Cold commutes and ( you guessed it) new beers

Weather has gotten colder, the commute has required a bit more gear, and I've kept drinking.
Temperatures at my work bound commute have been in the mid-20s and the trip home has been that or colder, plus the unstoppable wind of course. As such I've donned my snowboard helmet and goggles, as well as an extra layer sometimes. Especially with the stronger winds, I've noticed my gloves aren't as warm as they once were. I'm using the Specialized Sub Zero, which is really a liner and an outer shell system, which as been working really really well, until recently. See:

I've got 2 full winters of every day use out of these things, and plenty of other use as well, so I'm not terribly upset that they're wearing out. I am a bit upset that the new model doesn't fit my hands worth a damn. I'd still wear these in a 40F rain storm, but for wind chills in the low teens, they aren't cutting it any more. Now I have to figure out new gloves. Pondering lots of things, lobster mitts are highly likely, bar mitts are also a possibility. Not sure what to do, and I kinda need to make a decision.

In less cold, and somewhat happier news, I'm still drinking fancy beers. Rye beers have been a recent "thing" in the beer scene. They've been around basically forever, but rye is having a huge resurgence in popularity as an ingredient. Perhaps the rye whiskey explosion of the last few years has spilled over into the beer world. Whatever the cause, I'm fairly excited about it. Rye has a spicy and deep flavor profile that adds an interesting flavor to any beer it's used in.
Left Hand Brewing's Rye Bock, is a smooth yet complicated beer, with a spicy nose, heady middle, and smooth finish. A traditional bock (which as you know is a lager) is smooth and full of flavor. This beer does not disappoint, big props to my buddy and drinking cohort Andrew for hooking this up.
Sour beers are definitely the wave of the future. Set to supplant ultra high octane IPAs as the way for brewers to show off their skills. Until know the way to (cynically) judge a brewer/brewery was to check their huge IBU IPA, both numerically and flavor wise. Sours are awesome, tart, complex, often fruity, generally aged, and they come in a ton of varieties. A hallmark of the style is the lactic/wild fermentation that imparts that wonderful tart/sour flavor. New Belgium's La Folie is a great example. Based on a Flander's brown and aged in spent wine barrels, it's tart, deep, with a sour finish that's outstanding. A serious top notch sour, and fairly readily available. Go buy some.