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...