Ghosted, from the Rogue's notebook.

Pump it up until you can feel it
Pump it up when you don't really need it
Don't really need it   -Elvis Costello
Negative waves Ghostrider. Vanishing swell- 66th and Holidays, 10/21/2021.

      Surf reverted to knee highs, barely. Couldn't even pump my way across the line. Like the conditions had ghosted me. Holidays was staining...65th, 66th...didn't matter. Not even open on the weekend. Too bad...water still kinda warm...69-70-ish. Guess it made for more time to get ready for the local ghouls. We had our Granddaughter out for the annual pumpkin hunt last week. Local produce stands getting rid of their season's harvest.

And the hunt begins. O. Pines, 10/17/2021.

Twilight Pumpkin, Tall Tales version

of the fall favorite. A healthy 7%

 ABV. Poured a clear orange-

amber. Thin, light foam, beige 

head. Aromas of pumpkin pie and 

allspice. Flavor was weaker than

 the aroma. Light pumpkin. Hint of

 cinnamon and spice. Slight hop

finish. Maybe 30 IBUs. Rated a C+.

         Started along Rt. 589 outside of the Pines. Our local stand...Bluebird Farms, always has the freshest sweet corn, fruit, and 'maters- from a pile of which we grabbed a couple steak tomatoes. But, the hunt would continue. Cruised into Delaware. The side streets of Dagsboro. Parsons Farms Produce. A new pumpkin search point. Mucho aloha successful y'all. Everything needed to get set up for another harvest session. 

A new brewery. Wisconsin born. Whole

Hog Beer. Pumpkin Ale. Cloudy, red-

amber pour. Less than 1-finger, tan

head. Pumpkin pie, and nutmeg in the

aroma. Cinnamon, allspice, malt, and

more pumpkin in the taste. Not overly

sweet. Smooth going down, but

the hop bite made it a little dry in

the finish. 38 IBUs. Robust 7% ABV.

Rated an A-.

Standoff!

"Where there is no imagination, there is no
horror."  -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Mission accomplished. 

Balance Lost, from the Rogue's notebook.

"Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean." -David Searle
47th St. Break, 10/13/2021.

     Mid-week surf session. Time spent during bereavement. In bereavement. Just short of her 87th, I lost my Mother. The session was a lot like our relationship. Sometimes on, sometimes off. A former Air Force physical therapist, she was the last few years in a Veterans Home slowly fading. Now at peace. My Father had died about 30 years ago. Her loss represented the end of a generation. Took something away. Really did. During this afternoon...my balance lost with every takeoff. Even a close-out collision. Left or right. I never found a line. Will miss you Mom.

No Real End, from the Rogue's notebook.

Challenging the kook, late drop in the chop. Holiday's and 66th, 10/7/2021.

     Feel the sense of urgency as the mid-week sessions near their end. The sure sign of earlier sunsets that signal the approach of the close of 'Savings Time. And, conditions are known to be uncooperative this time of year. High nor'east winds with 20+ mph gusts chopped up the Atlantic. Water still hangin' around 70F. Thigh to waisties reluctantly giving up a few quick rides. Nuthin' epic. A final dump into the wash to remind me where the kook still resides. Shorter sessions. Soon, just the weekends. As the cold sets in, a winter hiatus. Start watching ocean temps to rise again. When you surf, there is no real end.

     Speaking of no end in sight, the 24th annual Endless Summer Cruisin' was happinin' in the OC. Great event for the town, and plenty of classics, muscles, exotics, and hot rods hammerin' down Ocean Highway through the weekend. Couple of brews paired with the rollin' stoke.

It's time again. The yearly 

Oktoberfest bier. This one 

from Union Craft Brewing. 

Fest Beer. A German Lager 

that weighed in at 5.6% ABV. 

Aromas of bread crust and

toffee. A robust malt flavor

with a touch of caramel.

20IBUs provided a crisp 

bite of herbal hops in the

finish. Clear amber pour

with a less than one finger,

egg-white head. A 

memorable Oktoberfest

bier. Rated a solid B.

Always liked the Vega. My Grandfather had one.
Bright star. Cool ride.

      

Groove terminal. 119th Street Dunkin' Donuts, 10/7/2021. 

And if the real thing don't do the trick

You better make up something quick

You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick

Ooh, barracuda, oh yeah

-Heart

Haven't had a decent Double

in a while. Latitude 42 Brewing's

Party at the Moon Tower DIPA.

At 8.4%. only good for the

passenger seat or the back.

Or a Party at the Moon Tower

Red-amber pour. 2+ finger 

bubbly white head. Citrus and 

pine in the scent. Grassy, 

tell-tale grapefruit flavor 

complimented a malty spine.

 Lightly sweet. Not boozy.

Nice hopped finish. Rated a B+.

Forcing It, from the Rogue's notebook.

"You learn more from surfing small waves, than you do from riding big waves." -Mike Stewart
Forcing the left, or patience on the ride, know this... no amount of waiting would bring
any bigger surf this evening. Holidays and 66th Street, 9/29/2021.

    Last of the September sessions. Weak, knee-highs that I spent most of the time impatiently forcing the rides. Sometimes, no matter how hard you squeeze, you just ain't gonna get much fruit. At the mid-60s, little cooler on the beach now. Atlantic's waters still holding in the low 70s. Continue to trunk it with a rash guard, although the days of these conditions are surely numbered. And now, the sun sets 10 minutes earlier each week. Yeah, to get my weekday stoke in, I will be forcing it and rushing it. The things we do to get wet.

     Got another from South Michigan's Witches Hat Brewing. Defloured, a juiced up, hazy IPA. The New England style has fast become a favorite of mine. Murky yellow-gold pour with a dense off-white, 2-finger head. Sticky lacing. Huge aromas of orange, mango, the tell-tale grapefruit, and a light herbal scent that trails in the end. The flavors were deliciously juicy. Citrus notes, tons more grapefruit, orange, peach, apple, mango. Like a sub-tropical explosion. The hoppy bite and effervescence in the finish made for a nice session ender, and the hope of an upcoming and enduring Indian Summer. 6.3% ABV. An estimated 50 IBUs. Rated an A/A-.

"The brewery is the best drugstore."
-Old German Wisdom