The Pour Travelers Take Delmarva: Part II

After breakfast on Saturday morning, we suited up and were ocean-bound for our first stop of the day. Lucy, Taylor's dog, joined us for this outing, which kicked off with a nice 10-block walk up Ocean City's boardwalk to a familiar brewery, Backshore. We'd first visited last year and were excited to discover that head brewer Nate is a huge Rush fan. We bonded over that, and he'd actually brewed a beer for the recently departed Neil Peart, which he dubbed "The Professor." It was a fitting tribute to the legendary drummer, and Nate was kind enough to share his last crowler of the beer with us. Gotta love Rush fans!

Back at Backshore.

To refresh your memory, Backshore is located right on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD. The small nano brewery opened its doors in 2012 with a meager six tap lines. Nate brews on a small 2-bbl system and offers a variety of styles with an ever-changing tap list including many one-off beers. 

It was an unseasonably mild January day, and people seemed to be taking advantage of the warmer-than-usual temperatures. When we arrived, there was a line of people waiting for beer, and many of the outside seats were already occupied. We finally made our way to the front of the line after about ten minutes and had the chance to peruse the small beer selection. All three of us decided to go with Joe Joe Power Rangers coffee stout, a fitting beer since it was still early in the day. Equal parts chocolate, roasted coffee and vanilla, this beer was pretty solid overall. We enjoyed a one-and-done beer outside, which meant Lucy could join in on the fun, too. Several other people had their dogs in tow as well (some more well-behaved than others).  

Before we left, we were able to chat with Nate for a few minutes, who was actually super busy preparing food for the large crowd that had decended upon Backshore on this beautiful winter afternoon. I made sure to bring a can of the recently procured Limelight (which we'd scored a week earlier in Frederick, MD, at Idiom Brewing). He mentioned that he loved the can and decorates the brewery's Christmas tree with empty beer cans, so I left the empty with him for next year. Maybe we'll make it back next year early enough to see the tree!

Prior to arriving at our next stop, Sinepuxent Brewing Company, Taylor mentioned that we'd be in for a surprise at "one of the breweries today." Once we learned it was a farm brewery, Brewslut quickly squashed my anticipation by correctly guessing that they had goats on the property. How do you make a cool brewery even cooler in my book? Add goats. It's as simple as that! I was glad to see that there were two goats, because every goat needs a buddy. With that said, meet Sammy and Maggie. 

Sammy, the agile one.

Maggie, the chill one.

Sinepuxent is nestled between Ocean City and Assateague Island along scenic Route 611. Its tasting room and brewery are located on a sprawling 17-acre farm, where Sinepuxent grows many ingredients such as hops and grains used in its beers. They also offer berry picking during in-season months, outdoor games, and even a smoothie bar featuring an all-natural, healthy menu. And, of course, goats. Let's not forget about the goats. 

Outside Sinepuxent's small tap room.

I decided to give the Pilsner Sin Brew a shot. As we've discovered throughout our travels, beers from farm breweries that grow their own ingredients can be a crap shoot, but not only was this a fine pilsner, it actually exceeded my expectations. I found this to be flavorful and crisp with a delicate malt character, dry finish and just a hint of that mineral-like yeast flavor that hits my palate's sweet spot. This beer embodies everything I love about the pilsner style. Chalk up another solid pilsner for this trip!

Enjoying Pilsner Sin Brew on a chilly January day.

I kind of nursed this beer since I knew it would be a long day, but I did try Brewslut's IPA and Taylor's Saison, which were both excellent as well. Beer aside, I also spent a little time getting acquainted with my new four-legged friends. By this time, Sammy was chowing down on some tasty pelletized goat food and Maggie was just chilling. The goats also took my mind away from the chilly, windy afternoon weather we were experiencing. Several folks had fires going strong at nearby firepits, but after about 30 minutes, we were starting to feel the bitterness in our bones. Kudos to the guy performing acoustic guitar for the dozens of folks braving the chilly conditions and hanging out in the great outdoors. In light of this, I felt obliged to throw a few sheckles into his tip jar. These are tough times for musicians, eh (again... thanks 'Rona). 

Sinepuxent's little on-site general store.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Sinepuxent, and - even though it took me a dozen tries to remember the name of the brewery - I definitely want to spend a little more time here during our next visit and sample a few more beers. Nicely done, Sinepuxent! I just hope it's a little warmer outside next time we swing by. 

I'm not gonna lie to you. I was pretty damn excited to get back to Burley Oak again. By this time of the day, we were pretty hungry. Luckily, we had the wherewithall to order a pizza in advance so it would be ready around the time we were scheduled to arrive at the brewery. (There's a bitchin' pizza place right across the street called Burn Wood Fired Pizza.) 

Back at Burley Oak a year later.

I started off with a pair of beers from Burley's J.R.E.A.M. series. They always seem to be concocting some interesting fruit combinations with these beers, and this visit was no different. I picked out the two that sounded most appealing. First up was Flying J.R.E.A.M. - Blueberry, Coconut, Banana, a sour ale with lactose conditioned on blueberry, banana, and coconut. This one made me sad that we left Pleeps to "sleep in" back at Taylor's. He always gets excited when we encounter a beer with bananas in it. I knew he'd love this one. Thankfully, they had cans available to-go, so I did the right thing and grabbed a 4-pack so he could try it. Banana is a tough ingredient to brew with, and I'll admit that the coconut was the dominant flavor of the three. Blueberries offer a hint of earthiness and faint tartness, but otherwise this one struck me as tropical-forward. 

The other J.R.E.A.M. series beer I enjoyed was Strawberry, Cherry & Marshmallow Pie, a sour ale brewed with lactose and conditioned on strawberry, cherry, marshmallow, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar. I'm going to go on record and predict that marshmallow is going to be one of the trendy new ingredients used in beers for 2021. To be honest, I'm OK with that. I mean, if we're talking about the pantheon of candy, Marshmallow Peeps are at the top of the totem pole in my eyes. I've already encountered several beers boasting marshmallow as an ingredient this year. These beers range from IPAs to fruited sours. I must admit, this one was pretty damn delicious and may have been my favorite of all the beers I tried at Burley Oak during this particular visit. Scratch that. It definitely was my favorite! Cherry was the dominant flavor, although there was a faint berry sweetness and fluffy texture, perhaps thanks to the addition of marshmallow. 

Up next, I decided to try something from the newish "CocktAles Series," a series of barrel-aged, cocktail-inspired sour ales. Old Fashioned is an imperial sour ale inspired by the cocktail of the same name. This dark, tart, and slightly sweet ale is conditioned on cherries and orange zest to add a bright citrus note, which  mimics the classic Old Fashioned cocktail. I'm glad I didn't get a full pour of this one. I appreciated it for what it is, but its flavor was quite piquant. This one is best kept in small doses. 

I decided to end with The Brackish, a huge, chewy imperial stout aged in rum barrels brewed in collaboration with Dark Seas Division. I was unfamiliar with Dark Seas, so a quick perusal of Google revealed it to be not a brewery, but rather a retail company whose products are inspired by coastal explorers and their lifestyle. Seems in-line with the geography of Burley Oak to me. This one was available in 750mL bottles, so I'm guessing the label was created by the folks at Dark Seas. Regardless, this one was pretty enjoyable but not as much as the much-hyped (for a reason) J.R.E.A.M. series beers. The body and texture of this beer were both on par for the style, but I found it to be a tad briney with a muted rum experience. I'll also go on record and say that I prefer bourbon barrel aging over rum on most days (unless we're talking Oil of Aphrodite or Marshal Zhukov’s... then it's up for debate). Still, this one was enjoyable, although for my money it's Burley's fruit beers that take the cake.

Our next stop of the day took us to Parsonsburg, MD, to Tall Tales. Founded in 2011, this small brewery is situated on 22 acres boasting an outdoor bar and plenty of seating to enjoy the picturesque landscape. Since it was rather frigid outside, we opted to sit inside (at the bar, no less... something we hadn't done in a while). The food here looked amazing, but unfortunately we had just scarfed down a pie during our visit to Burley Oak. The menu features a variety of dishes prepared with whole ingredients in wood-fired Italian ovens. 

Tap handles at Tall Tales.

The beer list was pretty extensive, so I opted for a flight of five beers. Here's the lowdown:

• Delmarva Dank - Double NEIPA (couldn't find any additional details on this one, unfortunately)
• Liquid Denial: That Blue Milk - light sour ale blended with fresh blueberry and peach purée
• Liquid Denial: Wildberry - similar to That Blue Milk but with a tart mixed berry character
• Galactic Black - Black IPA boasting citrus and pine notes with a hint of roasted malt flavor 
• Secret Stache - Neapolitan Ice Cream stout brewed with cacao beans, vanilla beans and strawberry puree

Something's missing from this photo. Where my monkey at?!

Overall, while nothing stood out as amazing, nothing offended me either. The beers were all pretty enjoyable and on par with the majority of the small breweries we visit. If I had to pick a favorite, it was probably the black IPA. This style seems to be making a resurgence over the past year or two, as I see more and more of them popping up at breweries we visit. I'm not sure why black IPAs disappeared for a while, because I've always enjoyed them. Perhaps the hazy IPA craze is slowly starting to fade a bit and IPA drinkers are searching for alternate flavors. Either way, I'm definitely pro-black IPA. Coffee IPA? Even better! 

Our visit to Tall Tales must have coincided with that weird part of the day when there's an apparent lull and you're just going through the motions. By this time, we seemed to have been a bit disengaged. Perhaps it's because Pleeps wasn't in tow. Either way, it was off to another brewery and I was ready for my second wind to kick in!

When Taylor asked if we wanted to swing by Evolution Craft Brewing Company, I thought about a few things silently. First, I thought, "Of course I do!" Next, I pondered why hadn't I thought about it in the first place. Lastly, I wondered why we hadn't ever been there before. I'd long been a fan of this Salisbury, MD-based brewery since first enjoying a pair of its IPAs - Lot No. 3 and Lot No. 6 - many moons ago. This fantastic brewery has been churning out great beers for almost a decade, so it was a nice surprise to finally get to this brewery, which I've enjoyed pretty much since the beginning. 

This is the only pic I snapped at Evolution for some reason.

Apparently I was on a pilsner kick of sorts for this trip, because I opted for Delmarva Pure Pils. Perhaps because I was driving and needed something light. Either way, I don't need an excuse to enjoy a crisp, refreshing pilsner. This golden, citrusy lager is Evo's take on the Czech-style pilsner. Floral and citrus zest notes abound, courtesy of German Saphir and Opal hops. This was another winner for me and a fine addition to the growing list of quality pilsners I enjoyed during this trip. 

We also got to sit at the bar at Evolution. However, it felt more like a neighborhood bar than a craft brewery. Apparently, there were several seating options at Evolution. When I visited the restroom, I noticed a bar at the other end of the building. Sandwiched between them is a barrel room with additional seating. We must have chosen the "college bar" area, as a group of boisterous twenty-somethings with baseball caps and polo shirts were gathered at a nearby table. They were all drinking some bright blue liquid that looked like Windex (there's no accounting for taste, I suppose). After witnessing this annoying display, I'm quite content being in my mid-to-late forties at the moment. God knows what kind of music these cretins listen to if they're content with drinking Windex. I reckon them chemicals done messed up their brain compartments! 

So that about wraps up Saturday, folks. We had wanted to make it to Loakal Branch, an off-shoot of Burley Oak, but they have limited hours and it ultimately wasn't in our cards. Also, it was a bittersweet, somewhat stressful day, as we thought we may had misplaced Pleeps (which is why you haven't seen any pictures of him in this blog post).  However, when we arrived back at Taylor's house, he was still lying snug in his little bed. He must have had too much fun on Friday night and slept in. Usually he's up before any of us, champing at the bit in anticipation of our first brewery visit of the day. Sorry, Pleeps. It happens every once in a while. Until next time...