Biding My Time, notes from the Rogue.

"Night surfing will push your limits. Low light makes waves seem larger and faster

 and night surf sessions are always a bit spookier and more challenging. Stick

 with mellow, predictable waves and consider it a chill surf sesh." -Ryan Curtin

Patience paid off; scratching the crest of a semi-clean comber just after sundown. Holidays, 10/14/2020. 

   It ends faster each time. Sitting in the lineup biding my time. Impatiently waiting to squeeze the next ride out of the night's less than waist high sets. Knifing into each wave before the light disappears and darkness fades away the horizon. Water still warm...upper 60s. Shortie suit conditions. Air was in the 70's, but dropping later in the eve. Weather has been quiet. Any stormfront seemed to be gone by my time. Swell was mostly in the knee to thigh range...again. Mostly frontsides...good. Backsides ain't my forte'. Even less so at dusk. No matter. Was getting wet, getting waves, getting stoke. My chill surf sesh. I'll take it. 

   Brewskis for the post-sesh chill. Nuthin' will unbend muscles faster than a Pastry Stout. Northern Orange County, California boasts The Bruery, an experimental lab for brewers from all around (gotta check the site to get the complete pic). Vermont Sticky Maple Imperial Pastry Stout, a fall numb-er at 11.3% ABV. Thick, amber-black pour, the look and viscosity of motor oil with fizz. A near 2-finger, dense brown head. Aromas of roasted malts, maple coffee, and bourbon (damn skippy! - as a barrel aged beer should be). The flavors included rich, sticky-sweet maple syrup, brown sugar, expresso. Some char. Some vanilla. And more bourbon...although not overpowering. Not as boozy as I suspected. Subtle. Dangerous. 25 IBUs provided a slight hop bitterness in the finish- did a nice job of balancing the sweet. Very heavy. A definite off-season beer. Rated an A-.

   And to close the night with a game on, Crabcakes and Football! Virginia's Devils Backbone Brewing did this Session IPA as a tribute to what Maryland does best. The 4.2% alcohol means I'd catch the entire game without fallin' asleep...maybe. Poured a clear honey-gold with a thin, white, bubbly head. Notes of light citrus and pineapple in the smell. Tasted of tropical fruit and pineapple, but a hair watered down...like a session. Dry, lightly hopped finish with no bitter aftertaste that can sometimes linger with a session ale. Got a 12-pack of this, so it has taken a while to go through 'em. Shareable, for sure. Good refresher for the end of a day, or surf. Rated a B/B-.

"Crabcakes and football!

That's what Maryland does!"

-Flip

October Reaper, notes from the Rogue.

"We don't beat the Grim Reaper by living longer, we beat the Reaper by living well and living fully..."
                                                                                                                         -Randy Pausch

   One by one the stalks in the area fields are being lopped off. 'Tis the month of the Reaper on the Eastern Sho'. Feel like a broken record, but my seasonal closeout of surf is near. Checked the surf report...overcast, flat to chopped knee-hi swell, on-shore winds. Didn't feel like I was missin' out. Afterall- it is that time. The annual Pumpkin hunt. Make a day of it. Reaping the fruits of the harvest. Always in October. We don't do anything early.  Wife and I on a mission. Took the pooch. Always take the pooch. Did the Wicomico search grid again. Go with what you know. Hit more of a variety of locales though.

Started west to Parker's Produce in Pittsville, south to How Sweet It Is in Eden, northwest to Oakley's Market in Hebron, then back east through Salisbury to Evo Public House to close out with dinner. Sweet inland session. And some brew reviews to enhance. Nice!

Parker's shrimp wagon, 10/10/2020.

How sweet it is...

Found it! Oakley's, 10/10/2020.

Got a host of fall brews to assess. Wife found this one ready and waitin' to go out on the shelves. Southern Tier Brewing's Warlock. Thick dark tan head, near black, opaque pour...really shows off this Imperial Pumpkin Stout. Aromas of nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin pie, molasses, and coffee. Flavors of more pumpkin spices, brown sugar, and mocha. At 8.6% ABV, a nice boozy warmth. Yin hints of light bourbon to the yang finish of 40 IBUs of piney hops. Thick, creamy. Rated an A-.

  The next one was Harpoon Brewery's collaboration with Dunkin. Dunkin Pumpkin Ale. Poured a murky brownish orange. Off white, near tan 1/2-finger head. Pumpkin pie spices with a hint of coffee in the smell. Tasted of caramel, vanilla, maybe nutmeg. The pumpkin and coffee was faint. Grassy, grainy. This acted more like a wheat beer. Slight bitterness in the finish. Little weak. 5.2% ABV, estimated 20 IBUs. Rated a C.

   Maryland Heights, Illinois boasts O'Fallon Brewery's Pumpkin Beer. Finger-plus khaki head capped a hazy amber-orange pour. Aromas of pumpkin spices...cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Upon first sip, the pumpkin was slight, but the nutmeg and clove more profound. More toffee and malt flavors. the 5.7% ABV emboldened it a tad. At 11 IBUs, this had little bitterness in the finish, but a good amount of carbonation made up for it. Tasted autumny. A fair pumpkin brew. I'd give it a B-/C+.

   Lastly, my Naperville, IL go-to brewery...Solemn Oath represented with Oktoberface, their Americanized version of the seasonal marzen. The ruby red-amber pour and fizzy, one-finger, off-white head emitted aromas of bread and malts. Strong warmth in each swig thanks to the 6% alcohol level. Seasoned with a zesty spice and more grainy biscuitiness with a nice balance of caramel, malt, and earthy hops (40 IBUs) in the finish. Enjoyed a four-pack of S.O.B.'s take on the traditional seasonal. Gave 'em a B+. Nice overall selection this year. Getting cooler. The heavier beers are comin'.

"Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the

Bible says love your enemy."  -Frank Sinatra

The Next Set, notes from the Rogue.

October eve skeg breakers gnawing the shoreline. Holidays & 66th, 10/8/2020.

   Comin' to an end. Feel the emptiness when crossing to the beach. Hell, even the Atlantic was showing signs of givin' up the ghost (no pun intended). This past week had no surf. Shoreline curlers closing in about a half a foot of water. Water temps still bordering 70F. Time is running out. So it begins, the end of my weekday surf. I just didn't get out enough during the week this year. Weekends have been for the boat and fishing; good times. But, I have missed the Saturday/Sunday morning surf opportunities. Gotta get out and get wet. Can't get better if ya don't. 

   Patience, that is what the surf will teach. The next set is comin.'  Muscle cars and beer. They come in waves. The past week's inland lineup courtesy Endless Summer Cruisin' in the OC. 

'61 Chevrolet Stepside

New Belgium Voodoo Ranger

Juicy Haze IPA. 7.5% ABV,

42 IBUs. Poured a cloudy

golden yellow. Finger-plus, white

puffy head. Tangerine, and pine

aromas. Grapefruit, more orange,

and resinous hops in the flavor 

profile. Sweet. Creamy.

Rated a B+/A-

Anchor Brewing California Lager

Light amber pour, thin white

head. Bready aroma with grains

and floral hops. Faint fruit in the

taste. Corn, more grains. Clean

hopped lager finish. 19 IBUs,

4.9% ABV. Rated a B-.

'69 Custom Chevy Camaro

'69 Chevy Blazer

3 Sheeps Brewing Fresh Coast

Juicy Pale Ale. Foamy white 2-

finger head capping an orange-

amber pour. Citrus and hop

aromas. Tastes of  mango, and

weak grapefruit with a dry, bitter

finish. More so than the 22 IBUs

account for. Session style 6'er. 

4.8% ABV. Rated a C+/B-.

'68 Ford Mustang
"I live my life a quarter mile at a time." -Dom Toretto

Serenity Now, notes from the Rogue.

"Serenity now!" - Kramer
Ready to launch. St. Martin River, the Pines. 10/7/2020

   My warm evenings are numbered. Warm evenings with pink, orange and blue sunsets and calm water, even more so. The St. Martin was not quite slick cam as I backed into my drive. Close enough. Hard to pass that up as most twilight waterviews get a wind on 'em by 6pm. Sun droppin' fast as well, so I ran in, changed, and was launching my board over to my neighbor's within minutes. Light ripples in the shallows as I rounded the bend into the canal. But, glassed out very quickly as I made my way south through the quiet slough. Minnows, crabs, and who knows what else bobbed up here and there to make little shockwaves in the still waters. A double kayak approached, it's rowers making the craft look like a giant water bug skimming along the surface...a family, their child sitting up front with the mother, enjoying the calm of the night. If there was a way to experience the serenity of an autumn nightfall...this was it. Paddleboarding, walking the waters of the Pines canals. 

Teal Circle canal, the Pines.

 

   One thing about big beers. They WILL mellow you out. A couple warm weather IPAs starting with Evo Craft Brewing's Liger, part of their newest Hybrid Series. A Sour IPA with the haziness of a New England IPA. Poured a very hazy, sediment filled, golden orange with a finger and a half, pillowy, white head. Lots of tart clementine, apple, and lemon in the smell. Bits and pieces of oatey malt and bready cracker in the background. The taste was very refreshing for an IPA. A combo of sugar and green apple gave a nice muted tart on the first swig. The tartness was offset by the bitterness of the juiced up hops. Grapefruit, more lemon and orange citrus. An explosion of IPA flavor. 7.2% alcohol made this easy drinker dangerous. Estimated 50 IBUs. Given an A- rating.

                                                                                         Offshoot Beer Company originally caught my eye with their graphics. I'd had one other Offshoot brew about a year ago...Relax Hazy, complete with a fat shark closing in for a meal. This time it was Retreat, a Hazy Double IPA replete with some dude surrounded by jellyfish. On a raft. Like on a SUP. Poured an opaque orange with a finger-plus off white head. Thick, sticky lacing. Heavy aromas of pineapple, lime, and a hint of berry. Bready malts and some herbals rounded out the nose. Flavors of tropical mango, more pineapple and the telltale grapefruit. Some heavy booziness from the 8.6% ABV, and a thick texture were noticed as I drank. However, 50 IBUs of refreshing, crisp hop bitterness provided a balanced finish. Doubles also tent to extend a little more malt sweetness in addition to the fruit.  I do like me an Offshoot beer. Graded a B+/A- rating.

"I wish we could all have good

luck, all the time! I wish we had

wings! I wish rain water was beer!"

  -Robert Bolt

Evening Scramble, notes from the Rogue.

Early death. Loosing power in the mushies. Holidays, 10/1/2020.

   It's that time of year again. A rush to get to the beach. A scramble into the surf to catch a wave, any wave. Ocean's still hangin' out at about 69F. Winds about 10 knots. Thigh, maybe some waist swell, chopped and sectioning. Mushin' out due to power loss. To the point that I struggled for position on a left or a right break. Not long before the sun disappeared over the dune lines and Holiday Inn to the west. Bright orange Harvest Moon replaced it on Atlantic horizon to the east. The scramble to grab another ride continued. Moon was brighter than I thought. Could make out the next set coming in. Better than taking it on the head, because I couldn't see the break before it was crashing over. But eventually the deteriorating conditions made squeezin' the last little bit a lot frustrating. Getting out was unfortunately, easy.

   Drown that in a not even near close-out of summer brews. Okay, brews from the summer. Tried quite a few goodies; found myself having to pick and chose for the post. Our Labor Day trip to the Mid-West always finds me coming back with a plethora of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan,  and Ohio beers. Cleveland's Great Lakes Brewing produces one of my favorite Pale Ales, Burning River...in memoriam to the 1969 Cuyahoga River Fire. Poured a clear, bright copper, with a foamy, 2-finger, khaki head. Aromas of grainy malt, caramel, and herbal hops. Notes of malted caramel and brown sugar in the taste with a 45 IBU, light pine - citrus bite. At 6% ABV, rated Burning Fire an A.

Michigan standout Old Nation Brewing has been reviewed by this post several times and is known for their heavies. Developed a refreshing, albeit heavy Brut IPA, B-43. Poured a hazy, straw-yellow with a big 2- finger, inflated white head. It's a Brut, so plenty of carbonation and webbed lacing abounded. Aromas were dank, but you could sense the champagne-like fragrances. Pine, spicy hops, and lemons. Flavors were very juicy: grapefruit, more lemon...maybe lime as well, coriander, with a nice peppery-hop bitterness in the finish. 7%ABV and 65 IBUs. More lemon than I like, but a great deck beer. Rated an A-.

Sign in front of a bar:

"Speed bump ahead,

don't spill your beer!"

Lastly, we are sad to see this brewery going out of business after an impressionable eight years... Delmar, DE's 3rd Wave Brewing developed the very popular Beach Juice, a Berliner Weisse worthy of any post run, gym, grass-cuttin', paddle-boardin', surfin' workout. Pale, orange-yellow pour, with a thin, fast dissipating head (had to git that pic quick!). Smelled of citrus and fruit-tarts, with grassiness in the background. Tastes had that sour tartness associated with this style. Grains and wheat. Lemons, and a super light bitterness (only 3 IBUs) in the finish. Refreshing, but not a beer you'd wanna pound, even at 4.2% ABV. Rated a B/B-. There ya go. Three more beers that helped to deal with this summer of struggle. 

Regardless of conditions, waves caught, or short time in, always stoked to get into the water- 
'specally with this moon. 10/1/2020