It Has Begun, session notes from the Rogue.

Just a man and his will to survive   -Survivor, Eye of the Tiger.
Scoffing down every M-Burger available. Making the most of Castles, 6/27/2019.

   Summer surf has begun. Heated days and nights seem to press down on the Ocean. Water has warmed...to the point that the next sesh will be without rubber. Probably could have started with this one. Hittin' the 70 mark.  Peaceful, small, longboardable eve. In fact, a dude was out there about 20 yards further catchin' everything uncatchable with a mid-range funboard. Seriously, unless it was peaking, near break, I had little chance. A bodyboarder to my left, complete with fins, also struggled. Less than me. Still. We had the Castles lineup to ourselves. Then the swarm of groms showed; young kids with the "eye of the tiger." Didn't matter that there wasn't much shit to catch. Filled the lineup. Forced me north. I was fine with it. Mellow night. 'Nuff for all. Semi-clean thigh high swell in sets of three, sometimes four. A gilde here. A skid there. Right and left mushburgers. Took 'em all. No epic rides, but epic chill.
   At the end of the night, had me a Delmarva Pure Pils. From the bottling taps of Evolution Craft Brew, poured an almost clear gold with an almost finger, white head. Thin sticky lacing. Aromas of grassy wheat...bready malt. Lemon and biscuit up front joined by an off-sweet, fruity malt taste. 30 IBUs provided a balanced hop crisp in the finish. Not a standout but at 4.8% ABV, a relaxing beer to match the surf session. Rated a B-. 

"Why diet if you can't have

 beer?"     -Anonymous

Skimmin', session notes from the Rogue.

Another break to myself. Late-day skimmers to squeeze, Castles, 6/19/2019.

After all this time
After all these seasons
After your own decision
To go to the water for a reason
Now it's only the ocean and you
-Jack Johnson, Only The Ocean

   Summer's set in. Hot days. Very warm nights. The water temps just start to climb. Always feels better when I can shed the suit and don the 2/2 rubber top. Get mobility back. Get more feel of the board. A high pressure system through the area cleaned up the surf. Thigh high and clean...that's typical summertime conditions as long as it's quiet in the Caribbean. That was my most recent session. Second time at Castles this year. Usually a pretty good break, even when not so much in other places. Tried to tuck in a few times. Skimmed down the majority of the short sets that rolled through Castles. Only so much can be done with thigh high swell. I'll take 'em. Need to take on mornings. They'll come.
   Nuthin' beats a good Happy Hour and Peak Organic Brewing knows this. Happy Hour, a clear, straw colored Pilsner. "Crushable" they call it. I could see why. Two-finger, white, foamy head. Very fresh, clean smell with notes of grass, grain, and cracker. Light peppery spice and lemon in the taste. Grains and hoppy bitterness with a touch of honey sweetness rounded out this beer. At 4.7% ABV, chuggable...or as I mentioned, crushable. Well carbonated, crisp finish. Rated a B/B+.

 Another excellent summertime IPA. Offshoot Beer Company pumped out Relax, It's Just A Hazy IPA. An unfiltered, very cloudy India Pale. Really liked this one! Cascaded out like a milkshake beer, with a finger plus off-white head and a milky orange-yellow pour. Aromas were full of the citrus collective... orange, pineapple, lemon, and of course, grapefruit. Malty sweetness in the taste, little toffee, mango, tropical citrus, and a whole lot of crispy, fresh, 50 IBU, piney-hop goodness. Not overly painful at 6.8% ABV. Will be gettin' another 4-packer. Rated this baby an A.

"But, the question remains: why 

don't you enjoy your beer after a

hard-fought surf session?" 

-SurferToday

Wild Blue, session notes from the Rogue.

"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards..." Leonardo da Vinci
US Navy Blue Angels over the OC's Right Coast, 6/16/2019.

   OC Airshow. Blue Angels. Bayside seat from our boat. a bit rough on the water. Father's Day with my Daughter, our Granddaughter, and our neighbors. Wind was blowin' 15-20 knots. Bay was white cappin'. Water was a cloudy, blue-green murk. Hangin' right on the edge of the channel, so add boat traffic to the churn. Didn't care. We were anchored in and in nice position for a great show. And it was.

Great bayside seats!

   When out in Michigan last month, picked up a sixer of Grand Armory Brewing's Crop Duster, a West Coast style IPA. Clear, yellow-orange pour with a 2-finger, white head. Immediate smell of tropical pineapple and lemon from the Citra hops. From the first swig on...loads of grapefruit, mango, more pineapple, pine, and light pepper. Easy toffee and malt in the background. 44 IBUs provided a zesty, clean finish that was not overly bitter. Lasting notes of tangerine and honey. Just a hair dangerous at 7.3% ABV. Don't go flyin' after! Rated a B+/A-.

"Shoulder the sky, my lad, and drink

your ale."               -A.E. Housman

Git Sum', session notes from the Rogue.

"It's a way for us to reconnect with nature, it's a way for us to stay healthy, and it's also a great equalizer.
There's something really important about how the ocean humbles everybody." -Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
Bottom turn in the Castles moat, 6/6/2019.

   About time. Finally able to get some waves under my belt. Not many. Certainly not enough, even if there had been more. But a couple solid take-offs. The rest required more water-time to improve. Too bad, the approximate waist high rollers were fairly clean...only a light bump. Still haven't done any early mornings since returning from out West. 'Cept for work. Surf is now in the upper 60's (68F is damn cold, even with a spring suit). Next surf it should be in the 70s. I will have shed more rubber. Definitely improves the mobility. Time to let go of the hesitation. Time to git sum' more.

Fast movers, means fast driving. Castles and 38th, 6/6/2019.

   'Round here you need a disturbance to churn up the surf. Whether it's twisted in from the north or blown in from the south. Tropical disturbances, storms, and hurricanes that keep their distance bring some clean swell more often than not. Outta the north, the bad ass Nor'easter. Big, dark, knotted; it'll spit you out fast (if you can hold on), or drive you down hard. Mispillion River Brewing Nor'easter. A New England Rye IPA brewed to a fierce 7.5% ABV. A few of these knocked back will most definitely drive ya down. Poured a cloudy, deep, reddish-orange with a less than finger, eggshell head. Intense aromas of citrus with a hint of mango. The flavors were a little more ruthless...the rye. With pine, resin, and strong grapefruit. Got a sixer and took my time with 'em. Northeasters are notorious backsides for me, so they've been known to blindside me a few times. Knocked me around a few times. What can I say? My back's to 'em. Rated this one an A-.

"I never trust a man that doesn't drink."

-John Wayne, actor

Plagued, the Rogue's notes.

"Sometimes we get so caught up in catching that epic wave that we
forget to reflect on ourselves, our sport, our lifestyle, and our
thoughts."        - Ryan Hughes
Not epic. 30th and Rodeways, 5/16/2019

     Lack of surf. The recent conditions that has plagued my little part of the Right Coast. At least on the evenings I've gone. Sloppy. Choppy. Weak breaks with no power. Just seemed to die the minute you catch 'em. No length of ride. Hard to pop up as the the wave is petering out at almost the same time. Gotta be fast, and that's not easy with a full suit. I keep tryin' though. Keep checking the surf reports and hoping for surf. As I like to say, you don't know unless you go. And, I keep goin'.

The skimmers continue. Rodeway's mushburgers on the down low, 5/30/2019.

   At least the beer has not been lacking. Colorado's Oskar Blues put out the perfect spring porter: Death By Coconut. The 6.5% ABV brew poured a dark brown, almost a black opal, with good carbonation and a brown, two finger-thick head. Nice sticky lacing. Strong chocolate and coconut aromas filled my head...like an Almond Joy bar...as I threw this one back. Tasted of bittersweet dark cocoa which blended well with the 25 IBUs of hops. Additional flavors of coconut and espresso. Rich but, not too thick. Very smooth drinkin' porter. Rated an A.

Then there was The Brewer's Art. Baltimore based, I've been trying to nail this place down as a brewery for a while. Sometimes an individual, sometimes a collaboration. Regardless, good beer. Choptank'd, a year-round Saison offering. Light, high carbonation with fast dissipating lacing and less than a finger, white head. Straw colored pour. Some pepper-like spice and grass in the fragrance. Light spicy orange and lemon in the taste. A little wheat and malt on the back end, with a slightly bitter finish. low IBUs. Better than average, but not great. Sessionable at 4.0 ABV. Rated a B-/C+.

"Homer no function beer well without."

-Homer Simpson

Cruisin' week at the docks, 5/16/2019.