whiskey taste diluted with a ton of cola. The cola sucks. It's like drinking cola that's sitting 4 hours on a glass when almost all the fizz has disappeared and all that's left is the sugary caramel taste. I can comment on the whiskey flavour since it's so washed out by the cola. I haven't tried their whisky as is either. I would not buy another one of this same with the Smirnoff Mule I tried before. It just doesn't give justice to alcohol. No to the premixed hard drinks. Well, to be fair, th...

Brewery: Crazy Carabao Origin: Laguna, Philippines ABV: 6.5% IBU: 65 EBC: 15 This is my first time tasting an IPA beer. IPA stands for India Pale Ale which was the beer made by British to in their efforts to colonize India. IPA beers are usually bitter and strong due to the abundance of hops in their brewing process.  The beer uses the usual dark amber bottle. Labels are very well done. Their graphics are well thought of and very Filipino.  Let's talk about how it tastes. First sip will greet you with a big citrus aroma and a bitter punch. The bitterness is good and strong. The flavour is very citrusy and tropical. Very nice to pair with meat or any salty pulutan(finger food).  The alcohol content is at 6.5% which is higher than local beers. I had a buzz after a bottle. IBU is 65 which tells how bitter a beer is. For reference wheat beers are around 15 and pale ales are usually around 30.  EBC is the beer color. Exit Wound sits at arou...

  As the name "Cerveza Negra" implies, it is a dark beer. This beer has a very strong roasted malt flavour. There's also a bit of caramelly after taste. If you want a full flavoured beer, this one is for you. Bitterness is less compared to the Pale Pilsen. It seems that the main attraction of this beer is the dark malt flavour. The beer comes in a dark bottle with premium paper labels. Black and gold is the theme for this beer. I think this beer goes great with some meaty snacks and a great movie.

This is the best local all-malt beer that I've tasted so far. San Miguel has a long line-up of beer ranging from its original Pale-Pilsen to its flavoured watered down beers. The San Miguel Premium beer is a bit pricey compared to the usual beers. It comes in a green bottle unlike the brown SMB pale pilsen. The bitterness is medium with a great malt aftertaste. The malt has almost dark chocolate flavour to it. I really enjoy drinking this beer.

I was looking for a dry lube that stays on longer.  I liked White Lightning's Clean Ride lube but wanted more durability from it.  I also tried White Lightning's Epic Ride for my daily commuter which worked well but still accumulated gunk at the end of the week. I found this Finish Line Ceramic Wax Chain Lube. It's from the same company as White Lightning.  It says its supposed to coat the chain with ceramic.  Less grease since it's wax and more protection. Maximum performance would be after 2 applications since the ceramic needs time to build up in the chain. Maximum Cleanliness It's a bit pricey compared to White Lightning and comes at a smaller bottle. Bottle cap needs a push and a twist to open. I tried it on my mountain bike and the lube was very light. After a slightly damp ride, I left the bike to sit for 2 weeks without cleaning.  I found some parts of the chain with rust. Performance was okay after the ride. Very clean chain. On m...

I got the Token Jockey Wheels to replace the stock wheels of my Shimano Zee rear mech. The stock wheels are already dried and stuck up which made pedalling harder. This gave me an excuse to have the jockey wheels upgraded to a sealed bearing alloy type although I have easily cleaned and greased the stock wheels. The wheels came with an adapter that I don't know what it's for. Installation is simple. The only problem is that you need to tune your rear mech again since the jockey wheels are a bit bigger than the stock wheels. You need to adjust your B-tension screw to accomodate the larger jockey wheels. What I noticed from this upgrade is that there is a metal noise when turning the pedals. This is attributed to the allow wheels coming in contact with the steel chain. Shimano stock jockey wheels are made of plastic so they do not produce that noise. You just need to get used to it. Overall, the deraileur feels smoother compared to the gunked out pulleys from before ...

If you're a big fan of pizza and also want to eat KFC's fried chicken, you must have heard of KFC's latest abomination, the Four Cheese Chizza. It's a flat fried chicken topped with cheese and sliced into four like a pizza.  It comes in a small pizza box which sells the pizza idea well. When it comes to taste, it's not pizza. It's cheesy chicken in a pizza box. It may go well as "ulam" for your rice. For a pizza lover like me, this is highly disappointing. It's a sad fake pizza.

After my Schwalbe Citizen stock rear tire wore out, I decided to get a new pair of tires.  I have heard many good things about Schwalbe Kojak in the local forums so I decided that this would by my next commuter tires. I got a pair of 20" Kojaks for 1800 pesos from a local bike store in Pasay City.  Both the tires were installed and the still good Schwalbe Citizen tire was set aside for the rainy days. The Kojaks were slick tires. They don't have any treads or knobs. I was worried that it would lose traction on wet roads but they held up pretty well.  I tried these tires from light rains to heavy downpour and the grip on the slightly suffered. I just have to be extra careful on those man hole covers and metal gratings. Schwalbe rates this tire with a Race Guard 4 level of protection.  So far, I have less punctures with these tires compared to the Schwalbe Citizen. I got these tires because of the advertised lesser rolling resistance.  They definite...

Specs: Weight: 135 grams Material: Aluminum Diameter: 25.4mm Sweep: 5 degrees Length: 580mm Color: silver Pros: If you want to go lightweight without breaking the bank on carbon bars, this is the handlebar for you. It's made of aluminum but still super lightweight compared to other aluminum bars out there. Cons: Scratches and streaks are easy to spot on the silver/raw aluminum color. You just need to keep it clean from grease smudges and its good.

Since I was having a lot of punctures lately, I decided to give the tire patch thing a try. I usually bring an extra tube during daily commute to work and just swap out the punctured tube whenever I have flat tires. I didn't want to use those cheap patch kits because the last time I used it, the patch didn't even stick to the tube.  Luckily, I chanced upon this patch kit from Birzman. The kit includes 3 patches, 1 tire boot and a carrying case with a built in scraping tool.  I also got extra patches to have spares in case I use up the patches from the kit. Patch Kit with 1 patch used The patches already have an adhesive backing. You just need to locate the puncture then rough up the surface with the scraping tool and apply the patch. The tire boot is supposed to be used when you tear your tire. Failures I've used the patch with varying chances of success. I've had a snakebite puncture and I used 1 patch for this. After a few weeks, air leaked out. It seems ...

I've been using White Lightning's Epic Ride for a while now for my daily commuter bike and my weekend mountain bike. I've nearly emptied the bottle so I think I can give a better assessment of its performance. The lube is meant to be somewhere in between a wet and a dry lube. It's advertised to stay on longer while keeping the chain relevantly clean. On my commuter folding bike, which I use 4 times a week, it performs good enough for daily use. It can last a 4 rides or more without me having to clean the chain and reapply lube. Rain Going through rain is another matter. The lube stays on for my 20 km ride during heavy rain but you need to clean the chain and reapply lube after the ride since most road mud and grit have stuck to the chain. Compared to the Orange dry lube I was using which washed away after just 5 km of rain, the Epic Ride lived up to its name. It stayed on during the rain. The lube was slightly washed away but not to the point that you can fe...

Specs: Weight: 338 grams Color: Titanium Length: 600mm Cost: 1200php I replaced the stock seatpost of my Tern D8 with this Litepro Seatpost.  I also replaced the stock metal shim with the Litepro plastic shim. Pros: It's very light compared to the stock seatpost. The surface is ribbed which is good since it prevents the post from slipping down while riding. Saddle adjustment uses 2 allen bolts compared to the single bolt adjustment of the stock seatpost.  The seatpost has height labels so it's easier to setup from the folding position. saddle clamping mechanism Cons: The seatpost can twist even when the seatclamp is overly tight. This can be due to the ribbed surface which is parallel to the twisting movement. A simple nudge can bring back the seat to its proper alignment. There's also this annoying noise it makes when you move the seatpost in and out of the clamp when folding. The ribbed surface rubs against the shim producing the noise. height label...

If you're a cyclist from the south of the metro, you probably have heard of this biker haven in the south. They serve rich lomi for the tired and hungry bikers coming from Nuvali and Calamba. It's a perfect reward for a tiring trail ride. Lomi: heart stopping goodness Lomi is a noodle dish that is popular in the Batangas area. It has thick noodles in a thick soup base. It's flavour is further enhanced by crushed chicharon (pork rinds) and served usually with pork and egg toppings garnished with spring onions and/or garlic bits. Ariel's Lomi Haus offer's a 40, 50 and 60 pesos serving for their lomis. 60 being the largest bowl. Most of us are dead full after eating that 60 pesos bowl. Better get the small one if you're just sampling it. Waiting for that Lomi Mountain bikers from Nuvali usually go through an off road track to reach a baranggay in Calamba where the lomi haus is located. A bit of trail and 70% road is in store for you if you wish to v...