On The Ocean - Guster, Pickles & Po'Boys, and Mast Landing

(Enjoyed repeatedly over the weekend of August 12-14 and beyond) 

My favorite band is Guster. You've probably seen a T-shirt or two on me in this blog. 

I've often said that I'd love to start my own brewery, and all my beers would be named after Guster songs. I've got the name picked out, I've got the vision in my mind for the tasting room, and the art, I think about it a lot.  

For a couple summers now, Guster has taken over the city of Portland Maine, and has partnered with Mast Landing to make an official beer for the music festival. On the Ocean Pale Ale is the beer  they brew up together, and it is a mighty fine brew. 

This August, I got to go to the festival for the first time.

 Upon arriving in Portland, my first stop was at a Meet & Greet at a restaurant owned by a Guster fan. Po'Boys & Pickles was one of the few restaurants in town to have the beer on release weekend, and a bunch of Guster fans were gathering there to have dinner, mix and mingle, and enjoy the beer. 

My delightful and lovely friend Ginger and my sister got there before me, and Ginger welcomed me with a pint. I love that this picture has the pint glass from the restaurant, and the beer. So good. 

It is a delightful little Pale Ale, very flavorful and easy drinking. It went fantastically with my dinner, and was a great treat right after a very long road trip! 

Mast Landing hosted a party and merch pop-up at their Freeport tasting room, and Guster fans all flooded in. Similar to the fun gathering we hosted in Yonder Mountain Brewery before Red Rocks in 2021, we got together, had beers, listened to music, stood in line for merch before he show so we didn't have to buy it at the concert (genius, really). I bought a case  to bring home, and my friend Brian bought some too. Just a few. 

I've got to admit, I need to have more of their beers in my life. I only focused on getting the OTO beers to bring home to share with my family and all. But they all look so good, and their space is so nice. 

Unfortunately, all the beer I got to bring home with me is all gone, enjoyed thoroughly by my family, as I'd planned. Hoping that 2023 will bring us some more On The Ocean, and another beer collaboration with my favorite band.  

Here's a picture of me, my sister, and our good friend Alex after we left Maine, still celebrating with the beer. Guster friends are the greatest friends.

Burley Oak, Stop Three on the Pony Tour

(visited 10/10/22)  

We saw our share of Ponies at Chincoteague, and headed up to Berlin to see a friend of mine from High School who lives there. We enjoyed a great meal at Blacksmith, her familiar. I'm still thinking about that curry chicken salad. Wow. 

And then she suggested we head over to Burley Oak. 

Side Note: Ever since we moved to Maryland, people have suggested we head to Burley Oak, and we just hadn't. Five years of us being here and we have only been to the Eastern Shore/Delmarva twice. 

Traffic, hours, the whole thing. I mean, once you are there, you're all set. But I find it's an obstacle course and even when I think "hey, let's go!" I think better of it. 

For me, it's worse than going to Cape Cod.

But there we were, no excuses other than we had to work in the morning on Tuesday. Berlin is such a cool little town, and I said that we should just call both of our offices and say "we're taking another day," I mean, we're there. Who wants to go back! Let's Stay!!! But Doug disagreed and said he had meetings Tuesday morning he couldn't miss. 

Burley Oak is located outside of downtown, but is a large facility with tons of space indoors and out. They host music and events, and seem to have quite the lively scene. 

First round, I ordered Rude Boy (Red Ale) which is in the center here, pictured with Doug's Bunker C (Porter) to the left, and Deb's Homegrown (Session IPA) to the right. Such pretty colors, and a great variety of tastes. 

All three were great, the Bunker C porter was super tasty, and the Rude Boy was as good a Red Ale as you can get. Homegrown feels like a super simple nice Hazy IPA, very friendly and familiar. 

When we were at Blacksmith, Doug had the Coffee n' Cream and I decided I wanted to try it for myself. Pictured here in the back right, Doug and Deb went with an Apricot J.R.E.A.M., which is described as a "soda style sour" ale. They aren't kidding. It does taste like an apricot soda, and has a delicious flavor. Deb got another J.R.E.A.M. which my notes identified as "LCRWC" and I'm not sure what that stands for. 

Doesn't matter what it stands for, it was like having cake and ice cream and fruit and joy all at once. Whatever a J.R.E.A.M. is all about, Burley Oak is doing it all right. 

If we did have the option for spending another day, we would have had another round. But this was a wonderful way to spend some time.  

We wanted to be able to make it closer to home before it got too dark, because the last time we drove across the Delmarva, it was super dark, and a little scary driving through all the farmland with no street lights and a lot of unfamiliarity of where we were. But we did want to drive over to Assateague to see some more ponies. We were delighted here that the ponies weren't kept at a distance behind electric wire, but were right up on the side of the road! Cool! 

We'll be back to enjoy Berlin (we'll get over ourselves and the driving and the distance) and spend some more time pony peeping and beer drinking. 

Black Narrows Brewing, Stop Two on the Pony Tour

(visited on 10/8/22) 

We got to our hotel on Chincoteague and were sad to find out that we actually missed an Oyster Festival. Doug was a little annoyed, because he researched events extensively and had no idea it was happening. It was over, sadly, and we missed out. Well, he missed out. I don't enjoy oysters. 

Dumping our stuff into the hotel room we ran over to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge to see what we could see before sunset. 

We saw ponies, sat on the beach and watched wee birds and seagulls play. Saw people dressed in winter clothes and other people swimming. October is an interesting time for people. We were a little chilly but had our flannels and our sweatshirts, so we were somewhere in between. 

After the sunset and moonrise, which we loved watching, we headed to Black Narrows Brewing Company. A nice, small brewery, seemed to be filled with local folks and not like a bar or restaurant that tourists would flood to. We were lucky to find two spots at the bar, sitting at the patron saint's seat (he was in the bar, but sitting with his family at a table, so the beertender let us know we could sit in his reserved seat). 

They were incredibly busy, and we thought about getting food from the place next door, Salts. I'm not a fan of boiled seafood really (I love shrimp but prefer it broiled or grilled), and it was just really crowded and busy in the brewery. If it was a little warmer, we would have sat outside (aforementioned, October is a weird month temperature wise). 

I felt a little rushed, so we enjoyed a couple of beers. They were all very good, and I have to say I'm impressed with what we sampled. Wondering what this place must be like on a hot August night.  

I'll be honest, that I'm not sure which beer this is. Untappd didn't have the Allegheny Highlands listed so I checked into this one as the Farmhouse Ale. Probably a lie. It was a delightful ale, with a peppery kiss. I enjoyed it. Doug got the Sounding Joy, which I didn't get a picture of. He liked it a lot. 

We then got the Cockle Creek (Scottish Ale) and the Piney Grove (APA).

Both were unique and delicious. We would have gotten another round but both of us were hungry and people were waiting to sit, so we opted out, and went for pizza. 

One note - a lot of people were getting flights, and I have to say that the flight boards/carriers were absolutely adorable. I wanted one just to bring home and put a flight of my wee plants on them.  Great craft from the wood of the carriers to the beer itself. 

Evolution Brewing, Stop One on the Pony Tour

 (visited October 8, 2022)

Doug and I needed a weekend away. 

He's been work-stressed and hell if I just don't want to go places and DO THINGS. I have a tendency to not leave the house for days on end, and then when I do, I want to more than touch grass. I want to drink beers, eat wings, talk to people, and hang out. 

We decided that a trip to the Delmarva Peninsula, specifically to the beach, was in order. 

The great thing about living south of New England means that we can still enjoy the outsideness of the world, and maybe even wear our Teva sandals while taking a long walk in October. And this was the weekend to do it. 

We were aiming for Chincoteague and a little hotel there, but along the way we knew of a couple breweries we would want to visit. Doug very much wanted to hit up Evolution Brewing for brunch before making it to Chincoteague. 

It was gorgeous out, so we set up camp at a table, ordered the Maryland Style Crab Dip appetizer, and started into our choices. First round was Exile Red Ale and Rise Up Nitro Stout. Both pictured below. 

The Red Ale was great but the nitro coffee stout was spectacular. A wonderful aroma of coffee and chocolate, creamy and smooth like chocolate milk. Just fantastic. 

While still enjoying our crab dip appetizer, we found our cups empty. Our server was fast to the task and brought next round. I got the Lucky 7 Porter and Doug went with the Pine'Hop'Le (which I personally would have just spelled Pinehopple, but I get it!) 

The porter was tasty, I'd consider this a flagship for this brewery, one that I've had other places along with the Lot 3. Doug has declared to me that he is "done" with IPAs, so I was surprised he went to the Pine'Hop'Le here, which was very good but it didn't have a huge pineapple bite like I'd hoped. We both liked it a lot. 

Saving all of my carbs for beer in life and usually diving face first into a salad with protein, I was tempted into the realm of chicken and waffle for lunch. Incredibly good, and I even caved and asked for some maple syrup. I mean, I've already slid super far into the carbs today, may as well make the waffle sing. Doug was good and had a big salad. 

Next, we went to the Tea-Ki Torch iced tea for me and Day Crush for Doug. I have to be completely honest and say I wasn't wowed by the iced tea. And the Day Crush was not as sour as I'd hoped. But it was good. 

Doug got up to stretch his legs, and poke around the Public House. I sat on the patio and listened to a table beside me talk about what kind of beer they like and whether or not they'd like this beer. "I like Guinness," the man said. I chimed in to recommend the Lucky 7 or the Stout. She likes lite beer, so I suggested the Pine'Hop'Le as better than any sort of lite beer she's had. They both thanked me for my recommendation when the beers came. They told me how they went to Ireland over the summer, toured the Guinness Factory and really loved being there. He said he's a Whiskey guy, and is trying to like beer. 

I told him he came to a good place to start. 

After a while, I wondered where the heck Doug was. I paid the tab, and ventured inside to see him coming out from the back with someone wearing an Evo brewer's shirt. 

Doug makes friends easy, and he must have caught Jim's eye poking round the place so Jim offered to show him around. Doug and I both have been around and around in breweries, so he tried to say no but, Jim was encouraging. 

When I walked in, he offered to show me around too. So I took him up on it. We went in back and saw all the operations from brewing to bottling to canning. We talked about malt and storage, equipment and engineering. While we were chatting, the owner, Tom Knorr, came around the bend and Jim had him come over to pose for a picture with us. 

Honestly, an honor to meet the men behind the brews. 

I appreciated Tom's time because he seemed like he was on a mission, talking on the phone and moving around the area. Jim was just a delight. Honestly a great time spent at the brewery chatting with him about how he landed there after retiring from Madison Avenue. 

It gives my little dreams of one day owning my own wee brewery (along with the idea of going to West Virginia for all my dishes for the pub) some inspiration. 

We still had a little ways to go from Salisbury to get to our hotel in Chincoteague, but took some take  away beer to enjoy in the hotel that night, and a great new long sleeved Evo T-shirt for me to sport around town. Here's a picture of Doug and me, with the barrels aging some future beer. 

I promised Jim I would send this to him, and think I lost his email so I hope if he's reading this he knows how very much we appreciated his tour, his time, his knowledge, and the beer he is so proud of. 

Sawbelly Brewing following my heart to beer in Exeter NH

Date of visit: June 17, 2022 

(Pictured right: Cauliflower Shawarma, pickled pineapple, SaWheat Heffe) 

We took a trip back up to the homeland, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, in mid June. We got to spend a lot of time with friends and family. At some points, we did absolutely nothing but sit on the porch at camp, listen to birds, enjoy the breeze, and bask in the temperature not being 9,000 degrees like it is in DC in mid June (or like it just was in New Orleans, as I recall our walk to Brieux Carre that day. Voof!) 

New Hampshire. Delightful. We have missed you.

My best friend recommended we take a ride over to Exeter and visit Sawbelly Brewing for lunch and beer. She doesn't drink beer herself, but she did love the food there when she visited, and figured heck, if the beer is as good, it'll be wonderful. We always take her recommendations. 

The sky was threatening rain in the distance with giant, friendly, puffy white clouds backed by grey thunderheads. We had our dog with us, so we were a little worried that the gentle sprinkles that we were feeling would turn into deluge in no time. We sat outside (obviously, because Dog) and were close to the Jeep in case one of us needed to jet to get the dog in for dryness, and the others would jet inside. We figured we'd rotate spending time with the dog in the car if that was necessary. No worries. 

We ordered the charcuterie board with the chef's cheese selection, naturally, and the thing that blew our minds was the pickled pineapple. We ended up asking for another wee jar of that because we just could not get over how magnificent it was. 

Because three of us were present (Geoff was with) we had more beer than usual, and swapped and shared. pictured below, in the full glory, four of the beers we enjoyed that I checked in to on Untappd: 

In It to Win It, New England Hazy IPA
Very friendly great starter to our visit

Broken Luck, Kölsch
My Untappd review simply says "Awesomeness." Crisp and wonderful.

Sonic Yute - West Coast IPA
Noting that I enjoyed a Sonic Youth in 1983 at Courtyard, I guess they're hot in the craft brewing world! 

Interstellar Love - Sour
It wasn't very sour, but with the little pickled pineapple jar, this was a wonderful way to end the meal. Beautiful color, unique, and pretty

The beers were spectacular, and our meals were great too. I had the Cauliflower Shawarma, my husband can't remember what he had because all he can do is talk about the pickled pineapple. Geoff had the double deluxe cheeseburger. And he inhaled it. Ten thumbs up from our crew on this trip. 

And again, because the pineapple is so well loved here, another shot. We also noted that the plates felt familiar to us. After we ate, we flipped one over to find it was from Homer Laughlin China Company. Hats off to Sawbelly for using one of our very favorite restaurant quality dinnerware!  We have been to the Fiesta factory store, and there is a gorgeous seconds outlet on either side of the building, one for Fiesta and one for Homer Laughlin. If I owned my own brewery foodrinkery, I'd be taking a truck to West Virginia to bring back a mix-and-match collection of hundreds of plates, coffee cups, saucers, bowls, everything. 

We also had a great time talking with our server, I can't recall his name, but it was a lot of fun spending time there talking beer and business. There were not a lot of people there when we were lunching, but when they have live music the place is busy and lively. Their website doesn't show their calendar for music but their social media is up to date and active. Makes me want to be there on a lovely fall night. 

Thankfully, the rain totally held up, the food was fantastic, and t-shirts and a sweatshirt came home with us. Looking forward to next visit to the north country. We'll be back. 

Pictured: my back, with the Sawbelly T-shirt at Mad Science Brewing Company a couple months later. Get a lot of compliments on this shirt. Gotta love it! 

Entry 5: New Orleans 2022, Courtyard Brewery

(should have been published in June but I got distracted) 

Our wedding anniversary was June 1st. We went out to dinner at the Pelican Club (fancy) to celebrate all 31 years of our marriage. We had a fantastic time. Cocktails, wine, no beer.  We went back to the hotel and took a big nap. As we were nearing the end of our stay in New Orleans, we decided to check out a small brewery called Courtyard Brewery. A few people had recommended we do our best to get over there, so we did. 

A very small, tucked into a little nook between a few other buildings on Camp Street, you can get ice cream and beer in this little tasting room. Seating available outside, which on the night we were there it had finally cooled off enough for us to get out and enjoy. We met a cat, who came by to hang out with us. Seemed so cool.

We have to admit, we were very influenced to come based on the art on their website and stickers and stuff. A very metal, kind of dark look, combining beer images with minotaurs and horned goats, we thought for sure this would be a fun place. 

If nothing else, a Tshirt or stickers were in our future. For our super metal head kid back home. 

We walked in to hear The Postal Service cranking over the speakers and it put a smile on my face. 

Not exactly the "metal" feel I was thinking we'd walk into, but I love me some Postal Service and enjoyed my first beer while singing through "Such Great Heights." Metal can wait. But hey, all music has a space in the beer world.

Thankfully (since I'm writing this long after we visited) Untappd tells me that I started with the Prose vs Poetry and Doug got the Inverse Speedbump. 

We also enjoyed the coconut hibiscus sourbae (pictured here), which I recall had a really peculiar scent but fantastic flavor. I usually steer away from anything that says "coconut," I'm not a big fan, but this was fruity, fabulous, fancy. 

And the color was gorgeous. 

A few other beers, feeling the impact and having just the best time on the patio together, I went in to get my last pour. Sonic Youth in 1983. Peculiar name, for sure, and I had a fantastic discussion with the beer tender and a guy on line (I think I bought him his beer. Feeling happy and magnanimous, like ya do). 

I think we had a huge discussion about Kim Gordon, Kill Yr Idols, the noise rock scene, the fact that this was all happening when he wasn't yet born and I was 16 and oblivious to the music at the time. 

Here's the beer named for the band, in 1983. 

I for sure drank way too much there, but every pour was stellar, the vibe was good, and yes. We came home with 3 t-shirts, a bunch of stickers, and we wear the shirts proudly around town to the breweries in this area. Well done Courtyard. 

Entry 4: New Orleans 2022, Zony Mash, the Beerological Point Of Interest

 Entry 4 in a series on New Orleans (should have been posted June 5th but I got distracted)

Zony Mash is making history in a place of history.

The Gem Theatre once housed one of two African American movie theaters in New Orleans. When the theater closed, it stood vacant for years until Wayward Owl brewery moved into the space and created a great brewery from what I read online. They ran for about two years. 

The brewers behind Zony Mash saw their opportunity and moved in. 

The exterior of the building is much the same as it would have been if you were headed to see a show. And this is kind of beautiful in a lot of ways, to me at least. 

Located "uptown" near the Broadmoor area, the beer posters fill the slots where movie posters once were. And when you walk in, it still has that kind of theater foyer feel to it. The area that I assumed was once upon a time the parking lot is now a stone-filled outdoor beer garden, with a small corner stage, hardly any shade. 

We were there very early on purpose. We checked in with our tickets, got the wristbands, bought a couple beers, hit the food truck parked outside for some of the best red beans & rice, tacos, and quesadillas we'd had in a long time. 

I started out with the Tiny Bubbles beer, which was a good pairing with the quesadilla. 

The heat had dropped off substantially but radiated up towards us from the stones. I have to imagine that it's not fun being out there in August! 

We were there for the beers and for the band. Rebirth Brass Band was highly recommended to us by the bartender at d.b.a. and we were all for it. 

As noted in the previous entry, Julie let us know the brewery was doing a lot of sour beers, and we're happy to enjoy those. 

My next beer was the King of Carrot Flowers which Julie recommended. 

While it sure looks like carrot, I didn't detect any carrot flavor. Carrots don't really have a lot of flavor. However, this had a strong mango taste and I liked that a lot. 

The crowd was starting to filter in, I thought it was weirdly under crowded to start with. We took some seats on the left, and waited for the band to start up. They seemed to be running late, I got the impression as this was the third band I'd seen in New Orleans that running late may just be on time for some folks. 

That's okay as long as it starts up. 

Sound checking continued well past the start time, and Doug went to get me another beer. This time I went for the Session Pale Ale, Makin' Groceries. 

Just in time for the band to come on out and make a joyful noise. Rebirth Brass Band was featured in the show Treme, and for over 20 years they've been a huge feature in New Orleans Jazz, defining things in a new and fun way. Traditional yet new, with a sense of hip hop and jam bands, you could imagine how much fun this was. 

Lost track of the beers we had, started writing this entry months ago and got distracted by work. 

Let's just say, Zony Mash isn't located downtown, it's out of your way,  but it is worth it to take the trip out there. Do it.

Entry 3: New Orleans 2022, d.b.a. and Spotted Cat

Entry 3 in a series on New Orleans

On Sunday, after the Avenue Pub, we took a really long walk towards the Lower Garden District and Irish Channel. It was hot. We didn't stop anywhere along the way, even though there were plenty of good opportunities and if we didn't have to be somewhere by 5pm, we would have dipped down to Urban South or NOLA brewing or the others that are in the area. Next time, for sure!

Doug wanted to see the Palmetto Bug Stompers at d.b.a. so we Ubered over and got there before anyone else was there.

 Most of the time I wouldn't write specifically about a bar but I felt like our experience here was worth mentioning. 

We sidled up to the bar, and ordered a few things.

Doug ordered a DAT'SUMA IPA from Faubourg Brewing, and I got a High Noon Seltzer Peach (I do believe I had one at the Avenue too, but it's not beer so I didn't write it up). 

But, I will say the High Noon Seltzer is probably the best hard seltzer I've had.

Truly and White Claw are super gross in comparison and I can't believe people would pick that over High Noon if there's an option. High Noon is doing next level deliciousness, and the Peach is the best of them all (I had the Watermelon and Grapefruit too).  Do yourself a favor, if you see High Noon, get it instead.

The DAT'SUMA IPA was really good, very fruity, orange forward, flavorful. The taps were wonderfully cold, and we started having a wonderful conversation with the bartenders about craft brewing in New Orleans. Julie was wearing an Urban South shirt, so we asked about it and what her other favorite spots were. She noted we were there to see the band, and that we should go over to Zony Mash Beer Project on Tuesday for the Rebirth Brass Band and enjoy that. Tickets required, but worth the go. 

We noted that, enjoyed the band for three hours, and had more beers and seltzers. I didn't keep track, we were just in the moment, enjoying the folks at the bar, sampling shots of 21 Seeds Cucumber Jalapeño Tequila, which smelled like cucumber and bit like jalapeño. It wasn't bad, but I am not sure I'd get it for margarita making. 

Doug ended his night with a long time favorite, the Frambois by Brouwerij Lindemans. So delicious, wonderful, fruity, amazing. One of the best Lambics on the planet. And seeing as we didn't dive into any of the Boon offerings at the Avenue Pub, this was a good choice. 

d.b.a. doesn't serve food, and it was now late, and of course we were hungry. We missed our chance to grab a bahn mi from the market next door (again, on Julie's recommendation) so when the show ended we tried to grab something at Dat Dog. The balcony was closed, and the line was out the door so we walked across the street to Willie's Chicken Shack. We destroyed several pieces of chicken, and got daiquiris to go. I ended up with  brain freeze so vicious I had to hand mine over to Doug. It was horrible. And heartbreaking cause I kinda wanted the damn thing. Oh well.  

I'm grouping our d.b.a. visit with another stop a day or so later at the Spotted Cat Music Club. We found ourselves on Frenchman again, and it was the middle of the day. Not a lot was open over there yet, but we heard music coming from inside and decided to check it out. There was a trio playing, apologizing that their bass player wasn't there yet. But they were making due with the guitar, fiddle, and saxophone and it was wonderful to hear. 

We sat at the bar and I noticed they had two options from Zony Mash, where we'd be headed that very night. 

I had their seltzer, the Zony Pop Satsuma. It wasn't as good as High Noon but they're making it in bulk for national distribution and Zony Mash is a local brewery so their batches are smaller. It had a good flavor, and I'd have it again. 

I then tried their Be Present sour, which was super sour and fruity. Delicious.

 

Julie had mentioned that Zony Mash was doing some great work in the sours, and she wasn't kidding.  Trust the local bartender with the local craft beer t-shirt on. Always. We didn't stick around too long, and I got my head start on the Zony Mash Experience with these two tastes!

Entry 2: New Orleans 2022, The Avenue Pub

  Entry 2 in a series on New Orleans

In 2017, we visited New Orleans and were on a giant, long walk headed back towards the city from the Garden District. We made it to St. Charles and had hoped to catch a streetcar back to town but that line does not seem to have nearly enough cars. We walked for days. We stopped in at one bar which really sucked, and left after being ignored by the bartender. Walking a little further along, we found The Avenue Pub. It looked friendly. We went in. 

That visit ended up being one of my favorite stops at a bar/restaurant ever. Our beertender was delightful, the food was amazing, we sat and drank beers and talked Belgians and Brews for hours. We walked out to cooler air, and oh! A streetcar. And made it back to our hotel before the skies just parted and the city was awash. 

We knew we wanted to go back. The Avenue Pub was open 365/24/7 there in the pre-pandemic days, but now is not. It was Sunday, we knew they were closed Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday we had plans, so yes please. Let's go now. 

You may be surprised to learn that nothing has changed with the streetcar situation on St. Charles. Not sure what's up with that. Is there only one street car? We waited on line for a half hour and gave up and took an Uber over to the bar.

This isn't a brewery, which is okay. The focus is on the food and the beers they curate. 

Doug started with the Failed T-shirt Company from Rally Cap Brewing in Baton Rouge. It was a wonderful Oatmeal Stout, very malty and chocolatey. Usually on a hot day I wouldn't go in for a stout right off the bat (pun intended for the brewers) but we didn't walk all the way to the pub, and it just sounded good. I was happy he ordered it, and I had a good sample of it. 

By the way, I've been trying to drink less beer for my A1c lately, so I opted for a soda and vodka with lemon. I know, lame but. I'm trying to lower my numbers and I knew overall this trip was not going to help. At least Doug isn't against sharing.

For food, we started with me having a nice salad called the Smoked Cajun Shrimp Louis (our way) which was delicious. Doug was jonesing for the Toast aux Champignons which is basically sauteed mushrooms and onions in a cream sauce served with toasted bread. It doesn't sound mind blowing, but. Oh, it is.  He also ordered a Croque Madame, and loved it. 

I was about to order a sandwich or something more substantial than the salad when our waiter, James, came over to let us know that shortly there was going to be a Boon Brewery and a Chimay tasting, with a cheese board featuring Chimay Cheese. No need to order that sandwich, we are in. He described the cheese as "brie and cheddar had a baby" which hooked me completely, and that there would be two pieces of cheese. We thought the pieces of cheese were going to be small. But now. They were huge wedges and wonderful. 

The beer "flight" for the tasting was a few ounces of the Chimay classics we call White, Red, and Blue here in the US for their label colors. 

As you can see from the image below, the cheese board was amazing, the three Chimay chalices beautiful. We've had plenty of Chimay in our lives over the years. In fact, there are these same three sitting in the fridge that Doug got Geoff for Christmas this past year and he is "saving them for a special occasion." Maybe we'll get some cheese and build a board just like this. 

My only complaint about this cheese board was the grapes had seeds. Other than that, this was perfect.  We absolutely enjoyed every part of this, from the baby arugula, the perfectly toasted bread, the berries and walnuts. It was so perfectly done. I couldn't resist taking so many pictures of it. 

The Chimay distribution rep was in house, so she came over to chat with us after I had mentioned the beer blog to James. We had a great chat about Chimay, the brewing situation in NOLA, and how Guinness has helped the craft brewing scene in Maryland. 

All told, I feel like the Avenue Pub will always be a visit for us in New Orleans. Already can't wait to go back!

Entry 1: New Orleans 2022, Brieux Carré on a hot hot day

 Entry 1 in a series on New Orleans

Doug and I went on vacation to New Orleans to celebrate our 31st Wedding Anniversary. Beer Culture in New Orleans is pretty great. Last time we were there we only managed to get to one actual brewery at the Parleaux Beer Lab but enjoyed pints around town. 

This time, we enjoyed a few in person breweries, and also had pints around town. 

It's a blur, and I really need to start taking actual notes because ... well, beer. 

Here is where we went, and with the help of my camera and Untappd, let's unpack the brews. First Stop! 

Brieux Carré, Decatur & Frenchman
Located in a tiny doorfront on Decatur Street off Frenchman, there is a sweet little nano-brewery with a really nice patio. We checked into our hotel, had some lunch, and walked over on this blazing hot afternoon. 

Entering the brewery, the bar is on your right, tanks out behind, and a pathway out to the patio lies before you. There were only a couple people out back when we got there. As mentioned, it was brutally hot to this Mid-Atlantic gal, but we managed to snag a seat in the covered area of the patio by the one working fan and watched dozens of people flow back. 

Let me tell you, we hogged the shit out of that corner while sitting on high stools and using the big barrels as tables. I felt bad for others, looking for a breeze or respite. But without that fan, I wasn't staying. Thanks for having it there! 

I started with a Malcolm in the Mittlefruh, which I crushed in moments. My Untappd note is that it was a long walk but worth the trip. No real comment left on the beer, but as I recall it was perfect and refreshing after the stroll. Mind you, it was only a mile but... I'm delicate. Malcolm pictured below.

Doug started with (and I also ended up getting one for myself before we left) Moving to the City, Gonna Eat a Moderate Amount of Apricots. Duly noted at this point is the fun naming conventions Brieux Carré uses for their beers. This was a tremendously delicious sour, very fruity, and wonderful. The title indicates a "moderate" amount of apricots but no. This is a humongous amount of apricot flavor, and we both greatly enjoyed. 

It's hard to sing Presidents of the United States of America's "Peaches" with all the extra words mixed in to the title, but we did. 

Here's the Apricot:

Sticking with the fruities, we went to Ooh, Berry, I Like It Straw. It looked lovely and kind of thick and hazy. I was hoping the strawberry mash would kick me in the face as good as the apricot one, but it wasn't nearly as flavorful. 

I don't remember what other beer Doug got for round 2, but I for sure went to the apricots before we left. Again, I need to get better at this, take notes, and really check in correctly on Untappd so I can track everything. 

Here's the Ooh, Berry. I should have taken this in the sunshine instead of under the umbrella. Colors got muted and messed up as a result.

Doug got a T-shirt (his new thing is brewery shirts, I've noticed). We paid up, thanked the beertender who was rocking the place solo, and wandered off to enjoy Frenchman Street. 

Thanks Brieux Carré for a lovely visit. We'll be back next time we're in town.

"Hysteria When You're Near" - Hysteria Brewing, Columbia MD

We ventured away from Montgomery County for a visit up to Hysteria Brewing Company, located deep in the Warehouse district in Columbia. As previously mentioned here in the blog, there is a lot of brewing taking place in industrial parks here in Maryland. 

Hysteria has a spacious tasting room, whimsically decorated with some great paintings of Raccoons drinking beer (Hat tip to their Trash Panda brew). 

I mean, look at that lil' guy! 

Dogs and children are welcome, and there were plenty of both. Dogs are welcome inside and out too, which is also nice. 

Because our dog is a jerk to other dogs, we picked a table outside. Although I would have preferred inside. 

The side of the building seems to be on the east, it was in the shade, and very cold. 

Wishing we'd gotten there earlier but we would have missed the band if we were early birds. 

But it'll be hot soon enough. So no complaining about being outside the first week of April. 

We started with the 1996 and Oh Helles Yeah. Not very exciting pictures to be had, we were outside and there wasn't a lot of backdrop opportunities. The Helles was crisp and clean, had a really nice flavor. 

We drank the 1996 really fast, but I'm glad we grabbed cans to go, you'll see why further down. 

The table next to us had a few friends meeting up with their slew of kids, they set up a board game, they had a picnic. About 12 total humans just getting ready to enjoy some time together. 

At one point the parents had peeled off from the girls, who were playing cards. I needed to use the restroom, and Doug was inside getting more beer, so I asked the girls to watch Phineas. I felt completely comfortable, and they were more than willing. He loved the attention of 4 lovely young friends petting him and loving on him. 

It's that kind of place. I felt so comfortable there, and obviously the parents did too. I love experiences like that. So organic and kind.

The band was setting up, more people were coming to pet the dog. We also petted lots of dogs. We talked to so many people. Fans of Carbon Leaf, a librarian from the Community College, all the girls at the table beside us, and a little kid who fell down and needed some doggie pats as a distraction. I danced with a little boy named Marcus who was completely into the band, when I walked past and it was obvious his mom was just plain tired. 

We were having an exceptionally good visit. 

Round two had Doug getting the Monasterium which was in a wee tiny cup because it is a tripel at 11.5%. Sour and tart, super cherry, very good. Easy sipping and too much will kick your ass after a while, methinks.

I got the "Gotta Haze 'em All" because anything named for the Pokemon scene is alright by me. 

Doug said that he is kind of over the Hazy scene but I'm still loving it. Murky and bitey, it was a great taste. 

Now, let's talk Linner. 

We got to the brewery at 4-ish, well after lunch and borderline old people Early Bird Special time. Adjacent to the brewery is a BBQ joint called Bullhead Pit Beef. If you're wanting BBQ, they got the meats, sandwiches, mac & cheese, they have it all. Doug got a burrito and I got 2 meats on top of mac & cheese (Brisket and Pork) with a topping of KC sauce. This was delicious. Just the right size for me. Anything more would be too much but I would have loved a wee bit of of slaw too. 

What a great mix of flavors. Twenty thumbs up.

I got the "Be Kind Please Rewind" which I forgot to check into on Untappd, duh. Sometimes having too much of a good time to check into beer is okay. But. I did take a photo of with my Linner as seen above. Great pairing with the BBQ and the mac & cheese, this was fantastic.

Last round, I got the Trash Panda. 

As evidenced by their interior art, the "Trash Panda"  is a raccoon to others but here he is the official Hysteria Brewing mascot!  The art is delightful, and I really want to go back, sit on the bench with that little guy up top, and enjoy his namesake. 

Check out this dude loving hanging out with a pint. I mean, c'mon!

Doug got the Green Tea Pseudo Pils and neither of us enjoyed it. 

I found it had a "nose" reminiscent of pot, which was unpleasant. Doug said he didn't catch that but I felt the aroma was not actually reminiscent any other kind of green tea and he did not enjoy the beer overall. 

Hmmmm. Gotta say, in all honesty if that's the only no-fun brew in the bunch that we had (there were others we didn't visit upon) there is nothing really for me to complain about. 

Back to 1996. Getting a retro vibe from this brewery isn't hard to do. References to rewinding video tapes, or Pokemon, the signs are everywhere. We brought home the Trash Panda (which I'm enjoying right now!) and 1996 in cans. 

Lo and behold, the can art is a hard nod, an homage, a hella great reference to Rocco's Modern Life, a fantastic 90s cartoon that my kids (and I) grew up on. Seeing that TV Set, the door, the date, and the West Coast IPA - it's all so beautiful and brought me right back to the living room of our homes and watching with the kids. And oh how I loved that show and my kids (I still do but the 90s were special).

 If you're not familiar with the show, I recommend it. It's pure, delightful, weird, and wonderous. Any brewery that is steeped in this early 90s nostalgia is alright by me. 

Not to leave without a mention of the band, Old Eastern ripped the industrial park up with a caustic mix of American blues with kind of a psychedelic bent. They even have a trumpet and a flute. Their drummer was a monster. I'd go out of my way to hear these guys play again. Great show.

We'll be back. It's a good location once I can convince some folks north of us to come out for a pint. Looking forward to going back!

Plant Workshop and Beers Too! - 3 Stars Brewing, Washington DC

I have had a challenging week or so. 

Doug bought me a ticket to a plant workshop at 3 Stars Brewing in DC. 

Of all the local breweries this is one that we have had on our list and have never made it to and we both couldn't believe that it has taken this long for us to drop in.  

We arrived about a half hour before the workshop, so it was beer time. I ordered  the Shuriken Kellerbier, which was pretty great (see left). Doug got the Funkerdome Society #1 2021, which was served in a tiny glass which was probably a good idea. 

The Shuriken was very good, and the Funkerdome was delightfully sour, but I would have loved a bigger glass. It was listed with a 6.7 ABV which isn't that high, but it seemed their policy. 

I headed to the plant workshop and got settled in. Brought a Diamonds are Forever with me and got in a spot of trouble for walking into an area of the brewery that was wide open but not intended for the public. But I managed to get the picture I wanted, as seen below. Diamonds are Forever was a really nice New England Hazy IPA, slightly more bitter than most but that was alright by me. It had great lace as you drank it down, and was a really enjoyable beer.

Apologies extended for going into the restricted area, the workshop began and it was delightful. There was a young boy there who knew a lot about the ecosystem for carnivorous plants and bogs and marshes. The workshop came with a pot and one plant, but I wanted all three so, I basically paid a lot more to get the full setup I envisioned. 

I sat at a table with a couple, and a woman who lives very close to me. We had a lot of fun building our pots and chatting. The instructor was very helpful and I felt like I learned a lot about these carnivorous plants.  

My table neighbors, their beers and plants.

My little Sun Dew, before I accidentally dumped it out into my pot and it got covered up with the 
dirt. I'll clean it up so it gets its dew renewed!

Pitcher plant (can't remember the official name) with my 

Diamonds Are Forever beer.

My finished pot with my Birds of a Feather beer
slightly blurry because it was darker in the taproom than I'd liked, and the focus came out on the mural
which I love. 

3 Star has a lot going on most weekends. There were savory hand pies, smash burgers, and edibles for sale,  jewelry for sale, and a record swap. The taproom is big and spacious, with plenty of seating and really cool wall art featured throughout. The staff pulling beers were all great, very friendly and very busy. There were families, kids, and a lot of activity for the middle of the day. 

The only thing I really was not feeling into was the DJ. For 2pm, the music was kind of excessively loud, a bit much, impossible to have conversations and I left with a headache. It was cool to hear some old school jams though, I just wish it wasn't as loud as it was. 

I'll be heading back to 3 Star for some more plant shenanigans late in April, they host a prop swap, and I'm in the market for some new plants. As a burgeoning plant mom, I am digging the whole community feel they present with events like this.