Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Full Plate, the Rogue's notes

"Time to eat too much, and engage in heated political arguments with my relatives." - SDC
Road to abundance; Beauchamp, 11/2023.
      Thanksgiving. The spirit of the full plate. Dinner with family. Abundance on every table. Dinner in Smyrna with Family- Brothers, In-Laws, Niece, Nephews, Wife, Kids, Granddaugters (all three of 'em!), pooches. Tons of food. Plenty of drink. Tree lighting and ice sculptures in Berlin. Winterfest in the OC. Pretty busy long weekend. Only minor sin - skipped the Ocean. For family you can do that. Always comes first. It's the season that emphasizes it. Face it. Family fuels the Stoke.

Old Jubilation. Avery
Brewing's Strong Ale.
Pretty sure the 8.3%ABV
helps with that. Poured a
deep reddish mahogany. 
Dense, tan head. Smelled
of burnt toast, raisins, and
 toffee. Flavors blended
roasted malts, sweet brown
sugar, and chocolate
covered caramel. Warmer
without being boozy. Slight
45 IBU hopped bite in the
finish. Good pick for the
holidays. Rated a B+.








Hotel Atlantic - the anchor and master over the town Christmas Tree lighting.
Main Street- Berlin, MD 11/24/2023.
     Gettin' to be an annual tradition. Ice Ice Berlin and the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies. Small town pomp & circumstance. Family loved it. Decorations. Santa. The Grinch. Ice Sculptures. Sip and Shop...yeah, sippin on a beer, or a cocktail while Christmas shoppin'. Nuthin' loosens up them purse strings quicker. Literally everything and everyone all lit up. Kinda. Wasn't all that loose. But... definitely fun.


The Pin! Ohhhh Nooooooo!

























Dinner and a trip up North later... the OC's Winterfest of Lights. Now THIS is an annual tradition. Mexican. Daughter and Granddaughter love the food. Definitely needed to walk it off. Northside Park provided the best of both worlds. A tram for those who wanted the fast track. Walking paths for those who ate Mexican. Scoped out the tons of light displays. Fair night in the lower 40s with light winds. Walk fast. That was the key. Great weekend closer.





















Had to fit this one in. Troeg's
Mad Elf Grand Cru. Seasonal
special closer (yes Virginia,
you can have two closers). An
interesting red tint to the finger+,
fizzy head. Clear, ruby pour.
Lots of cherries and dark choco-
late in the aromas. Anticipated
more of the same in the taste.
Man! Are those cherries tart!
Malted chocolate. Hint of spice
and molasses in the finish. The
15 IBUs are misleading. Or maybe
the tartness added to the bitter-
ness. 11% ABV meant don't drink
 the entire 4-pack in one sitting. 
A dangerous cousin to Mad Elf.
Not bad. Rated a B/B-.







No slowing her down!
      Session's end. It can get pretty hectic around our family during the holidays. Well, anytime we all get together. Laughing. Yelling. Joking. Whining. Ball bustin'. Talking over. Pushing over. But, it's all in love. Loaded with Stoke. Abundance in blessings. A full plate.

"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. 
Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.
No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, 
four-alarm holiday emergency here!" 
-Clark Griswold