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

Got The Point, the Rogue's notes.

"It feels like we've waited ages for this. That sensation of kicking out, immersing ourselves in water,
 anticipating the wave to come."  -L. Schwenke, Finally, Waves. 
Hope arrives as a point break. Holiday's and 66th, 11/18/2023.

      A few Nor'easters. Couple rainy windstorms to churn up the surf. Some natural erosion (yeah, move that sand back out, baby). And voila! Decent off shore swell. Consistent. Only took all year. Fast lane surf check at Holiday's on 66th. Some rollers. Waist to chest. F-ing glad the shorebreak has backed off. Do not want to endure another season like this. Nice day...lower 60'sF. Water now in the upper 40s, maybe low 50's. Depending on the last rain and current. While watching a smooth spread breaking in the middle, it occurred that the Atlantic finally got the Point. And no Hurricane to create conditions. Immediately- was making the plans for the next season.

Mirror of the feeling.
Looking forward to next season.

     Cold waters needed a warmer to take off the edge. Wolverine State Brewing's Massacre. That's what the shorebreak did to my season. A massacre. That's ok. This Bourbon Barreled Black Lager smoothed out the 'tude. At 14.5%, no wonder. Super dark brown pour (could tell in the light). Dark tan, dense, finger-plus head. Obvious bourbon, vanilla, and hints of raisin in the aroma. Caramel, toffee (yup- both), rich malts, oakey bourbon, notes of chocolate, all made for an intense flavor profile. Estimated hops at about 30-ish which gave just the right bitterness to the finish. Enjoyed the entire 4-pack...although definitely spread it out. Many days. Gave the brew and improving conditions an A.

Burn-down before the Shut-down, the Rogue's notes.

The world looks better through a cool pair of shades
With some beer on a boat on a Saturday. -A. Shepherd
Skyline Drive... the OC's horizon heading north on the Assawoman, 11/4/2023.

     That time of year again. Last tour of the Assawoman. "Intercoastal" water in the 60's. Daytime temps right at the 70F mark. Fairly calm day on the bay. Good enough to open up the Jet. Had 'ta burn off the fuel before shutting down for the winter. Winter. Not feelin' it yet. Threw a couple casts into the Rt. 90 Bridge. Looking for the Stripers. Yeah, right. Still a bit warm. Air was mild, though feelin' the chill when flyin' up the bay.

 

The Cut.

Ready to chow!

Warmth of the sun when runnin' thru the local canals. Cruisin' the "Cut" on the way to our closing haunt, Catch 54, for the season's last waterfront feast. It was a fair year on the bay. Always want the fish stories to be better. Always looked for the wind to die down. Our coda to the season. Ride home left us with a settin' sun and dropping temps. Racin' daylight back to the ramp. 

Racin' daylight - headin' back, 11/4/2023.

    Catch 54 with Oysters on the Half, Southern Fried Chicken, Crab Mac 'n Cheese, and an outstanding  pumpkin brew from Ocean View Brewing. A great closing meal. But the review is a nod to fishin'. Michigan's Saugatuck Brewing. Rainbow Rodeo IPA. Fly fishin'. Rainbow trout. IPA. Get the connection? Me neither. But...it was a good malt forward IPA.  Clear orange-amber pour. Finger plus thickness of a pillowy, off-white head. Citrus, and caramel malts in the nose. Toffee, melon, grapefruit, light pine and resin, in the taste. 60 IBUs of  bitter sweetness at the finish. At 7%, this would be a "times two". Otherwise, good-night! Solid IPA. Rated a B.

     

Rain Don't Stop The Ghouls, the Rogue's notes.

Storm moved offshore. Still waters; OP's Off Shore Lake- appropriate, 11/3/2023.

     All Hallows Eve... much anticipated one and done session. Nor'easter. Maybe more of a Nor' by Nor'easter. Squall line seemed to ride right along the Wicomico River. Daughter/Granddaughter did the west side of the shore. However... though it kept us outta Berlin, rain in the Pines didn't stop the ghouls.                                   

Mispillion's Dank Lord.

6.7%. Estimated 50 IBUs.

A New England that delivers

Amber-Gold pour with a

finger thick head. Orange-

grapefruit nose. More grape-

fruit and pineapple in the

taste. Solid IPA. A- rating. 

Troegs Master of Pumpkins.

Pumpkin Ale. Clear amber

pour. Less than finger head.

Nutmeg, and clove in aroma.

Light malt. Cinnamon and

spice in the flavor. Some

pumpkin. little hops. Not

great. Rated a C+. 

 

 

Munsterfest. 3 Floyds

Marzen. 6.2% ABV.

20 IBUs. Thick head.

Poured a clear amber.

Bready. Malty. Caramel

in the aroma. Plenty of

malty sweetness and 

earthiness in the flavor.

Nice Oktoberfest style.

B+ rating.

Still a no-show. 10/31/2023.

Our Guardian of the night.

Time, like every Halloween,
goes fast. Grown' up.
-St. Michaels, 10/30/2023.

New Holland's Dragon's

Milk series. Crimson

Keep Imperial Red Ale.

Poured a dark brownish-

red with a healthy 2-

finger, beige head.

Aromas of dark fruit,

malt, caramel, and of

course, bourbon (barrel

aged). Tastes of caramel

and cherries. Strong

boozy-bourbon finish.

Stoked on this one. 

Rated an A.

Yuengling's fall classic.
Oktoberfest. Amber
pour. Thin, white head.
Bready toffee in the
nose. Sweet caramel.
Toasted malt. A dry
 bitterness to the finish.
14 IBUs. 5.3% ABV.
Solid Marzen. Good for
more than one. B Rating.