The Pour Travelers Take Delmarva: Part I

I think I speak for everyone when I say it's time to start getting things back to some semblance of normalcy. That doesn't necessarily mean chucking my mask in the trash and throwing caution to the wind, but enough is enough. It's time to start living life again. Whatever that means to you, I hope it at least means more than going to the store and stocking up on a month's worth of groceries and toilet paper. For us, well... we'd love nothing more than to just belly up to a random bar at a brewery we'd never visited before and start talking to a friendly bartender, a brewer, or even a pair of complete strangers. While we're still not there yet, we were able to recently pick up and head southward to coastal Delaware to spend a few days with our friend, Taylor, for some leisurely brewery hopping. You may remember Taylor from our "Cape Crusader trilogy" (links to parts 1, 2 and 3 for your reference) back just before COVID-19 reared its ugly head and threw up a roadblock so massive that it dwarfed Trump's sad little border wall. 

So, we set aside a long holiday weekend to traverse some familiar terrain and hit a few newbies in the process. The trip began on a Friday afternoon. With both of us working from home, we were able to shove off a few hours early and get a head start on traffic. The plan was to meet Taylor at Dogfish Head's Rehoboth Beach pub for dinner at 5 p.m. and head over to Dewey Beer Co. on the way back to his house. We arrived at 5 o'clock on the dot. We were both rather hungry, so I was glad to be seated immediately. 

The Pour Travelers are no strangers to Dogfish Head Brews & Eats. My band, herbie, used to play there often. However, it was during last year's visit when we witnessed the newly expanded brewpub in all its magnificent glory. First off, the stage for live music quadrupled! Anyone who has been to the original location knows how diminutive the stage was. The new spot was made for live music. (I'd love to book Solar Federation there, but they do original bands only, which I can respect.) 

Taylor deserved a hug rather than a COVID-sanctioned elbow bump. I mean, we'd be staying with him for a few days, so... With that, we took our seats and perused the beer menu, which was rife with exclusive beers a la Scratch Beers at Tröegs. I was pleased to see a favorite from last year's visit, Covered in Nuggs, on tap. I swiftly ordered a pint. Originally brewed for IPA Day, this old school style IPA is dank, piney and citrusy - just the way I like 'em! Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo and Centennial hops lend a hop-forward aroma and a sticky, resiny West Coast character with hints of grapefruit and pine. This beer reminds me of Nugget Nectar, although it's a tad less malty. 

After noshing on a pile of tasty fried pickles as an appetizer, it was time for dinner. Brewslut and I both ordered the same thing: ramen soup with chicken, mushrooms and a killer Thai-like broth. It was the dinner special of the day. Our server informed us that they typically don't offer specials, but mentioned that the kitchen staff was likely bored due to the lighter-than-usual crowds (thanks again, 'Rona). So they - as much as I hate this phrase - decided to make lemonade out of lemons. It was delicious and filling. 

Pleeps asks, "Do you want fries with that?"

I followed up my meal with some liquid dessert, courtesy of Porter Pounder. (Great name, by the way!) A robust porter, this one benefits from additions of lactose, vanilla, cocoa powder and - here's a first - pistachio flour. DFH claims this to be "the ideal beer to pair with a burger" and likens it to a gourmet milkshake. No burger for me (unless it's made with black beans or pea protein), but I'll definitely have the beer, thank you very much! This was pretty damn tasty to boot.

After dinner, we stopped in next door at the DFH general store and picked up some beer to-go (thanks for the employee discount, Taylor!) and headed to nearby Dewey Beach for our first of two visits over the weekend to probably our favorite small brewery in the area. 

Of course, I'm referring to Dewey Beer Company. When we arrived, we parked around back in a small dirt lot (parking is kind of tricky, as there are a lot of houses and driveways around), and met up with Taylor's DFH brewer friend and co-worker, Brandon, who had just arrived in his mammoth, monster-sized truck... or at least it appeared that way to my Pontiac Vibe-drivin' ass. After the obligatory greetings (I was identified as the "guy with the amazing backyard party," we headed inside for a few beers. 

There was a pretty healthy crowd at Dewey (at least by COVID standards) when we arrived, but we managed to snag a high top table close to the bar. I love the vibe of this place, which has the look of old repurposed wood. We enjoyed the beers and service so much last year that we visited twice. (Well, it would feel like deja vu again this year, but more on that later!) 

I was planning on really digging in to some fruited sours, but after scanning the beer menu, I noticed a DIPA brewed with one of my favorite hop varieties, Nelson Sauvin, so I switched gears and ordered a pour. The beer in question, Nelson Laugh (Haha!) features the aforementioned Nelson Sauvin as well as Galaxy and Motueka Hops. Nelson tends to introduce a very distinct white grape character, almost like a Riesling wine. However, the addition of Galaxy and Motueka (Australian and New Zealand varieties, respectively) added some bright citrus and tropical notes. This one was quite delicious!

Meanwhile, Brewslut worked on a pour of one of Dewey's Secret Machine series, this one the Blueberry, Blackberry, Raspberry variation. I really enjoyed sampling some of these during our previous visit, and this time was no exception either. Brewed with lactose, these fruit-infused, smoothie-like beers are soft, creamy and bursting with fruit flavor, in this case ripe berries. 

Pleeps has a Secret... Machine, of course!

I kept things light for my next beer and decided to try a lager, so I ordered a beer called Brewers in the Wild. When you're an avid craft beer drinker for as many years as someone like me, you eventually base camp. Inevitably, you are bitten by the hop bug. Once you get the taste of those green, sticky cones on your palate, there's no turning back. So, you work your way down the winding halls of hoppy beers, passing through phases of pale ales and eventually moving on to IPAs and, finally, West Coast hop bombs. After expunging all of your "hoptions" and graduating from Triple IPAs, you might begin exploring darker beers, starting with porters and ending atop the zenith of the extreme beer mountain, which in my opinion would be bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stouts. Then perhaps you familiarize yourself with sours, first getting into a light sour wheat such as a Gose or (in our case) Berliner Weisse, which inevitably beckons you to the cellars of Belgium where you soon discover the sacred, succulent nectar of breweries like Cantillon and Drie Fonteinen. When all of your styles options have been expunged, though, the circle of life returns back to where it all likely began for you: lagers. I don't mean the "lite" American macro swill that you may have imbibed when you were in college, or even Yuengling (although referring to that beer "swill" is definitely up for debate in my classroom). But there comes a time in every serious beer drinker's lifeline where he or she, at the end of the day, just wants a crisp, clean, no-frills lager. 

So with that I say, "Gimme some Saaz and Tettnanger!" I'm glad to see a trendy brewery such as Dewey making a fine lager. This beer is floral and slightly citrusy. Cozy and familiar. The thing I absolutely love about lagers is that they are so nuanced in their simplicity. It's the merger of four basic ingredients - malt, hops, yeast and water - all coming together eloquently. You can't hide behind anything. You can't throw in 7 pounds of hops per barrel. You can't dry-hop the shit out of it. You can't throw it in a barrel and "hope for the best." At the end of the day, you must be an exceptional brewer to craft a world-class pilsner. The moral of this story: Don't take lagers for granted. 

While I worked on my lager, everyone else was enjoying pours of Hot Wax, so I joined the party. Brewed with wheat flakes and Pilsen malt and hopped with Vic Secret and Galaxy, this 8.5% NEIPA boasted lots of tropical notes with a dank pineapple character that's rounded out by a hint of citrus. By now, you surely have come to know my relationship with NEIPAs, but I'm happy to report that this one was well-executed and enjoyable. 

After our session at Dewey, we stocked up on beer to-go (something in which we've been partaking much more often since the 'Rona) including several four packs of Secret Machine and Thrills variants. We can't wait to start digging into these in the very near future! 

Before retiring for the evening, we had to stop in at Taylor's favorite local dive bar for a few $2 cans of Natty Bo. Scotty's Bayside Tavern is a typical dive bar complete with pool tables, stale cigarette smoke dangling in the air and - most of all - plenty of colorful regular customers. Apparently, some of the patrons of a lighter complexion were heard making veiled (albeit disparaging) comments about some folks with noticeably darker complexions. ("Man, it's gettin' dark in here now" was overheard as a few black customers came in.) Kudos to the racists, though, for not being so blatant about it, right? New rule for 2021: If you're going to practice racism, keep it subtle. 

How 'bout some Natty Bo, yo!

Anyhoo, after pounding a pair of Natty Bo cans, we headed back to Taylor's pad for more beers. I was also introduced to the genius that is Marc Rebillet. (Unless you want to do down a 2+ hours YouTube rabbit hole, don't click this link right now... save it for another time when you're insomnia-plagued brain is staring blankly into your computer screen at 2:30 a.m.) Taylor broke out some DFH treats, including the brand spankin' new Hazy-O, a NEIPA brewed with oats... tons of oats. We're talkin' malted oats, rolled oats, naked oats, and oat milk, all of which combine to produce a pillowy, easy drinking IPA that's smooth and refreshing. I know we cracked open a bunch of other stuff, but I must have been on a brief Untappd hiatus, as this was the only beer I checked in that night after Natty Bo. We must have been having too much fun cruising for YouTube videos. 

We're just getting started, kids! Stay tuned for our second of three installments of our road trip to southern Delaware including a full day in neighboring Maryland. Until next time...

Frederick Overnighter

Aside from the possibility of inclement weather (which is highly likely in Central PA around this time of year), we like to embark on quick little overnight or weekend jaunts to nearby beer destinations during wintertime. We've actually experienced some unseasonably warm temperatures the last few years during January and February trips. While it was pretty chilly this last weekend, the cabin fever was starting to get to us. Plus we like to get off to a good start at the beginning of a new year. While Frederick, MD, is well-traversed ground for us, we were actually able to hit two new breweries and a brand new sister location of one of our favorites in the process. We made a last-minute decision to reserve a hotel room, which was dirt cheap, so we pulled the trigger and were off to Frederick for a little overnighter. 

I always like to factor in a quick stop somewhere along the way to our main destination, and Gettysburg's Fourscore Beer Co. seemed like the obvious choice. We'd just been there on the "silver medal" Drinksgiving trip this past November. We'd planned to go to Knoxville, TN, with D&C and cross another state off our brewery list, but, well... COVID. 'Nuff said. 

We got a later-than-usual start, as Brewslut was visiting the salon for her requisite bi-monthly  appointment. Still, we managed to arrive at Fourscore shortly after 1 p.m. The inside tasting room was full, save for a lone table, but was snatched up by two old ladies who cockblocked us by grabbing the table before ordering beer. (Enter your favorite C-word here.) Oh well, the chilly weather would have likely brought on some uncomfortable pangs of osteoporosis from which one of them I'd wager surely suffers. So it was outside and into the tent for us. It was rather windy during our visit, but the side flaps of the tent provided some adequate cover, and a small heater at the far end helped to warm the area as best as it could. 

We weren't very hungry, as it's customary for us to eat a filling breakfast prior to a day of drinking. However, PA law is still such that we must order food when drinking alcoholic beverages. So, we decided to split an order of wings. Turns out I was hungrier that I thought. The wings were tasty, although I don't know why many places insist on serving a quantity of 10 wings instead of a dozen. Call me traditional.

Anyway, on to the beer. Despite this being our third visit to Fourscore, I hadn't written about the brewery yet. Third time's a charm, I suppose. I've been digging Schwarzbiers lately. There's something about the crispness of a lager paired with a rich, dark chocolate-like malt character. After asking about a pair of foeder-aged beers on the menu, I noticed Lager Life: Black Lager on the board, so I switched gears. Brewed with a a hefty portion of British Maris Otter and dark Munich malts, the malt base for this beer also includes flaked and malted oats as well as a variety of specialty malts. Inky black with a tinge of mahogany around the edges, the aroma smacks of freshly brewed coffee, toast and a hint of chocolate. The flavor layers in some caramel and vanilla, lending a sweet but crisp finish. 

Meanwhile, Brewslut worked on a pour of Brekkie Bowl: Mega Berry. An updated version of the original release, this intense fruited sour features flaked oats, wheat and a touch of lactose. It's tartness comes from house Lactobacillus, and it's fruitiness is amplified from dry-hopping with lots of Mosaic and Citra Cryo pellets. Oh yeah... it's also conditioned on coconut, banana puree, toasted almonds, Madagascar bourbon and Tahitian vanilla beans, and PA maple syrup. Then, it's conditioned on strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and twice the amount of açaí fruit of the original. This drank more like a smoothie than a beer... not that that's a bad thing. It was pretty freakin' delicious. Last time we visited, I was pretty bowled over by another of its fruited sours, called Jahmba (Mango/Lime/Coconut). So it seems Fourscore has developed a niche for intense fruit beers. Hey, you don't hear me complaining! 

Pleeps enjoys a Brekkie Bowl. Banana, you say?

Par for the course, we'll typically share a pour of a high gravity beer before shoving off to the next place. Enter Black Friday Joy, a variation of another stout from Fourscore called Noon As Dark As Midnight. This bold stout features a malt base of oat malt, Maris Otter, flaked oats, British chocolate malt and a variety of crystal and roasted malts. But here's where the fun stuff takes place: the beer rests for 15 months inside bourbon barrels from Widow Jane Distillery of Brooklyn, NY, which previously held 10- and 13-year-old versions of its bourbon. As if that wasn't enough, after the aging process the beer is conditioned on a heaping amount of toasted coconut, Tahitian vanilla beans and Antidote beans from Baltimore's Vagrant Coffee. I liked Fourscore's description of this beer: "The aroma is distinctly wet and weathered oak with swirls of roasted peanut, sweet vanilla and rich whiskey. The flavors are the same with a nice medium-full body and all flavors linger on the finish. It's a complete candy bar experience!" This was pretty damn delicious, and its only shortcoming was perhaps its lack of a thick, robust head and slightly more dense mouthfeel. Otherwise, a winner for sure! 

Pleeps poses with Black Friday Joy.

Ever since we started frequenting Frederick and the surrounding area, Attaboy has always been a favorite stop. Come to think of it, I'm not sure if we've ever come through Frederick without swinging by for at least one beer. Well, Brewslut and I were excited to discover that this favorite brewery had recently opened Attaboy Barrel House, which is conveniently situated right around the corner from its original taproom.

Barrel racks at Attaboy Barrel House

This addendum to Attaboy's original brewery is a dedicated space specifically used for barrel-aging and blending with a focus on tart, fruity and funky beers aged in a variety of wine barrels procured from around the world. (Upon casually strolling around the brewery, I noticed that the majority of them were from France and California... two obvious meccas for wine!) 

Wood, Jerry... wood!

Inside, it's quite spacious with enough room to maintain plenty of COVID-inspired distance from other patrons. Besides, one requires lots of space to house all those large, wooden vessels! The decor is clean, bright, open and modern, with a minamilist's approach to interior design: stark white walls, gray and black accents, tables with geometric designs, and a hint of lush, green foliage from some tropical-looking plants for a splash of color. Oh yeah, and barrels... lots and lots of barrels! In addition to a few standard Attaboy beers, the small but well-curated selection offered a plethora of unique styles and flavors to be had.

Pleeps says, "A small time can still be a good time!"

I started out small - literally - with a beer named Small Time, a barrel-aged petite saison weighing in at 4.8% ABV. Simple yet elegant, this flavorful saison was slightly dry with a lint of lemon zest and lots of cereal grains in the finish. Think dry Cheerios or Rice Krispies. Meanwhile, Brewslut was working on a pour of an elegant-looking, lavender-colored beer called Raspberry & Blackberry Farmboy. Described as "jammy and tart, bright and zippy," this beer exemplifies all of those adjectives and more. Blended from five different red wine barrels of multiple ages, this complex beer straddles the line between tart acidity and sweet-and-sour pucker. 

Farmboy... fetch Pleeps a beer!

For our final beer, we decided to share a beer called Fredericka (Pom-Tea). This 9% ABV strong golden ale spent a year in a barrel (of an undetermined variety), emerging with a bright tartness and spunky funk. A light dosing of pomegranate and Pu-erh tea lends subtle hints of black tea leaves and tropical fruit. This was undoubtedly the most unique beer of the bunch, and the contrast between the tea leaves and faint tartness of the pomegranate was pleasing to the palate. All in all, this is a great addition to Attaboy's already stellar line-up of finely crafted beers... because everyone needs a fancy beer every once in a while, right?  

Around the corner at Attaboy proper, things were hoppin' with a healthy crowd and a local Food Truck. Being a party of two, we felt bad grabbing a table for six but nothing else was available. After we settled in at the table, a group of people came in but must have left. Two of them remained, so we asked if they wanted to join us. The table was long enough to maintain a safe distance, so it was OK by us. We had a great conversation with them (a couple: the guy, from nearby West Virginia, and the woman, from Puerto Rico). If there's one thing that COVID-19 has taught me over the last year, it's not to take for granted conversations to be had at a brewery. It's the thing we miss most about not being able to sit at the bar. So this was a welcome diversion from how things have been since last March. 

Beer-wise, I went with something hoppy this time... my first of the day! Creek Life (Citra) sounded new to me and tasty to boot. Hopped with Simcoe, Horizon, and obviously Citra, this super-drinkable IPA offers bright notes of citrus and tropical fruits, especially orange and mango. I seldom come across Horizon hops, and a quick Google search revealed that it's actually an older hop variety created in Oregon in 1970 with a lineage similar to Nugget. This one went down effortlessly, and despite finishing it quickly, we hung out for a bit and enjoyed our conversation. After a short while, we'd all finished up, and it was time to cross Carroll Creek at a small footbridge and head to our next stop.

Idiom Brewing was largely the impetus for this particular little getaway. Brewslut and I were both blown away as a result of our initial visit, and we were eager to return. It had been almost a year to the day since our first visit, and by then Idiom had just celebrated its first anniversary over Black Friday weekend. My favorite beer of that particular trip was Just Desserts, an imperial stout brewed to mimic Rocky Road ice cream. Cue the salivary glands. I knew we'd be here for a little while. Then, when we were standing in line to order our beer, we noticed this can label:

Drinking on a lighted stage...

As if I didn't already like this place enough! While Brewslut was quick to order this beer, I went with Coffee & Cake for my initial beer. Brewed with a mix of 2-row, flaked barley, caramel and chocolate malts, this blonde stout gets the cold-steep treatment courtesy of 7 lb. of fresh roasted Ecuadorian Sarchimore coffee from Frederick's own Dublin Roasters. As if that wasn't enough, the fine folks at Idiom chuck in all the flavor components of the decadent Italian dessert known as Tiramisu: cocoa powder, cake batter and marscapone. This sucker was delicious and complex! 

Meanwhile, Brewslut worked her way through a pour of the aforementioned Limelight (with its label inspired by, if you couldn't tell, my favorite band Rush). Brewed with Motueka and Ariana Hops, this Double NEIPA is rife with tropical fruit and red berry with hints of lemon, lime and a touch of coconut. This one definitely approaches the unreal, and we were sure to grab a 4-pack of cans before heading out. She also enjoyed her pour of What's the Scoop, a blonde ale featuring more than 200 lbs of black cherry puree, a touch of lactose and Madagascar vanilla. Cherry and vanilla is always a winning combination when well-executed, and this one was eloquently so. Delicious!

Pleeps knows what the scoop is!

 

More beers ensued, including my favorite of the bunch: Feast Your Eyes. Inspired by the quintessential holiday salad, Ambrosia - or what my mom calls "Heaven" - this fruit-forward sour ale is indeed a heavenly amalgamation of juicy Mandarin orange, dank pineapple, coconut, Marachino cherries and heaps of marshmallow fluff. I was immediately transported back to our last trip to Madison, WI, for Great Taste of the Midwest, where one of our favorite collective beers was Church Salad from Iowa's Pulpit Rock Brewing. (Yes, it was so good that I remembered the name of the beer, the brewery, and the state from which they hail.) This beer was the spitting image of Church Salad. There was no way a crowler of this wasn't going home with us. Sadly, no cans were available. 

Pleeps enjoys living in the Limelight at Idiom.

For our final selection, we opted for Moment in the Sun, another fruited sour, this one with papaya, pineapple and coconut cream. While it was delicious in its own right, it paled in comparison to its predecessor. I'd say you're doing a good job with your brewery if a beer this good pales in comparison to another beer you brew. With that said, both beers were indeed stellar... the Feast Your Eyes just happened to be stellar to the "n"th power. At Idiom, there was none more stellar. You get the picture. 

As if the convenience of Attaboy and Idiom being within walking distance from one another wasn't enough, Steinhardt had to go and open up right next door to Idiom. In Frederick, who needs Uber? Like Idiom, Steinhardt is located in the Union Knitting Mills Building along Carroll Creek. With that said, aesthetically it has a very similar vibe to Idiom in that the space ensconces you in exposed brick. The small, family-owned brewery opened its doors in Frederick back in August 2020, but owner Jim Steinhardt has been brewing and selling beer from home for five years before opening a taproom (even being named "Best Local Beer" in 2018 by Frederick Magazine). Steinhardt's taproom boasts over 20 beers on tap, covering a wide array of styles with a penchant for Belgians and Flemish-stye sours. While I was scoping this place out prior to our visit, I was intrigued by the fact that they had four sours and five Belgian styles on tap. We settled on four 9oz. pours of the following beers:

• Kriek - Flemish-style ale brewed with Belgian malts and fermented with traditional Flemish souring agents. Aged in French Oak barrels with sour cherries for a tart, refreshing finish.
• Framboise - Flemish-style red ale is brewed with Belgian malts and fermented with traditional Flemish souring agents. Like the Kriek, this is aged in barrels but with raspberries instead of cherries.
• BBA Tupelo Stout - Imperial Stout flavored with vanilla bean and Tupelo Honey, then aged for over three months in bourbon barrels.
• Coco Loco - An easy-drinking 4.2% ABV stout with notes of chocolate and coconut.

Of the four aforementioned beers, both Brewslut and I were drawn moreso to the Kriek and Framboise rather than the stouts. Both sours were fine examples of the styles. The BBA Tupelo Stout missed the mark a little, though, in that the bourbon character didn't really carry through, perhaps hindered by the sweetness of the honey and vanilla. The Coco Loco was sweet with a dominant coconut flavor and hint of dark chocolate in the finish, making it quite flavorful for a 4.2% stout. Overall, everything was pretty well executed. 

I was hoping to squeeze in one last brewery for the day, and it's a good thing we made it there because my favorite beer of the day was from Jug Bridge Brewery. It's slogan is: "Brewing olde fashioned good righteous beer!" I can get down with that! Named after a local Frederick landmark, the small brewery is situated at the previous Olde Mother Brewing Company location. (I'd included Olde Mother on our itinerary as a "maybe," but it eluded us this time.) We made it just shy of last call, so unfortunately it would be a one-and-done stop for us. But man, what a "one" it was! 

Jug Bridge's logo mimics a popular Frederick landmark.

Brewslut opted for a pour of Dublin Lager, described as "Norwegian Coffee Lager infused with Dublin Roasters Coffee house blend coffee beans." This beer was delicious, and I wished we would have had more time for me to enjoy a pint of this. I seldom miss a coffee beer when one is available, but I did manage to score a few sips of this tasty beer. 

And speaking of tasty beers, the beer I ordered was off the charts! The beer in question, Companion3, was, simply put, amazing! In retrospect, it was my favorite beer of the day. So what, pray tell, is this beer of which I speak so highly? It's a West Coast IPA aged in gin barrels from McClintock Distilling that previously had been used to house port wine. The aged beer was then dry-hopped with spruce tips and Mandarina Bavaria hops. My God, I freakin' loved this beer. The amazing this about it, though, was the subtlety of the flavors and how well-balaced it was. Everything just came together magnificantly. Brewing with an adjunct such as spruce tips can be a tricky thing. Believe me, I've had beers that tasted like sucking sap out of tree bark. This beer was beautifully eloquent in its design. 

Pleeps found a new Companion3.

All in all, it was an awesome (albeit short) visit to Jug Bridge. We sat at a table in close proximity to some younger locals (one of which apparently worked there but was off her shift) and enjoyed talking to them about the Frederick area, music, and, of course, beer! They all spoke highly of Jug Bridge, and after the exemplary beer I experienced there... well, I CAN CONFIRM. We were sure to grab a pair of crowlers of Companion3 to take home and enjoy. Can't wait to get back here and really dig into their beers. 

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When we returned to the hotel on Saturday night, we still hadn't made the decision of whether or not to take the same route home that we took to get to Frederick. When I mentioned to Brewslut that we could take a slight 20-minute detour and head home on I-81, we'd be able to swing by Cushwa and a new favorite of ours, Homaide Brewing. This great one-two punch of breweries right around the corner from each other is sure to entice us to visit Williamsport, MD, more often. 

Inside Cushwa's new tasting room.

We landed at Cushwa about ten minutes prior to opening time, so we got right in and grabbed a small two-fer table near a window. Cushwa makes some great IPAs, and the beer menu was littered with 'em. However, I've had a few that are a little too "Trillium-y" for me; you know, just not in my hop combo wheelhouse. With that said, I tend to gravitate to their fruit beers and imperial stouts. The problem with the stouts is that most of them are in the 13-15% range. Ooofa! So Brewslut and I will usually share one for "dessert" aka our "after dinner" beer. 

Still located in the Bowman Business Park, Cushwa has been open for business since 2017. However, its recently expanded taproom around the corner from its original location (where Homaide now calls home) has doubled its bar, taproom seating area, and production facility. Even more exciting is the fact that the new space now features some of the best brick oven pizza in the area, courtesy of Rad Pies. It's a match made in heaven!

Pleeps: "I'll take all the dark beers!"

I started by entering some familiar territory with Illusory Correlation, another Schwarzbier, or traditional dark German lager. Similar to the one I'd enjoyed at Fourscore the day before, this one boasts notes of light roast coffee, dark chocolate and crusty bread with a fairly dry but crisp, roasty-sweet finish. I'd had this once before and was fairly certain that I'd enjoyed it. I was right. 

Brewslut went right to the opposite end of the spectrum as me and ordered a pour of Brinner. Remember that thing I just said about imperial stouts? Well, this is one of 'em! A collaboration with the yet-to-open Burnish Beer Co. based in Salisbury, MD, this rich, decadent Imperial Pastry Stout is loaded with waffles and maple syrup, and just a hint of blueberry to evoke a big ol' stack of sweaty flapjacks. Damn, was this tasty, although I might not have gotten through an entire pour by myself due to its intense sweetness and maple character. Actually, who am I kidding? Of course I would have.

Pleeps knows how to chill 'til the next episode.

Speaking of breakfast beers, it was time to chill... to the Next Episode. A coffee cream ale? Yes, please! As I said earlier, it's hard to get me to refrain from ordering a beer brewed with coffee when one is readily available. For this particular beer, Cushwa started with a cream ale base, added lactose, then dosed it with heavy amounts of Lock 44 coffee from River Bottom Roasters of Hagerstown, MD. This one was pretty damn remarkable, with sweet, roasty notes of French vanilla latte. This was probably my favorite of the three beers I sampled this time around. I also snagged a 4-pack of Electrofruit - Ambrosia, which should be similar to the amazing Feast Your Eyes we enjoyed at Idiom. We're obviously looking forward to cracking one of these open in the near future!

Pleepin' around at Cushwa.

Around the corner at Homaide, things were a bit quieter. I was really looking forward to getting back here to dig into Homaide's beers. This new brewery, which now occupies Cushwa's original location in the same industrial park, made our Top 10 list for 2020 based on the strength of pretty much one beer: Fight Milk. So when we arrived this time, I was giddy to see a coffee and coconut variant of said beer on nitro! 

The owners of Homaide had originally sought a location in nearby Hagerstown, MD, for its brewery and taproom. They had participated in multiple craft beer festivals and most recently scored a "Best Beer" award at the 2019 Maryland Craft Beer Fest. Makes sense, because Homaide's beers are amazing!

Homaide took over Cushwa's original brewery.

Looking over the menu when we arrived, I realized there was a lot I wanted to try. First thing's first, though... I had to get some of that Fight Milk (Coffee & Coconut) in my gut! Described as a "session milk stout with cocao beans and coconut," this variant was every bit as good as the original. Serving on nitro really softens up the body and smooths out the foam on top. If I remember correctly, one of the owners had told me during our initial visit that they use a combination of nitro and CO2 for this one. Whatever the equation is, it's working.  

Pleeps enjoys some Fight Milk with coffee & coconut.

There were also a pair of "cobbler" beers on tap that sounded intriguing. Although I was most excited about the peach version, Brewslut opted for the Blueberry Cobbler, a collaboration with Mullys Brewing. The base beer is a light, crisp Berliner Weisse with a sour punch. However, conditioned on blueberry compote sweetens the pot a bit and elicits a faint earthy note. It's finished off with a light accent of cinnamon and vanilla. Well done, indeed. However, I was definitely more into the Peach Cobbler. This beer is part of Homaide's "HE SAID-SHE SAID" Sour Series. It's a light, refreshing kettle sour brewed with tons of peaches and a hint of coconut and cinnamon. Man, this tasted like I was face down in a slice of peach cobbler from a tiny mom and pop diner in Anytown, USA. The combination of peach and cinnamon scored big points with me, and the coconut acccents offered a hint of complexity in the flavor. Man, was this delicious! I was hoping for cans, but no luck this time. 

Pleeps is jammin' on the one!

We ended our session with JAMCARE, a smooth DIPA hopped with Mosaic, Galaxy and a new-to-me hop variety called Moutere. This one was brewed in collaboration with Cushwa, and it was pretty delicious. This hop combo lends a blend of tropical fruit and berries, while Moutere - a relatively new hop variety from New Zealand - adds grapefruit and passionfruit notes with hints of earthy baking spices and pine resins. Nicely done!

Pleeps is always making new friends!

Postscript: We decided to swing by Boneshire for a quick pint and soft pretzel before heading home to host my virtual rock music trivia night. As usual, I went with one of my local faves, Green Machine. Seriously, if you live in Central PA and still haven't been to Bonshire... get there! Green Machine is definitely up there with Pizza Boy's Murren River as a favorite local West Coast IPA. Remember those? Well kids, that's all for now. Thanks for reading. Until next time...