Shore Bound, session notes from the Rogue.

Not a lot to hitch on to. Knee-high maybe's, Holidays and 66th. 8/27/2018

   Quiet week. Closed the month at work. Closed the month in the water. Surfed earlier in the week. Not much difference. Appears that this humidity (about 95%) even sucks the life outta Lady Atlantic. More of the same conditions. Knee-plus and close to shore. Tide goin' out helped little. Caught a few front and back. Always with an eye on the sand. Slicing shore bound, the nose of the T&C bore down on the beach fast! Forced hard turns and quick exits. Always waiting to feel the skegs tear into the sand. They never did. Wife and I brought the pooch out with us.

Eye on the swell.

Finished the evening giving the dog a swim. More like making him swim. Got 'im used to the beachbreak. Like the waves ridden, kept him close to shore. Probably sliced a line to the sand faster than I did. But...think I saw him looking back as we headed across the duneline. Longing. Maybe.

   Trip out to Chicago over the Labor Day weekend. Flying this round. Family and friends get together. Hang with the In-Laws. Midwest. Meant brats. Steaks. Yes...steaks! And. Of course. Beer. First two in the lineup were part of a feast. Beer, brats, and a bonfire with friends, M&J. Hadn't seen 'em in a while. This couple- always a blast. Lit up a bad ass bonfire as well. Toasted with New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger series' Juicy Haze IPA. Brewed in the New England style. Poured a hazy yellow-gold with a finger thick, white head. Smelled of tell-tale grapefruit, pear, and mango. More of the same in the taste with some oats and pine resin as well. Nice bitter finish, but at 42 IBUs, not over the top. 7.5% alcohol kept my limit at dos. Rated a solid B+.

Cheers to good friends!

 The next up was a Trader Joe's brand. Boatswain Twin Screw Steamer. A Double IPA that seemed to emphasize the malts more than the hops. The 75 IBUs were missing somewhere. And a tad sweet as well. Copper pour with a two finger, off-white head. Heavy malt aromas, light citrus. Some coriander. Even the taste was more malt than the tang of grapefruit. And again...too sweet. For me, that's sayin' somethin'. Hops were definitely limited here. 8.4% ABV and the sugar stopped me at one. Rated a C/C-. Didn't matter, in this company, the beer just flowed!

 Family is always good. At the In-Laws steak and shake the next day, more IPA. Game of bags. Multiple games actually. Like the beer. Three Floyds and WarPigs Brewing out of Verona, Wisconsin gave us Foggy Geezer. Hazy, golden amber in color. Two finger, white, fizzy head. Bready, earthy aromas with added grapefruit and pineapple. Taste and biscuit. Cherries, orange, and of course, more grapefruit in the taste with 70 IBUs of piney hoppiness thrown in. ABV of 6.8% was not too bad. Enjoyed and shared the entire sixer. Rated an A.

"I'm not drunk. I'm just exhausted from a
long night of drinking."  -Peter Griffin