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+.

Burnin' Gas, notes from the Rogue.

"One can almost imagine the beer as the knife that cracks the oyster open- there seems to be a primal connection between them. The flavour of the oyster is magically magnified and fills the senses."  -Garrett Oliver
Primal happy hour! Catch 54, Fenwick, DE. 11/7/2020

   Early November. We had about a three quarter tank of gas left in the boat. Needed to burn some off before wrapping it up for winter...literally. Normally, we burn quite a bit heading up Assateague way. This time 'round we plotted our course north to Delaware. Super calm waters in the mid-60s. Air in the mid-70s. Usually, north of the Rt.90 Bridge between Isle of Wight and Ocean City, for whatever reason, the Assawoman can get rough. Today it was flat. Waterski-able...and you don't see much of that anymore. 'Bout as near to glass without being. That's how I rated it. Cruised up through the Fenwick Ditch, a canal that crosses the Mason-Dixon into Delaware. Apparently a good fishin' spot as well...with a Delaware license. Through Lighthouse Cove, into the Little Assawoman Bay. All the way up to Little Bay and Miller Creek.

Water was so clear, and this area was full of shoals. Could see the crabs, mussels, oysters and seaweed so vividly. Felt like I was gonna run aground at any second. These were the moments when the depth finder came in really handy! When I finally paid attention, the channel markers became quite helpful as well. Slipped into the mouth of the Assawoman Canal, and there we chose to turn back.

Assawoman Canal dead ahead, 11/7/2020.

 Fuel gauge now showing 39%, we were getting ready to enter uncharted (for us) territory with known refueling docks in our sites. A planned route for the future, but today was about burning gas, not gassin' up. Turned back south, back to the Ditch and Catch 54 for some real fuelin' up. Strong northerly current where this area narrows so, docking required a bit more attention. Found that once I  motored outta the channel and into the marina area we were able to line up into the boat slip with little problem. Oysters, burgers, fries, and beer (oh, and a Martini for the Wife). Ideal chow for the afternoon. Nice. Had the pooch with us. Looking out over the channel as the boats drifted by trying in vain for that last fish fix. Relaxed a bit. Closed out the tab. And, headed back south through the Big Assawoman all the way to the East Channel right off Paradise Island. Tried to fish. Boat traffic was surprisingly busy in this area. This time of year the "no wake zone" is relaxed. Had to be on our toes. I think it was the center-console fisher that passed close by and snagged my line that finished it for me. New rig, new gulp...gone in a snap of my line. No worries. Getting late in the afternoon. Sundown by 5:30pm. Looked like we were gonna be washin' up in the dark as it was (and we were). Headed back to the ramp. Gas tank reading 32%. Mission accomplished.

   Lager of the Lakes Bohemian Pilsner. Another Bells beer. You could say the last of the summertime brews for the last summer-like cruise. Poured a bright, clear gold with a dense, finger thick, white head. Smelled of lemon, grains, grass and herbal hops. Tastes of dry biscuits, more grain, and light sweetness. Mild, 34 IBU hop bite in the finish. Nothing that wowed, but at 5% alcohol, makes a couple of these sea worthy. Rated a B-.

Been a while since my last Odell beer. Their original IPA. This time around it was Drumroll, their Hazy Pale Ale. White, foamy, near 2-finger white head capping a hazy amber-orange, well carbonated body. Aromas featured hints of pine, juicy citrus, and malt. Flavors had the telltale grapefruit yin, a lil' mango, hop resins, and just a hair of a malt yang. Lots of hops for a Pale...51 IBUs worth. Nice bite in the finish. 5.3% ABV. Gave Drumroll an A-.

   

   

Ghost Flight, notes from the Rogue.

Throwin' shade into the last flight of the night. Holidays and 66th, 10/28/2020. 

   October closing. Last week-day surf sesh. Halloween. End of the month was flyin'. In some cases, good. Long work month ending on Halloween, a Saturday. Week before's surf session showed up with chest to head swell and I showed up in a full suit. 

Big Muddy Brewing.

Pumpkin Smasher

6% ABV, 10 IBUs.

Thin white head. 

Cloudy amber pour. 

Aromas of pumpkin

pie spices, and malt.

Tastes of nutmeg,

cinnamon, toffee,

sweet cake. Little 

weak in the light

bitter aftertaste. 

Not a favorite. 

Rated a C+.

Unnecessary, and I wasn't ready. Water was still above 65F. Spent more time caught inside than racin' down the wall. Wanted to forget that performance. The last week of the month- less than waist and weak. A shadow of the week before. Back in the shortie suit though. Took advantage, scrapping up a few frontside breakers...like stealin' candy from a trick or treater. However, by the time I was done the sets were ghosts in flight. Dusk to dark. Even on the small side, the waves on me before I could find position. Rode a mushie in to finish. Still got the weekends, if I can wrangle an opportunity. 

Bell's Brewery Oktoberfest

Marzen. Clear copper pour.

Off-white, 1-finger head. Herbal

hops in the smell, some toasted

grain and malt. Flavors of 

caramel, bread, some citrus. 

5.5% ABV, 24 IBUs. Rated a B-.

Autumn half done. Winter's comin'. Some 'Shore residents never leave.
Farmland in Willards, 10/29/2020.

   

   The traditional haunting of the 31st was undercut by the demon Covid. Masks were up for more than treats. Open bowls on the steps of porches instead of from homeowners to pass along candy. TorT from a distance.

Another Bells: Kalamazoo Stout.
Black coffee pour with near 2-finger
beige head. Smelled of smoke, coffee,
and dark fruit. Flavors of bitter chocolate,
pine nuts, roasted malts, with a slight char.
Nice hop bite in the finish. 6% ABV, 
51 IBUs. Rated an A-/B+.

American Wheat. Cheboygan
Brewing's Blood Orange Honey.
Light amber pour, thin white head.
Orange and honey aroma. Orange rind
with bitter and sweet aftertaste. Fair brew.
10 IBUs, 5.7% ABV. Rated a B-.

 

The locals stepped up. Some got inventive with tubes that candy slid down into bags. One guy even tossed it from his balcony. There were enough givers of candy to fill all the open bags that passed by. Ghostly trim was more than expected.

 Streets got more active after 6pm. As more and more lil' ghouls filled the streets. Regardless, not a huge crowd. A noticeably more subdued Halloween than last year. Didn't stop us from enjoying the evening. 

Full of Wonder Woman!
Berlin, 10/31/2020.