Point Seclusion - Holiday Alteration Pt. 2, notes from the Rogue.

Santa's perfect Christmas present...glassy rights and a small lineup on the day after. 47th-48th street break, 12/26/2020.
“Are you saying you don’t believe Santa can surf?” the big, old lifeguard thundered. ‘You’re talking to the man who taught Santa to surf. In fact, I’m surfing with Santa at the pier tomorrow morning, at the crack of dawn,” he bragged.
 -The Story of Surfing Santa, Easy Reader, 1978.

   Two days after arrival to Carol Stream, the virus hit us and we were headed back east. Out of consideration to family around us, we could not stay. Long drive back. Christmas 2020 was spent in the Pines. Secluded at the Point. Quarantined at our home. Decorated inside and out, and no one to show it off to. Although our neighborhood did enjoy the outside lights.

Lit up Hometown at Whitehorse Park

Always embrace time alone with my Wife. Found the stoke in the peace. Morning coffee. Christmas movies and a spiral ham dinner 'n fixins. Hometown Christmas Lights at Whitehorse Park. Couple of runs to the beach for surf checks and take out. Few holiday beers to sample.

Rude Elf's Reserve. Belgian

Dark Strong Ale. 10.5%...pretty

strong comin' outta PA's Fegley's

Brew Works. Clear cherry-amber

pour. Maybe a finger thick off-white

head. Aromas of nutmeg, ginger

and bourbon cherries. Could taste

the booze. Some semi-sweet malts,

toasted sugar, toffee. Light bitter-

ness (25 IBUs) balanced the finish. 

Liked the 4-pack of tall boys. Rated

a B+.

Evo Craft's Blurred Vines poured

a hazy orange with a 2-fingered

white head. Smelled of pine-

apples, citrus, and peaches. Light

 spice. Flavors of grapefruit,

guava, sweet honey, and light

 grains. Tropical bitter citrus

 finish with pine in the back-

ground. 7.2% ABV, est.

50 IBUs. Rated an A-.

"I triple-dog dare ya!"

, 

No holiday dinner would be

complete without the Cran-

berry Sauce. In this case, Fin

City's Christmas IPA? Maybe?

Presents as a big beer at

 6.5%. But, not big in taste.

Poured a clear, dark amber.

1.5-finger puffy tan head. 

Some citrus, but no cranberry

 in the aromas. Tasted

orange peel and a light

tartness(maybe cranberry).

Little to no sweetness, and

at 75 IBUs, made for a

very bitter finish. Rated a C+.

   Lots to appreciate about a Christmas by the beach. It was family that was missed. Couldn't visit, nor could we have 'em over. The quarantine restrictions were for everyone's safety. A downer nonetheless. 'Specially at Christmas. C'mon 2021!

"Nothing ever
 seems too bad,
too hard,
or too sad
when you've got
a Christmas tree
in the living room."
-N. Roberts

Seasonal Relaxin'- Holiday Alteration, Pt. 1, notes from the Rogue.

"Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone." -Charles M. Schulz
Enough wind to slap a few extra waves on the lake shore. Lake Geneva, WI. 12/19/2020

   Long work week. Looked forward to being off for a few. Pandemic seemed to be spreading everywhere. There was a time earlier in the year, it'd be tough to think of anyone even within the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, that had the virus. Since the summer ended and cooler weather moved in it had been on the rise... throughout the country. And especially close to work and home. More friends, relatives, and co-workers were coming down with it. Some with worse symptoms than others, fortunately all recovering. Yet, as we got our home decorated, checked out the lights of OC light show, the celebration of the Season was in the air. Early AM start. The anticipation of the holiday festivities with friends and family in the Midwest made the cross country trip seem a little less arduous. First stop was Michigan. The initial two thirds of the ride was smooth. Hit snow (on the ground) crossing the Alleghenys. Through PA, into OH. Coming up on our exit to MI. At five minutes out, Michigan became a no go due to the 'Rona. Change of plans, more of an alteration, as we ended up rerouting to WI. Added five hours to our drive. And a weekend that was the most relaxing part of our Christmas. 

   Geneva National Resort, Lake Geneva. Home to our close friend. The hard to find kind. Family. Had to mention this brief of our first night there. Showed up a day early, and late in the evening. A spread of drinks and eats waiting. The season was hung everywhere with Christmas music in the background. Regardless of the time of night, our gracious hostess managed to erase the fatigue and stress of the trip from the moment we walked in. Awesome...awe inspiring. She was. Set the tone for the entire weekend.

Fishin' on Williams Bay

Geneva's  newest downtown brewery

Bell's got beer.

   

Topsy Turvy Brewery's take

on an English Pale. Twisted

Hammock. Light orange pour

with a fizzy, white, less than

finger head. Herbal hop nose.

Lemon citrus taste with that

classic bitter English finish. 

5.5 ABV, approximately 40 

IBUs. Rated a B-.

   Spent the next couple of days going "off-campus." Got some shoppin' in...Midwest beer included, of course, and checking out the downtown. Got in the main attractions of Geneva Lake and Williams Bay. A bit of an afternoon southwest wind on the water. Chopped it up, but make no mistake...only surf to be found would have been in the form of wakesurfing in the warmer climes. Not that it wouldn't be a badass experience. More like cold-ass this time of year. Water hanging in the mid to upper-30s as the winds were the only thing keeping a skim of ice off the surface. Only a couple small fishing boats braved the conditions. C'mon man! It's Christmas. Only made sense to go to a service while we were in town. Topsy Turvy, a brewery that had remodeled and settled into a church. Perfect place to book a flight of brews from an ample beer list that included other local Wisconsin beers. Cold outside, warm church inside. Very good service. 

Midwest tiki.

Christmas on campus.

Spotted Cow Farmhouse Ale,

New Glarus Brewing. A WI exclusive.

Hazy straw yellow pour. Corn, some

grain, banana, and floral hops in aroma.

Flavors of banana, berry fruit, light malt,

Fresh, dry finish. Had this for the

first time back in the early 2000's.

 Business trip to Madison, WI. It was big

then and continues to dominate the

state now. Very drinkable, as in more 

than one.  4.8% ABV, 18 IBUs.

A solid B rating.

Returned to the cottage for a righteous, homemade Mostaccioli dinner. Classic. Yeah, that's right. Seasonal relaxin.' Next day, we got back on the road. Checked out some of the local light displays on the way thru Williams Bay. Next stop Carol Stream/Chicago.

Pier 290 decked out.

Founders Brewing brought on
Marvelroast. An 8% Imperial
Golden Coffee Ale. Poured a clear
amber-gold. Big 2-finger plus, white
head. Sweet cocoa, vanilla, coffee,
and a hint of malt in the aroma. 
Caramel, chocolate, more malts,
 more coffee in the taste. 20 IBUs.
Bittersweet, biscuity finish. Nice
brew. B+/A- rating.

It was like they knew what was comin'...

Coastal Luminescence, notes from the Rogue.

"I could use a little social interaction." Jim Carrey, The Grinch
An appropriate quote for the times. Ocean City's welcome to Christmas by the beach. 12/7/2020.

   That time of year again. Our piece of the Right Coast is twinklin'...bathed in the luminescence of the Christmas-tide.

Definitely a Tide full of highs and lows this year with all the chaos created by our political and media inspired social shorebreak. But, I digress. Always look forward to this time of year. Regardless of what is goin' on in the world Christmas, like the ocean, seems to wash away the unease of the times. Just got to grab your stick, take a runnin' start, dive in, and let go. Feel the wave lift ya, seize the ride, and let it carry you through the season. Avoid the distractions, and you can take it all the way into shore, or the New Year. 

It always amazes me how the surf picks up when the water drops below 50F. A few core souls
take advantage of early December conditions, 47th Street break. 12/5/2020.

   Started on the South-end, through the inlet, and then headed to the Northside. Winterfest, even in this era, seemed to be spreadin' cross town once again...

OC Coast Guard Station

Inlet Parking Lot

...Northside, no more tram rides. The OC's Winterfest of Lights. Walk thru only. Increased the distance I suppose. Hard to say at times. Mild early winter evenings always lead to larger flocks (people, of course). Didn't really mind 'em. After all, it's a festival.

Busy Winterfest walk.

   Perfect accoutrement to a festival? Beer! Especially beer with cool art deco on the can/bottle. Started with one of the best Double IPAs I've had in a while. Chilled Chi-Town's Pipeworks Brewing pulled out Ninja Vs. Unicorn. A west coast style IPA that poured a hazy orange-gold with a finger thick white head. Aromas of  pine, tropical mango, and sweet tangerine. With each sip, plenty of sticky lacing. Flavors of more resinous pine, and bright citrusy grapefruit...a signature of the 150 IBUs (yes! 150) worth of bitterness brewed into this hop beast. Not overly heavy, even at 8%, with a crisp bitter-sweet finish. Part of a 4-pack of tallboys, I was able to celebrate with this one several times over. Gave a definite A rating.

   To close the post, Dogfish Head's ode to S'mores by the campfire. Campfire Amplifier, a sticky-sweet Milk Stout brewed with cinnamon, cocoa, and plenty of graham crackers and marshmallows. An opaque black pour topped with a thin light brown head. Smells of the cinnamon, grahams, and chocolate filled my head as I tipped my glass back for the first sip. Immediately tasted the roasted malts, hints of sweet vanilla, some coffee. Semi-sweet chocolate, and a slightly bitter hop bite in the finish. Not a lightweight at 6.5% ABV. Actually warming for the season. Pretty sure the 35 IBUs contributed to the hopped close. Solid beer. Rated a B+.

Porter: "Hey you wanna s'more?

Smalls: "Some more what?"

Porter: "No, no. Do you want a s'more?"

Smalls: "I haven't had anything yet, so 

how can I have some more of nothing?"

Porter: "You're killing me Smalls!"

Thanksgiving Again, notes from the Rogue.

Central Delaware gathering, 11/26/2020. Bit more inland, but the scent of brine is still in the air. 

   Finally, after a four year hiatus, got our families together again. Turkey, stuffin', whipped taters and gravy, mac 'n cheese, cranberry and brussels sprouts dressing, cranberry relish, pimento cheese, lemon meringue pie, and strawberry ice-cream pie. AND...Beer! The start to our family's holiday season, Eastern Sho' style.                                                                                      

Merry Monkey, Victory Brewing's

10% ABV Belgian Strong Ale

with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg,

cranberry, and orange peel in 

both scent and taste. Pilsner malts

and moderate honey sweetness

on the back end. Copper pour with

a less than finger thick, white

 head. Smooth, slightly bitter finish

(35 IBUs) made for a nice holiday

brew. Rated a B+.

Frederick, MD's Flying Dog brewed

up the perfect named compliment to 

our  little get-together. Family Drama, 

an Imperial Pilsner that poured a rich

gold with a finger thick, white, fluffy

head. Packed a punch at 8.4%...they

called it imperial for a reason. Like most

pilsners, the aroma had some pepper, 

and grassy grains. At 35 IBUs, the taste

featured spicy, floral hops, and the pilsner

malts and graininess, and was a little

boozy. Could have used a little more of 

the hoppiness to offset the grains and

booze. Gave it a B-/C+ rating.

 

"Thanksgiving is all about getting your entire dysfunctional family under the
same roof and hoping the police don't get called."  -Anonymous
Proof it can be done!

Falling Off The Wagon, notes from the Rogue

 

"Surfing connects you to nature, it brings you into the moment, and it challenges you." -Laird Hamilton
Nature's peace... clean greenie spreadin' it's wings. 14th and the Boards, 11/14/2020.

   Get my surf checks where I can. 'Specially this time for year. Water was in the upper 50s. Awesome daytime temps in the lower 60s. Wind blowin' offshore about 10 knots. Coulda' gone for a surf. Instead, the Wife and I carved up the length of the Boardwalk and back. Cruisin' tourist style. A Surrey Cycle.

Explaining the rules of the road.

Two seater. Pooch got a front row seat, warning anyone in our way to move out! Off to our east side, the Atlantic spinning clean waist to stomach high A-Frames. Daring me to grab a stick and leave the surrey. Wife, kept me in my seat though. Promise of a trip down Assateague way to Sinepuxent Farm and Brewery. Not gonna admit that I'd take beer over surf. Fell off the wagon for one reason though. Would take beer over a full suit...and it is now full suit conditions. I wanna say, I'll still find a way before year end. I wanna say...

Sunset on the Farm.

   Beer review time. First up, non-related to the brewery, but sorta to biking. Deschutes Brewery's Chainbreaker White IPA. 5.6% alcohol, 45 IBUs. Scents of lemon and orange. Some grapefruit. Belgian spice. Coriander. Flavors were heavy on the lemon citrus. More grapefruit as well, which turned it from being a Blue Moon-ish IPA, despite the further tastes of coriander and clove. The spices did provide a nice dry finish. Poured a clear, pale yellow. Less than one finger, white, foamy head. Pretty decent Belgian IPA. Opened from a mixed six. Could definitely handle another five (not all at once). Rated a B. 

"A ride. A beer. A perfect Day."

-Bikeabout

   SinBrew provided their newest addition to their tap lineup, an American Porter. Deep mahogany pour, with a thin tan head. Smelled of roasted malt, and caramel. Chocolate...as in chocolate covered caramel...in the taste, maybe some coffee, with light smokiness in the finish. This one was enhanced when I blended with their IPA. Very smooth feel with each sip. Fresh bitterness in the finish. Not the biggest fan as porters go, but this was a good'un. 5.6% ABV, estimated 35 IBUs. Rated a B/B+.