Miss The Morning Surf, session notes from the Rogue.

"It's like, a place that's always there. It's free. No one's telling me what I can and can't do when I'm out there," he says of the water. "It's the one place where I feel like I can breathe deeply." - Kai Lenny
Exploding blue-green bomb along Castles frontage, 9/21/2019.

   Snapped my leash a couple days earlier trying to navigate the storm surge. Finally had a morning clean-up surf in mind. Initial focus of the session's start was to find another leash. Castles at 38th had a fair break goin.' Not the usual point break, with Humberto playin' off the coast well north of Bermuda.

Endless Summer Surf Shop right on the corner on the Coastal Highway. Convenient for sure. Closed when I first walked up. Went back to the Terrain, changed into trunks, pulled the stick outta the bag. Looked towards the surf shop and Mahalo!, a bro was pulling gear onto the sidewalk. I was in business, new leash in hand. Ten minutes later, I was paddling out into the lineup.

Incredible morning in the 80s. Bright sunshine. Shimmering blue-green water. Ocean temps still in the lower 70s. Off-shore winds. Semi-clean, waist to stomach curlers that closed out occasionally. Steep. A little heavy. If you didn't take off on angle and set your rail, the drop would get ya. Got me, a couple of times. More lefts than rights. One particular ride I took the drop, skimmed down a frontside, and was surprised by a fair sized echo swell that snapped me off my feet. Lost my balance and ended up knocked in the head by the next wave. Wish I had been ready, would've been fun to jump.

Conditions like this morning's usually mean a crowded lineup. But, the guys in this one were friendly and talkative. Good group. There was this one dude who was rippin' every wave he went after. Hoopin' and hollerin' on every ride and for everyone who caught a ride. Into the 2nd hour, the closeouts occurred more often. Everyone (especially me) began to struggle more. I remember, and this stood out to me, he said to anyone listening, "well, I guess guess it's about time to stop being selfish." I'm thinking, as he was catching just about everything, he was going to let up to give others a chance at a few more. So, I said to him, "not being selfish as long as you don't miss." He kinda smiled, looked down and said, "Naw, I mean I've had my time. Now it's time for family. Gotta have that balance, ya know?" This resonated with me. I rolled on the next attempt, so I took to the beach. The Wife and I were goin' to our Granddaughter's birthday party slated for the afternoon. Didn't wanna be late. My balance. Was a nice start to the day. I miss the morning surf.
   Even a semi-heavy session pairs well with a heavy beer. DC Brau Brewing had the Imperial IPA, On the Wings of Armageddon to fit the bill. Strong aromas of floral hops, grapefruit, and tropical citrus filled my head as I poured. Red tinted copper in hue and a two-finger, beige head that topped off the glass. At first sip, flavors of sweet orange, mango, more grapefruit, and biscuity malt to balance it all out. Gotta have balance, ya know? 2nd sip brought more sweet citrus and the signature resinous pine that characterize a lot of Imperials. Had a creamy feel to the 9.2% ABV it represented. Enough to take the edge off the Atlantic's chill too. Finished off nicely bitter and crisp thanks to the snappy 110.0 IBUs. Wow! 110.0 IBUs...I like it! DC's Redskins haven't been able to give me satisfaction so far this season, but DC Brau certainly did. Rated this hop bomb an A.

"Beer doesn't have that many vitamins.
That's why ya need to drink lots of it!" 
-Anonymous

Balance.

Bits and Pieces, session notes from the Rogue.

It's so tough to get up. It's so tough. It's so tough to live up. It's so tough on you.

Life's the same, I'm moving in stereo.

 Life's the same except for my shoes.

Life's the same, you're shaking like tremolo. 

Life's the same, it's all inside you.

-The Cars, Moving In Stereo

Slipping out the front as the concussion settles.
Holidays closeout, 66th 'n the OC. 9/11/2019

   A storm headin' out. Another passin' by. Semi-clean to sloppy conditions reflected bits and pieces of both. Dorian was passing Newfoundland, still stirring up the north Atlantic. Tropical Storm Gabrielle was moving east towards Ireland, or some place in that direction, churning up the ocean in her wake. Seemed like swell was coming from all direction. Bit's and pieces of waist to occasional stomach surf from each storm. You know me. I was doin' my best to stay to the right. Didn't seem seem to matter. Pretty damn hard to get position no matter where you were in the lineup. Squeezed a few. Got squeezed by a few. Much better than last week though. Hurricane season had arrived.

   Hurricane Season is most active in our 2nd season. Happenin' now. And the brews are changing over as well. Backshore Brewing on 10th and the Boards put together a Golden Ale full of Belgian yeast and plums. A taster provided the good idea to bring back a crowler of Plum Outta Ideas. Light aromas of plums and strong Belgian yeast. In the flavors, the plums were even more subtle. 22 IBUs of hops were notable in the prominent effervescence. I have named Belgian yeast's effect and it is Belgianasity. This one had plenty of Belgianasity at 6.3% ABV. Poured a golden orange with a finger-plus, white, fizzy head. Lacing was thicker than you'd expect. Rated a B.

 Lakewood, New York's Southern Tier Brewing Company, known more for Pumking during the Fall, also created Harvest Ale, an English style ESB measuring in at 6.7% ABV. Ideal for the upcoming cooler evenings...and ocean. Poured a clear amber with a finger and a half, frothy, off-white head. Nice, lasting lacing along the glass walls. More hops then one might usually see in a Bitter, 55 IBUs worth. Maybe not traditional, but as a hop-head, I liked it! Grapefruit and spice in the aromas, some bready grain. The taste featured more floral hops and citrus, and a backbone of malty caramel. A toasty, bitter-sweet edge provided a clean finish to this fall classic. Gave it a B+/A- rating.

"Well, I never met a beer

I didn't drink. And down it
goes."   -Norm Peterson

A Need To Go Fishin', session notes from the Rogue.

"Storms have sometimes sent the fluke packing to deeper water with no significant
 bite until the following spring."                     -Capt. R. Hittinger, Rhode Island
Setting out in hopes that Dorian didn't send 'em packing, 9/8/2019.

   Saturday still had a lot of wash to get through. Sunday was not as big, but very clean. Got up late. Too late for a wave, but in time to take advantage of the bay. Storms usually churn up the water, bayside or oceanside. Murky water means poor catch. Me and the Wife keep an eye on the St. Martin, and it was pretty damn glassy. The surface of  the Assawoman and Sinepuxent Bays had cleaned up post 'Cane. Smoothest conditions we'd seen all summer. Feelin' the anxiety. There was a need to hit the water. To go Fishin.' Started on the Inlet side of the Route 50 Bridge. Drifted in front of the entrance of the Commercial Fisherman's Marina by Stinky Beach. No luck. Some Haoles attempting to fish a specific area, put themselves between a group of us drifting and the rip rap making for dangerous circumstances. No respect. A glide over to the Inlet Pier side and we drifted between the Inlet and the bridge. Did this about a half dozen times. Caught some blue crabs. Small, no-keep flounders.

Bandit.

Less than a morsel.

Something about fishing on a calm day makes listening to my Redskins take a big lead that much sweeter, and listening to the Redskins give up a big lead that much less painful. And, it is painful. We finished up in the East Channel, drifting north in front of Harbour Island. After drifting this route three or four times... a flounder here, more crabs there... we called it a day and headed in. No "Coastal Fisherman" catch, but a relaxing post-'cane afternoon.
   Out on the bay, gettin' lost in the day? Lost Colony Brewery put up the perfect beers to help forget about the lack of keepers. Kitty Hawk Blonde was an English Blond. Hops and barley from Britain. Just what beer for the Lost Colony needed. Poured a pale yellow, with a thin white head. Not much in the way of lacing. Light grapefruit and grain in the smell. Tastes of citrus and biscuit. Dry finish on this one. Doesn't have much complexity. More like a common lager. Not overly bitter or hoppy at 19 IBU, but at 4.4% ABV, easy to throw back a few. Rated a C+.

Hatteras Irish Red was a more lusty beer than the Blonde. Poured a clear, dark, reddish-brown with a finger or so, beige head. Aromas of nutty malt with scent of stone fruit. Flavors of toffee, roasted pine nuts, and the bitterness of unripened berries. 4.9% ABV made this less than a bewitching kind of beer...although, like the crabs that nibble you into thinking that fish are near, the low ABV could lure ya into thinking, "yeah, have another." 22 IBUs gave it a clean, crisp finish. I'm not a big Red fan, but this wasn't bad. Gave it a B- rating.

"Sentenced to be executed as

a witch. Destined to be burned

alive. Gone in a flash of 

lightning. Get that woman a 

beer!"

-Cora, the Hatteras Witch

Kicked back on the Bay, 9/8/2019

Heavyweight, session notes from the Rogue.

Northeast winds and a strong southern current from the Hurricane's rotation, left plenty of time to think about getting in again. Dorian's 'a comin'. Holidays and 66th, 9/5/2019.

   Gets heavy right before the storm reaches us. Usually the pattern. Then it cleans up over the next few days. So to try to get wet the day before is not the best of decisions, regardless of the siren song that big chunky surf calls out. Dorian came outta the lower Caribbean as a Category 1 Hurricane. Built up to a real heavyweight Cat 5. Hung out over the Bahamas for a couple of days laying absolute waste to the Abacos and Grand Bahama Island. Swept by the Florida Coast and bounced off the Outer Banks before flying by our shore (reduced back to a Cat 1), and heading north towards Nova Scotia way. Other than beach erosion (which can be a good thing for some of our breaks), very little in the way of storm damage. Prayers go out to those in the Bahamas. Will be a long rebuild. My experience? Felt the atmospheric changes, like havin' a heavy weight on my shoulders. Chest to head storm chop...shocking. Received a good sand exfoliation, and got rolled a few. Minor issues. Let's see what can be done with a clean-up weekend.

Dorian's track the morning of 9/5/2019.

Slap-happy battering, 9/6/2019.

81st Street access, 9/6/2019.

   Heavy surf calls for heavy brews (deja vue?). Dogfish Head Brewery has a heavy Belgian Brown-Strong Ale full of plump raisins and malts. Raison D'Extra clocked in at 18.0+% ABV (give or take) with a dark mahogany pour tinged of ruby-red. Tan finger-plus head and thick, but not real sticky lacing. Light haze. Had aromas of fig, dark fruit, and rum. Plenty of malts which added a toffee-leather essence. At 40 IBUs, D'Extra had a restrained bitter woodiness in the finish. Perfect collaboration with the flavors going down. Sweetness of molasses and dark rock candy, cherries, rum soaked stone fruit and light banana, peppery Belgian yeast. Lot goin' on in this bad-boy. Felt like I needed a cigar. Rated an A.

The other somewhat heavy beer was Yards Brewing's Love Stout, a creamy, black, dry stout that screamed coffee with a touch of chocolate in the aromas. Poured an opaque black with a thinner than expected, brown head. Thin lacing... this one went down much different than expected. Some smoke in the aroma as I drank, possibly from the toasted malts. Not thick, more of a crispness. The crisp bitterness tends to come out in a dry beer despite only 33 IBUs. I could not taste much coffee, but definitely the distinct, unsweetened, dark "cooking" chocolate taste came through. Malts, some char, slight vanilla. At 5.5% ABV, it helped heal the sand burn. Gave it a B rating.

"God is great, beer is good 
and people are crazy."

-Billy Currington

Dorian on the rise...sunset the night before, 9/4/2019.

Quiet Before The 'Cane, session notes from the Rogue.

Pullin' into a "mushie." Classic summer - warm waters, chill evening.
47th Street break, OCMD. 8/29/2019

   First big 'Cane comin' from the Carib. Dorian. One to watch. Never know it by the other evening's conditions. Mushy break about thigh high or so. Serene surf. Didn't have to worry about breakin' on the beach. Nothing epic here. Just a few frontsides, a couple backsides. Water in lower 70s. Air in the lower 80s. Light ESE winds. Zen-like stoke to the sesh. Sure it will change soon.
   Blonde Ales seem boring to most. They're like the first "mainline brew" a craft brewery will have in it's lineup. Easiest maybe. In the summertime, "lawnmower style" is hard to beat. Especially if'n a growler is available. Or, a cheaper than normal sixer. Bring in the blondes. Named after a "crick" across the street, St. Michael's Eastern Shore Brewing put out Back Creek Blonde that fit the bill for a quickie two or three. Wanna chill out after a mellow surf? This one was it. Poured a pale, straw yellow with a two finger, white, fizzy head. Aromas of grains and a hint of hops. Tasted of light citrus and grass. Some malts. A dash of bitterness and tang in the finish. Refreshing... takes care of the humidity. It's simple. It's a blonde. Rated a C+/B-.

"Life's just a little more honest after
two beers."  - Anon.