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. 

Ardent Craft Ales, Richmond VA

We recently spent a few days in Richmond, Virginia (see the Mekong write up earlier this week). Doug had done a lot of research on the brewing scene in Richmond and we were eyeballing a lot of spots on the Richmond Beer Trail. 

My cousin was in the hospital recovering from surgery, and I was his after care specialist for when he was released. Doug came with me to hang out, and we were both planning to have a full work day from the cousin's apartment. 

After walking up the street to the delightful Riverbend Roasters for coffee and bagels, we settled into work.  

But fate would have other plans. 

The internet was out (thanks to down detector we were sure it wasn't just a problem at his address but his neighborhood). Both of us did what we could to reschedule meetings and alert our teams to the lack of internet (thank you, phones and Slack!) Then we thought... what to do, what to do... I thought for sure my cousin would be spending the second night in the hospital, Doug said that he'd be released when the hospital felt that he should be released.

Doug had downloaded the pdf of the beer trail map, because he is smart like that. We then had our plan for the day. 

We opted to head to the most dense part of the beer trail on the map, a neighborhood labeled Scott's Addition. Looked like we'd be able to visit a couple breweries in one fell swoop. We'd grab a beer at a couple locations and take out for the rest (gotta drink responsibly!) 

Ardent Craft Ales is centrally located at spot 2 on the neighborhood map featured above, so it seemed to be a great option for a starting point. As it was early in the day, we were looking forward to lunch (Doug had scoped the menu out while planning, and was looking forward to the charcuterie board). 

He wanted to sit outside, but immediately it became obvious we were destined to hang at the bar when I started to talk with the beerkeeper, Maddy, who was delightful, welcoming, vivacious. 

Thinking about the recent visit I had to a northern Virginia brewery which I didn't enjoy and felt ignored and overlooked, this was refreshing. Talking about the industry and brewing, the neighborhood and the Beer Trail with Maddy was a lot of fun. 

To be honest, I always recognize when it is busy in a brewery or a bar, the staff are not going to have time to shoot the shit with some rando amateur beer blogger. I know I'm not important, I know I'm not some sort of professional. I just think small talk is sometimes the heart of things in this industry, so when you can get some and get GOOD some, it's even better. 

Beats the shit out of a middle distant stare-through when your glass is empty and the person doesn't ask you if you want another. If you're sitting at the bar, it usually indicates you're gonna be looking for your glass to be filled. 

Maddy made sure of that. If anyone from Ardent ever reads this - please know your staff was exceptional, and it's why we didn't end up leaving and going to a secondary or tertiary location on our "tour" of Scott's Addition, and also why I'll be back in June when I am back in Richmond. 

Anyway. The beers. 

I started with the Cold IPA which sounds like a weird name until you look at the art on the beer board in the picture above.

Instantly it brought up the image of the ICEE art and other similar cold fruity summer heat slaying snacks of our youth. 

It was crisp, clear, lovely. 

Doug got the Ardent Wheat, which had such an amazing flavor. Pictured to the right here, the Ardent Wheat is on the left and the Cold IPA is on the right. And down below the Ardent Wheat is hanging out with the Doug-desired and very well adored by both of us charcuterie board. 

The charcuterie board had three different cheeses, two different meats, pickled onions and wee pickles, and olives. The pear, delightfully sliced, was perfectly ripe and lovely with a piece of cheese against it. 

My only complaint about the charcuterie board was I usually love a nice piece of toasty bread or two for building up a mini stack of the cheese and meat together. That would be the only thing I think that would improve this presentation. The bleu cheese would have been best suited against a cracker or toast. The Appalachian in the middle was perfect against both meats, and I think the cheese at the far right was the Carolina. Smooth and creamy. The Ardent Wheat was a perfect pair to all the flavors here. 

Next, I went into Gose territory to get the Mixed Berry Gose. Initially, I'd wanted the Orange & Clove but they didn't have it on draft, just can, so I'd wanted it on draft. I'm not a huge fan of mint so I didn't go the pomegranate route. 

It's times like this that a flight is nice, but in some ways that's cheating in my book, especially with checking into things on Untappd. 4 oz samples are not exactly a full experience. 

The mixed berry gose was a beautiful color, vibrant and happy. The flavor was subtle, and it wasn't very sour so if you like your Gose to be puckery, this isn't it. It was a good transitional choice between the first course and the sandwich to come.

Doug went with the Defenestrator. 

A collaboration with the Cask Cafe, this was a great doppelbock. We ordered our sandwiches. Doug got the Pressed Avocado, which came with ham, fig jam, brie. Struggling with my decision, I ordered the Roast Beef which came with gouda, spicy mustard and garlic aioli. 

I asked the beerkeeper (Maddy was off on other duties) what he'd recommend with the sandwich and if the IPA X or 14 would be the better bet. He steered me toward the IPA 14 (noting IPA X doesn't mean 10, the way one might interpret). 

Doug had the Kellerbeer with his sandwich. Note that I didn't photograph either beer at this point because we were very busy eating our delicious sandwiches with the amazing side slaw.  

The IPA 14 was great with the roast beef and the Kellerbeer came home with us in a takeaway bag along with some Ardent Wheat. All told, both great choices with the meals we had. 

To be honest, I am sad that I didn't get his name but the beerkeeper we had was delightful. A lovely person, and I would recommend going to Ardent to meet him. I asked him to pose for me with his Sláinte tattoo, as it is a big part of my family heritage to see such a marking of a great server and one who shares such cheer. 

Cheers, dears!

If anyone from Ardent does social media or tracking of web referrals in Google Analytics, leave a comment and let me know who this lovely human is. I won't post Maddy's picture that she let me take because she's mostly sharing her tattoos and I don't have permission necessarily. I wanted to take pictures of them for our kid Jess to show them a fellow sea creature liker. But I did tell this human why I wanted the picture.

Everyone in my family would agree this is awesome. 

We were thinking of swinging round to the cidery or another stop on the beer trail before heading back to base camp in Church Hill. My phone rang and it was the hospital telling me my cousin would be ready for pick up very shortly. Oh! okay! So that changes things. Doug brought me back to the house, and he headed north to home. 

I waited for the pick up call (which didn't come for another 2 hours, but that's okay - I was happy to get a nap) and my take away beers were in the fridge, waiting to keep me company later on that week. 

Where my cousin lives there isn't a brewery right handy - there are some good beer bars, and one restaurant within walking distance where we had some Ardent and others during the week. I understand someone is opening a brewery in Church Hill this spring/summer so that'll be another addition on the beer trail to go visit when we go back! 

Thanks Ardent for a great day and visit! 

Astro Lab Brewing, Silver Spring, MD

Date of Visit, February 19, 2022

Feeling cooped up for a couple of weeks, Doug suggested that we head to downtown Silver Spring to visit Astro Lab Brewing for some lunch and brews. Twist my arm, wouldya? 

We'd only been to Astro Lab one time, back in July 2021, where we actually ran into one of my co-workers hanging out on the patio. We had a wonderful visit with him, so I didn't log my beers for a write up. Happy to return to do an official blog entry on the space. 

Downtown Silver Spring currently hosts three breweries. The most popular is Denizens, everyone seems to know it if you mention breweries in town, and they have a second location s they've expanded their vision and mission in brewing. There's also Silver Branch, which is conveniently right on the Red line of the DC Metro line. In the Before Time when I'd be commuting, Doug would sometimes text me to say he was stuck in traffic in Virginia. I'd bail in downtown, grab a pint or two, a container of popcorn, and do a little more work for a half hour or so to avoid waiting or languishing in the cold at my stop (or, walking the 3/4 mile home in the cold or rain, or brutal heat). 

Astro Lab is located right on the main drag through Silver Spring, parking on the road in the immediate vicinity is sometimes a challenge, but garages in the neighborhood are free on Saturday and Sunday, and after 7pm weekdays, which makes it a little easier. They have a small limited menu of food, and they do not allow outside food to be brought in, which is kind of a shame when you scan the nearby neighborhood and realize the huge assortment of cuisines from Chinese to Indian to Ethiopian and good old American Subs right in front of your face. 

We were hungry in addition to thirsty, so we did get the hand pies they serve. Having been to a number of places that serve this sort of nomage, they're similar to Cornish Pasties or my favorite KO pies from Australia which  we used to enjoy all the time in Boston. They're not very filling, so we were careful not to overdo it with the beers vs. having a nice full belly to offset the ABVs. 

I only checked into 4 beers on Untappd, which is not the full experience of what we had. We share beers when we go out, Geoff always wants to try what we got so we've just all gotten used to trying from one another's glasses. It's a family thing. 

I started out with the Rock Creek Lager .. Lagers should be simple, easy, and clean and this one certainly is. Does not disappoint as a first choice.

Geoff got the Ripple, which was a nice berry stout. It had a lot of "nose" as it were, very berry scent but the flavor wasn't to match. Still, quite tasty overall.

Zero to 60 was Doug's choice, described as an Imperial/Double IPA/New England Hazy, tremendous flavor and scent. 

Gravitas Rainbow was my second beer, chosen for the nod to Thomas Pynchon novel. Which I've never read and I actually only know one person who has - Doug. This beer is fruit-full and delicious. The rainbow being all the flavors you get out of the mix, like peaches, nectarine, melon. Incredibly tasty without veering into any sort of Gose or sour. It remains a true IPA. 

We also had the Groovier (Geoff), and Battle of Nantes (Doug), and Geoff had a third to go with his awesome ice cream sandwich, but I didn't record what he had. I was busy goofing off and playing with the brewery cat. I really should do a whole write up of awesome brewery cats. Gotta protect the ingredients from mice! Keep doing amazing work across the country, you good babies.

I should mention the hand pies again. I had the curry and Doug had the beef. Both were delicious, but like I mentioned - small. Usually when I head out to a brewery I really also want a decent nosh. Potato chips on the side don't necessarily increase the experience. Overall though, the flavor made up for the small, and hand pies are supposed to be hand pies... and not the hands of a giant. 

It's nice to have some really good choices close to home!

Caboose Brewing, Vienna VA

Date of Visit: February 21, 2022

For several weeks, Doug and I have been spending time over in Reston helping a family member with some issues at home. That's not beer blog fodder. But. After spending several hours and feeling like no progress is getting made, filled with the overwhelming sensation that we're not getting anywhere, a person should just take a detour to get a cold one. 

This was one of those days. 

Presidents' Day is a holiday for many, but not for my husband. So I went and did the family duties with care and love all by myself. I had been eyeballing options for places to stop but found the couple I wanted to visit were closed on Mondays. 

So I picked Caboose Brewing. Slightly out of my way but I figured it would be great to just sit, relax, and have a beer. 

The place was super crowded when I got there. It was a gorgeous day, and the tavern backs up onto a rail trail. Dozens of cyclists and families with kids were hanging out enjoying a break on their long or short hauls on the bright and sunny afternoon. 

I entered the tavern, the signs said to wait to be seated so I waited. For a rather long time. I was about to give up and leave when one of the staff noticed me and asked if I wanted anything. Yes. To sit. Somewhere. Please. 

She told me that I could sit anywhere, gestured around and gave me a big smile. I thought it odd, and pointed out that the sign said to wait to be seated. 

She shrugged. I headed straight to the bar. 

The bartenders (they have a full bar) basically ignored me as they washed glasses and cleared the bus corner where the waitresses were bringing things back.I finally flagged one down and asked if I could order. He said sure. Again, kind of a weird feel to this but okay.

I chose To Helles and Bock because I love good pun names. It was very refreshing, especially after hours of cleaning and working. Great taste and a nice maibock. I downed it fast, but got a picture for the socials. 

I wanted a second one, and just couldn't get the attention of anyone behind the bar. There were two or three people back and forth, filling orders for the wait staff bringing things to the tables. I even got a middle distance stare through by one of the staff, like I wasn't even there. Eventually I walked over to the to go case because there were a couple beers I wanted to try, and when I came back I asked for my second beer, and the guy heard me. 

"I'll take a second pour and these to go. You can close out the tab then." 

I ordered the Dunkelweisen, and got the Fog Hazy IPA and Blackberry Gose to go home to the boys. My notes in untappd are blank from the check in, so I think that I just wanted to drink it and go. I don't have a really strong mental note either of what I thought.  

Caboose serves food too, but I knew I was headed home to a fully made dinner in an hour, and I didn't want to ruin my appetite. The menu looked good, and the bike rider next to me had a buffalo chicken sandwich. It smelled amazing and he made a couple audible groans of delight at the deliciousness of the sammitch. I asked him how was it and she shook his head, asking "are you married?" 

Laughingly, I admitted to such and he told me that if I had that sandwich, I'd leave my husband, and live with the sandwich forever. His wife was sitting on his other side, and she was laughing (with her salad in front of her, probably not feeling the same about her salad). I asked him if he was going to leave his wife and go live with this sandwich, and he said yes. Yes he was. 

Note to self that the sandwich is worth divorce. 

I had to flag down one of the waitstaff, while sitting at the bar, to pay my tab. I realized that the bartender was paying attention to the couple next to me and I still felt that this was just weird. 

It was time to go. I felt overall that the beer was good here, but my experience was negative. I'm not used to ever sitting at a bar and not getting attention. Luckily the ride home was swift, and we were able to enjoy the Fog and Blackberry Gose at home. I didn't take notes or photos of them, but we overall really loved the Gose. 

To be honest, I'm not sure I will ever go back to Caboose, even for the divorce sandwich. Even with Doug. 

Mekong, Where Beer Is The Answer

 Hello Shenanifans! I've been neglectful and have not updated since Thanksgiving, but have been to a couple of good places that I do want to write about! So I'll back track on my beer trail soon and fill in some blanks. Watch for those updates.

I find myself in Richmond, VA right now. We have come down to help my cousin from his surgery this week. He is still in the hospital, and we are hanging at the apartment. 

A couple years ago, Doug did some travel work and found himself here. He stayed at a hotel within walking distance of a Vietnamese restaurant with a brewery. Well. There ya go. He enjoyed his visit so much that he wanted to go back. That's where we ended up last night.

Mekong is indeed for beer lovers, and food lovers as well, I'll say. With an extensive beer menu that spans north to south, styles and flavors, they even brew their own. Doug had wanted to go into the brewery area but they're closed on Mondays, sadly. Well, it isn't like we don't have choices. 

We ordered pan fried dumplings and rocket shrimp wraps for appetizers, and surfed the beer list. I always like to do the locals when I travel, so I got the Space Invaders Hazy IPA from Final Gravity Brewing here in Richmond. Doug got the Animal Balloon SIPA from Hudson Valley. 

Space Invaders is pictured to the left and Animal Balloon on the right in the photo above. They look so wonderfully similar, but taste wildly different. The Space Invaders was nice. Good flavor and mouthfeel, it went down easy for a DIPA. The SIPA tasted like a mimosa, or a spree candy once the hard coating starts melting off when you're sucking on it. Both of them were fantastic. 

 

In a lot of ways it is weird to me to drink fruity sours with the flavors of Vietnamese cooking. They don't really go together. 

But we're here to eat delicious food and drink tasty beer, dagnabbit, and if necessary, rinse between tastes so you can go from a tart cherry to a spicy curry and not get your palette  completely confused. 

We next wandered into two very different looking and tasting beers. 

On the left is the Enga Ikizere from Mast Landing in Maine. A coffee brown ale that was super, very heavy coffee taste and smell. Almost like having that morning coffee for sure. 

I am a huge  fan of Mast Landing because they've been the brewers for Guster's take over of the city of Portland, Maine for the past few years. I'm hoping they'll have yet another concoction mixed up for us in August for the next On the Ocean 2022. 

Doug picked the tart cherry Amarelle from another Maine state brewer, Oxbow Brewing Company. It was very cherry, tart, fantastic. Not as tart and puckery as the Animal Balloon, but a different feel due and flavor due to cherry vs. orange. Really tasty. Good for sipping and talking. 

We enjoyed our dinners with this pair, the Tom So Xao Hanh Gung, which was shrimp and scallops breaded and fried, then glazed with a ginger sauce and scallions, and the Bo Xao Lan, which is beef sauteed with onion and spicy yellow curry sauce, sprinkled with crushed peanut. The curry could have been hotter or spicier, but to be honest, going with a lot of the fruity styles of beer maybe it was better this way. It was a tremendous meal.

Lastly, we had another pair of mismatched looks and tastes but very much a dessert course in and of themselves. 

In the back is the Geisterzug Rhubarb by Freigeist Bierkultur, and in the front a tiny but potent Buntastic by Prairie Artisan Ales. 

The Rhubarb was yet another nice sour, almost like wine or cider. It was delicious, and very flavorful, not that I ever think of rhubarb itself as flavorful. All of my rhubarb experience have usually been in pie, and always better when the pie is made with a mix of rhubarb and something else. But this was good.

Mekong failed me at not actually having carrot cake to serve with the carrot cake beer. That would be a nice coupling. It has a very high ABV, but it's not a face punching hot alcohol forward brew. 

When I held it up to my nose, I honestly could barely detect any aroma to it so I got a little worried it would be a dud. Doug said he got the hints of vanilla but other than that not much. I got nothing. 

But then you sip it and all the flavor is there. Carrot, sugar, vanilla, spices, maybe a hint of coconut, and it's a slice of cake right in your face. I understand the tiny glass because of the ABV but this left me wanting some more.

And a slice of cake. 

As a restaurant, the staff was fantastic. Everyone had on fun shirts that were plays on pop culture references and their motto of beer being the answer. I thought about the Todd Rundgren song of Love is the Answer and sang about beer instead. The Virginia is for Lovers tag gets a nod with Mekong is for Beer Lovers, Run DMC's logo is turned into ANS WER (I didn't want to ask my waiter if I could take his picture. 

I loved their logo on the seats and tables to remind you at every moment that you're in the beer lover's place. A bottle cap edge with the river running through it, as a nod to both Vietnam and the Mekong river and Richmond with the James, both places united by water that divides the land. 

One of my favorite bands, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, have a song called Mekong about an American serviceman at a bar ordering rounds of Mekongs from the barkeep as he makes friends, and he bemoans that he hasn't seen his girl in 15,000 miles. The refrain goes: 

"And if it's true it's always happy hour here, then if it is I'd like to stay a while. 

As cliche as it may sound I'd like to raise another round,

And if your bottle's empty help yourself to mine. Thank you for your time.

Here's to life." 

It put a smile on my face to look around and see people enjoying themselves so much with friends and food and drink. Here's to life, indeed. The lighting is very bright, the bar is lined with bottles and pulls. Giant TVs were showing car racing and NCAA tourney games at the bar. The place was hopping with families, dates, Moms and Dads with their VCU students, it was a true mix of folks enjoying the food and atmosphere. 

All told this was a fantastic night out. Richmond, you're lucky to have this gem! I'd go back for sure, and recommend others do too!