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