Team D(r)INK Reunion Tour

Readers of the Pour Travelers are likely privy to the escapades of Team D(r)INK, our bona fide "drinking team." The term was coined by me (with a slight tweak provided by Brewslut) around nine years ago during a trip to Philadelphia. As the story goes, Brewslut and I were traveling by Amtrak with Dan and Kristen (D&K) to meet Deuane and Carolyn (D&C), Heath and Kim (H&K), and Scott and Vicki (S&V) for a beer-soaked romp around the City of Brotherly Suds. While en route to Dock Street Brewing Company by foot, we were asked by two small African-American children, "Are you all on some sort of team?" I replied, "Yes! A drinking team." Perplexed, the children carried on with their activities, and we went our merry way.

When we arrived at Dock Street, everyone got a kick out of the story, and Team D(r)INK was born. The term DINK stands for "Double Income, No Kids," and Brewslut suggested adding the parenthetical (r) into the mix to bring the two together. While Scott technically wasn't a DINK (he has three lovely daughters), he and Vicki didn't have children together, so they became honorary members. Over the years, Team D(r)INK has grown to include several other members (some of which are single, some of which have children), but the original group consisted of these four couples. And when a photograph of that original trip came up in Brewslut's Facebook "Memories," she re-posted it to her feed and suggested a reunion with the original group. Unfortunately, D&K would be visiting San Diego for its beer week festivities, and Heath was unable to attend, but the rest of us found a mutually agreeable date and scrawled it on our collective calendars. 

It was on. We're getting the band back together. Team D(r)INK reunion tour 2018!

The original Team D(r)INK circa 2009.

The first order of business was to meet up with D&C at a new brewery in Shillington prior to meeting the rest of the group at Hidden River at 2 p.m. Since it was on the way and opened at 11 a.m., we decided to check it out. 

Exterior of Schaylor Brewing Co. in Shillington, PA.

The brewery we would be checking out was Schaylor, situated in an old car dealership just up the road from the Tom Sturgis pretzel factory. We used to live relatively close to Shillington in nearby Sinking Spring, and used to frequent Paolo's restaurant, just a few buildings down from Schayler, for AYCE wings and pizza. It was dirt cheap too! 

I'd perused the beer menu in advance, and unfortunately the beer I was most excited to try - something called The Pike, a dark sour mild ale brewed with maple mesquite walnuts and coffee - had kicked the previous night. Next time, right?

Our view from the bar at Schaylor.

With about ten different beers on tap, Brewslut and I decided to get our own flights of four beers each. Here's the low-down on my flight:

• Killed by a Daewoo - IPA brewed with a laundry list of ingredients including oranges, sweet orange peel, coriander, wheat, rye, and a variety of hops such as Amarillo, Citra, and Columbus.
• El Diablo - hazy IPA with English yeast and hopped with Citra, El Dorado, Mosaic, and Warrior.
• Dr. Rick Marshall - hazy IPA brewed with lupulin powder and heavily dry-hopped with a variety of hops including Apollo, Citra, and Magnum.
• Chaka - hoppy, roasty black IPA with a huge grain bill (12 varieties!) and six different hop varieties.

Overall, we were all pleasantly surprised by the quality of the beers. Everything was pretty solid overall. Following my original flight of four beers, I decided to order a sample size of S'moreo Speedwagon based on Brewslut's recommendation. (Love the name, by the way!) This sweet stout utilizes crushed graham crackers, cocoa powder and nibs, lactose, cinnamon sticks, Oreo cookies, and vanilla bean to achieve a Thin Mint (you know, the Girl Scout cookies) flavor. This was quite tasty albeit a tad thin in body. If they ever make a higher gravity version of this with a thick, chewy texture, though, look out! This one was definitely the most memorable of the lot, in my opinion, though the other beers were all good in their own right. 

We almost forgot Pleeps at home, but he was glad we went back for him!

We first visited Hidden River back in September 2016, and right off the bat we were smitten. The beers were elegant, delicious, and slightly off-kilter. We loved everything about the place: the beer, the people, the vibe, and the house (yes, it's actually situated in an historic building known as the Brinton Lodge). The owners saved it from being demolished and opened Hidden River. Since our initial visit, we've only been back one other time. Sadly, it was following last year's Sly Fox Bock Fest & Goat Races, so needless that particular visit registers as a bit hazy in my memory banks. 

We arrived about fifteen or twenty minutes earlier than S&V (with Kim following a bit after that), so we got situated at a table (actually two of them) and ordered some beers. Hidden River was having some kind of can or crowler release that day, so there was a lengthy line of people in queue at the main bar. We decided to stick to the dining room area even though the tap list was a truncated version of the beer list available in the bar area. Still, plenty of good beer to be had until the line died down. 

I started off with Down in the Cone, a DIPA well-hopped with Motueka, Citra, and Lemondrop. According to its description, the beer is named after a saying at the brewery when they're brewing hoppy beers. Apparently, brewing with copious amounts of kettle hops results in a cone-shaped mound of hop remnants at the bottom. Hence the phrase "down in the cone." The intriguing hop bill elicits notes of Mandarin orange, sticky mango puree, vanilla custard, and lemon bars. This beer was pretty damn delicious and went down the gullet all too easily. 

Meanwhile, Brewslut was working on a lovely pour of a beer called Primordial Energy . She had to correct me on the pronunciation of "primordial" (with its long "I" sound in the first syllable). Oh, grammar how we love thee! Described as a Peach Hibiscus Sour IPA, this cloudy but silky smooth beer boasts an exquisite fuchsia hue that bordered on lavender. It truly was a beautiful beer! Named in honor of Kali, the Hindu goddess, this beer was brewed with lactose and conditioned on peach puree, vanilla, and hibiscus flowers. The hop combination of Azacca, Galaxy, and African Queen (formerly an experimental variety now grown in South Africa) yields notes of ruby red grapefruit, peach smoothie, lime zest, and delicate flower pedals. This beer was Uh. Maze. Ing!

I made the classic rookie mistake (shame on me) of starting with a DIPA and then moving to a session IPA. But I didn't want to do two DIPAs in a row because we still had a long day ahead of us. Plus, the back bar area was limited in its taps. For my second beer, I ventured over to the smaller (but main) bar area to peruse the selection, which featured about a dozen different beers, some of which were also on tap in the room we were occupying. I decided on a pour of  Wind of the Mountain, a "small IPA," according to Hidden River. I like that better than "session." Named after an ancient Irish poem, this tasty IPA features a blend of Mandarina Bavaria, African Queen, and Mosaic hops for hints of melon rind and citrus zest. Hidden River also suggests notes of "light grape soda" and "alfalfa in the fields." How poetic! 

After catching up with everyone and enjoying a few beers at Hidden River, it was time to get the show on the road and head to the next destination. I'll admit that I hadn't heard of Pottstown United until Deuane suggested we go there as part of our "reunion tour," so we were, of course, game. Turns out the beer was quite good! 

Gonna keep on drinkin', never stop... united!

When we arrived, there were a few other patrons scattered throughout the tasting room, but we were able to secure a large table in the back. While the place is pretty small, there is a large one-piece lacquered log-style bar along the right side that is pretty impressive. The opposite side features a brick wall and additional tables. Our table was similar to the bar. We perused the menu and, while everyone else ordered snacks and such, we decided to wait until our next stop (La Cabra) because we heard the food was excellent. Plus we'd already eaten a sizable breakfast earlier in the day, so we had enough fuel in the tank for a few beers here.

I think they commissioned Jackson Pollock for this.

Speaking of beer... Snoochie Boochies! The first beer I ordered was named Snoogins, which is a reference to one of my favorite movie characters, Jay (of Jay and Silent Bob fame). If you've ever seen Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma, etc. then you know the Mack Daddy of Jersey. Recognize! Even if I didn't want this beer (which I did; it's a NE-style IPA) I felt obligated to order it based solely on its name. This one didn't scream hazy NE-style, though. It didn't really scream anything, actually. It was just a pretty damn delicious IPA boasting lots of peppery grapefruit rind, dank pineapple, and juicy overripe mango. The mouthfeel was pretty thick and viscous for an IPA, but I really enjoyed its texture. It turned out to be one of the most memorable beers of the day for me... even if it had a dumb name. Snoogins, indeed! (Editor's note: Unfortunately, our server mispronounced it as "Snoojens" with a "J" sound. Also, I ordered a half pour but was given a full pour instead - and at the full price too. Lucky for me I enjoyed it so much.

Pleeps chillin' with his buddy Zeke.

Meanwhile, Brewslut was working on a pour of a creamy oatmeal stout called Slick Rick (presumably named after the rapper of the same name). Dispensed via nitrogen, this stout was well appointed with heavy notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt, and coffee. I had a few swigs; enough to know it was a solid nitro stout. If they really wanted to nail the presentation of this beer, they should have served it with an eyepatch garnish.

All in all, Pottstown United was better than I'd anticipated. It was also a one-and-done stop for us, and soon it was time to head to La Cabra. Even if La Cabra's beer sucked (which it definitely didn't!), I still would have loved it just for the goat connection. When we arrived, there was about a 35-minute wait for a table. Yup, this place was brimming with people both upstairs in the loft and downstairs on the main floor. I'd been aware of the brewery but didn't know much about it. Aside from my familiarity with the goat logo, I also had sampled one or two beers at local beer festivals (most likely Lititz). So it was nice to finally get to the source. 

Entrance to La Cabra. I'm gonna like this place!

While we were waiting for our table, we corralled in the corner over by the bar and grabbed some beers. I spotted Co-Pilot, a porter brewed with cold press coffee, on the board. Coffee beers are hard to pass up, and I'm glad I didn't let this one slip through my hands. This velvety, nitro-dispensed porter boasted rich notes of chocolate, fresh roasted coffee and a hint of caramel vanilla cream candy.  

Meanwhile, some of the team was talking up a beer called Hipster Catnip. Its moniker is one of the most evocative beer names I've come across lately. Sure it's a juice bomb (hence the hipster reference) bursting with tropical fruit and zesty citrus. And of course it has a silky smooth oat-laden mouthfeel. What about a dank, dry finish? You bet yer ass! Although it's listed as an American IPA on Untappd, it's pretty obvious that this is a NE-style hazy brah IPA. However, if they ALL tasted like this, I wouldn't be quick to condemn the style on most occasions. This beer was epic. It was delicious. It was everything I love about the style. And the beer's name is the icing on the cake. Needless to say, I ordered a pint of my own after snagging a few sips from Brewslut. Seriously, this may very well have been my beer of the day!

Best. Wallpaper. Ever! 

Food-wise, the menu was diverse and forward-thinking with a variety of interesting ingredients and dishes. We decided to share an appetizer, so we settled on the Smoked Fish Trio featuring 

smoked whitefish yuca chip, salmon and ricotta crostini, fried smelt and roasted peppers. It was small but extremely flavorful and paved the way for our entrees. I went with the Becky Bowl, a tasty concoction of house smoked salmon, farro, roasted pumpkin, Swiss chard, sweet corn, toasted pistachio, and maple vinaigrette. It was quite tasty. I've been digging these "grain bowls" that some places have been serving lately. It could have been a bit more substantial, perhaps, but the mix of ingredients was delicious and healthy. At least it tasted healthy. 

For my "after dinner" beer, I opted for a pour of Johanna, a luscious NE-style DIPA rife with lemon candy and gentle lactose sweetness atop a hoppy, citrus-forward canvas. This one was definitely a sipper and I took my time with it as we all conversed about life, beer, travel, and music. I really look forward to our next visit to La Cabra. I mean, they've got awesome beer, great food, an amazing atmosphere, and - best of all - goats! Well, not living, breathing goats, but goat wallpaper, a goat logo... you get the idea. 

Until next time, La Cabra.

We'd planned on two more breweries for the day, but we ended up spending a bit more time at La Cabra than we had anticipated. Therefore, we settled on Locust Lane as our final stop for the day. The brewery is situated in an industrial warehouse-type building among other similar buildings, much like many other breweries we'd visited in the past (particularly in California). Inside, the place is pretty non-descript: lots of white walls, a generic bar amid brewing equipment and fermentation tanks, and a few tables. We actually snagged the one table that was set up actually in the brewery's cellar. S&V informed us in advance that the beers here were hit or miss. However, it was a new place we could cross off the long list of breweries we'd visited. 

Outside Locust Lane. It was, like, dark out and stuff.

After perusing the beer list, I decided on Experimental IPA #8: Hybrid, a hazy, fruity IPA loaded with Idaho 7, Mosaic and Simcoe hops. This one didn't strike me as a NE-style IPA, although it was hazy. Idaho 7 hops tend to impart a sometimes odd vegetal note that I'm not 100% sold on. However, it seemed to gel with the Mosaic and Simcoe, coaxing traces of pulpy tropical fruit and melon. It was also a pretty dense beer for an IPA, if memory serves me correctly. Much like the beer, I was pretty hazy by this time of the day. When all was said and done, it was a pretty solid introduction to this brewery. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was great, but it was good.  

Some of the team was passing around a pint of Three Tun Citra IPA, a 100% Citra Hopped IPA that S&V assured was Locust Lane's most consistent beer. As expected, this one featured abundant grapefruit as well as a hint of floral notes. Again, it was good but not great. But sometimes solid is perfectly fine. I don't expect to be blown away every time I try a new beer. 

Locust Lane's brewhouse.

In addition to the two IPAs, Vicki passed around a pour of a Kolsch. Overall, it's a pretty crisp, delicately-balanced beer with a subtle fruit and hop character. It didn't speak to my palate too much, especially after drinking two pretty flavorful, hoppy IPAs. Still, I could tell it was a decent representation of the style. Same goes for the Belgian Golden Ale, a strong but easy drinking ale with notes of pear, green apple and a touch of black pepper. Think Tripel. Again, good but not great.

Although our last stop didn't live up to the other breweries we visited throughout the day, it was great to get the band together again for an enjoyable, beer-soaked day hopping around a few new breweries. Until next time...

A few hours in the Windy City

I rarely get to travel for work, but when I do you can bet there will be beer involved! I recently had the opportunity to fly to Chicago to meet with some representatives of Tröegs' new can vendor, Ardagh, at its facility in suburban Chicago. I was asked to join our Marketing VP and Designer at the meeting, which would also include dinner with Joe and Dimitro, two "mediators" from a packaging solutions company based out of King of Prussia called Zuckerman Honickman, Inc., who'd be helping facilitate our change in can vendors. The order of the day was to select colors for our "pilot cans," which are essentially prototypes of the finished product. So as to not bore you with too many work details, I'll just skip to the fun stuff.

Our meeting was scheduled for a Thursday morning at 9 a.m., so the three of us flew to Chicago out of Baltimore the previous morning. When we landed, the first order of the day was to seek out the best Chicago-style deep dish pizza for lunch. At that point, I'd still been fasting, but I couldn't resist a good pie for lunch. Prior to the trip, someone had suggested Lou Malnati's - known by locals as one of the best places for deep dish pizza in the city - and we were delighted to find that the restaurant was in very close proximity to Half Acre's downtown tasting room. It was settled. Lunch at Lou Malnati's followed by a visit to Half Acre, then "something touristy." (I remember the name of the restaurant because it sounds oddly like Illuminati's.) We each ordered our own personal sized pizza and shared a "family" salad, which was enough for each of us to have about three plates. Needless to say it was a pretty filling lunch, especially since I wasn't used to eating until about 6:30 p.m. after I'd already went to the gym. But hey, this was kind of like being on vacation, so when in Chicago...

Lou Malnati's: serious Chicago-style deep dish pizza!

Unfortunately, we had to deal with not only unseasonably chilly weather for early October (it was in the upper 30s when we left the hotel), it was also raining steadily. At that point, I'd wished I had the foresight to have packed a raincoat or umbrella. Actually, I did possess said foresight; I was just too lazy to pack those items. So we swiftly power-walked about two blocks to Half Acre. I'd been there once before on a previous Drinksgiving trip, but it was during my blogging hiatus so I never got to write about it. This place is worth a visit for Daisy Cutter alone, a delicious American Pale Ale that's one of the best I've ever had of the style. The tasting room looked exactly as I remembered it, and so did the adjoining gift shop.

Beer menu at Half Acre.

We settled in to a booth and perused the beer menu. All in all, there were about a dozen various styles available including the aforementioned Daisy Cutter, a few IPAs, some dark beers, a Mexican lager and a few others; a pretty diverse list overall. We all decided on flights of four beers. Here's the skinny on mine:

• Tuna - tropical fruit-forward pale ale with a touch of floral hops and a slightly piney finish. 
• Wig - IPA brewed with passionfruit tea and mango.
• Now & Then - India Pale Ale with a bit of haze and a tropical fruit cocktail-like character with a hint of resiny hops courtesy of Citra, Comet and Simcoe. 
• Shrub Tundra - English brown ale with local coffee from Dark Matter. According to Half Acre, the final beer is 3.5% coffee, extracted from Faro and Sarchimor, both grown at Finca San Jeronimo Miramar in Guatemala. I typically think brown ales are boring, but add coffee and you have something special.

Tuna is the sweeter, fruit salad sister beer of the more citrusy, dank Daisy Cutter. Enjoyable, yes, but just not quite up to the same level as Daisy Cutter. Now & Then had a similar vibe to Tuna with its melange of tropical fruit at the forefront. Wig was pretty solid with its heavy-handed passionfruit aroma and flavor. I thought this combination would have worked better with a tart ale, but it wasn't bad. But I'd have to say that Shrub Tundra was probably my favorite of the line-up. Perhaps it's because a few metal bands I love (Judas Priest and Mastodon in particular) have done collaborations with Dark Matter. Or maybe it's just that the beer is pretty bangin'. I'll go with a combination of both. Plus the name of the beer is just fun to say: Shrub Tundra. Say it out loud three times. It just rolls off the tongue. I love me some assonance!

The line-up at Half Acre.

After my flight, I came to the realization that I couldn't visit Half Acre and not order a Daisy Cutter. If you've never had it before, do yourself a favor and order one the next time you see it on draft. I've had it many times and it never disappoints. It's definitely got a West Coast vibe going on: lots of citrusy hops, slightly dank aroma, pretty dry finish, and a moderate hop bite. Fresh Daisy Cutter is definitely a Top 5 pale ale for me, and once again it was a pleasure to enjoy this beer straight from the source!

Yeti painting at Half Acre's tasting room.

While we were finishing up, one of Half Acres founders were sitting in the booth directly behind us doing some work. We eventually got to talking to him (I think we commented on an invite-only beer festival they were hosting in the near future) and he overheard us. We introduced ourselves as Tröegs ambassadors and it went from there. He hooked us up with some sweet enamel Daisy Cutter pins (I gave mine to Brewslut for her satchel). After chatting for a few minutes, we checked out the adjacent gift shop, talked to the two clerks, and had a few samples. I'd forgotten they fill growlers and pour samples in the gift shop. All in all, it was great to get back to Half Acre and enjoy some of Chicago's finest craft beers.

By now it had stopped raining, so we decided to head to nearby Begyle Brewing Company based on the recommendation of one of the female clerks at the Half Acre gift shop. We were hoping to do something "touristy" but we were on the opposite end of town from two proposed options: The Museum of Contemporary Art and "The Bean" (you know... that big silver sculpture that looks like a giant kidney bean). But another brewery visit was more than fine with me.

Begyle considers itself a "community supported brewery." I found this curious, as any brewery could be considered "community supported" because, you know, people from the community visit the brewery and support it by drinking beer. However, there's more to it than that. Begyle offers growler subscriptions through its Community Supported Brewery membership. Based on the community supported agriculture model (CSA), whereby farms sell produce shares and shareholders receive a box of produce each week at prices lower than the supermarket. Only instead of fruits and veggies, Begyle offers beer. Think of it as a beer subscription service. Pretty cool concept, I'd say.

New brewery alert. Add Begyle to the list!

During our visit, I decided on a few small pours in lieu of a sampler flight. First up was an IPA called Four on the Floor. Hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo and Galaxy, this one features a zesty, tropical fruit-forward hop profile. This one was probably my favorite of the three. The aroma was perhaps a bit lacking, but overall this was an enjoyable IPA. 

Up next was Pinky Swear. A SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) pale ale, this one is brewed with Golden Promise malt and Amarillo hops for a golden hue, sweet malty backbone and citrusy hop character with a hint of wildflowers. This one was a bit sweet and thin in body. With its somewhat dank, musty overripe grapefruit character, I would have thought a pungent hop like Amarillo would have coaxed a more pronounced hop aroma. 

Pretty sweet coasters at Begyle!

My last beer at Begyle was Maybe Next Summer, described as a "late summer ale." This hoppy ale is brewed with Motueka hops, a New Zealand varietal, to produce refreshing tropical fruit flavors. This one was pretty tasty too, but it just didn't have enough oomph for me. The beers here were all promising, though. They were clean and pretty well-balanced, but they all lacked a distinctive aroma and complexity in the finish. Obviously, the SMaSH pale ale was brewed to focus on single ingredients, but the other two, while "fine" by most standards, just weren't memorable to me in the long run. I applaud the concept of this newer brewery, though, and look forward to revisiting its beers the next time I'm in the area. 

Later that evening, we enjoyed an amazing dinner with Joe and Dimitro at a fantastic restaurant called The Publican. With a well-curated beer selection focusing on inventive sours and Belgian-style ales, there were definitely plenty of interesting options available. Food-wise, everything was off the hook. Menu items are served "family style," so we basically just went crazy and ordered a variety of appetizers, small plates, and entrees and just shared everything. The Publican is also known for its superb selection of raw oysters, so naturally we had to partake in those as well. Thankfully, our hosts picked up the tab (which had to be close to $500 including tip). But it was a pretty epic meal to say the least!

And then, there was the beer.

For my first selection, I went with the evocatively named Bread Zeppelin. A beer for carb junkies and classic rock fans alike, this collaboration between Freigeist Bierkultur and The Publican is a slightly sour amber ale brewed with smoked malt, rye, and approximately 440 pounds of German black bread added directly to the mash. Fermented in a copper-clad, cast-iron open fermenter with a wild yeast strain and a sourdough yeast culture, this was like liquid rye sourdough bread. I was pretty head over heels with this beer, actually.  

The other beer I had with dinner was another collaboration beer (this time between Firestone Walker and The Publican) called Pixie Dusted. This American wild ale gets its unique citrusy flavor from Pixie tangerines from Friend’s Ranches. By adding the juice and zest from this fruit to the Publican’s proprietary barrel blend, they concocted this 2018 GABF Silver medal-winning beer. This was another stellar beer that I'm so glad I got to try, because you simply don't come across beers like this on tap too often. After dinner, we said goodbye to Joe and Dimitro and decided what to do, since it was still relatively early (around 8:30 p.m.). 

While we were Ubering to dinner, I noticed that Haymarket Brewing was just down the street from The Publican. I suggested stopping in for an after-dinner drink. We were all pretty travel-weary by then, but we mustered up enough strength to swing by for a few small pours. Haymarket was probably my favorite of the Chicago breweries we'd visited during "Drinksgiving: The Chicago Excursion" a few years back. 

Since we were Ubering back to the hotel after this stop, I decided to make it count. Upon scanning the beer list, I decided to go with small pours of two high gravity beers. First up was Clare's Right Hook, a barleywine aged in Woodford Reserve Bourbon Barrels for 5 months. At 10.5% ABV, this was actually the lighter of the two beers I ordered. The other, a Belgian-style Quad aged for 11 months in Woodford Reserve DOUBLE oak barrels named Super Sexy Quads, weighed in at 12% ABV. I definitely felt the burn after these two heavy hitters... but in a good way! It was a quick stop, unfortunately, but a quickie is better than nothing, right? Needless to say I was feeling pretty laid back on the way back to the hotel. 

The next morning, we met with the Ardagh team and got down to business for a few hours before catching a flight back to Baltimore. I was definitely missing Brewslut and Pleeps at my side, but I'll never turn down an opportunity to visit some breweries... especially on someone else's tab! Until next time...