Everything Falls into Church - Part III: Back home through the land of Mary

Like any other trip, this one had to come to an end too. Of course, our last day always includes several stops as we make our way back to good ol' Central PA. We'd pretty much expunged our options for the immediate Fells Church/Arlington/Alexandria area, so I looked further north to find an appropriate place to visit as we started our trek home. 

Rockville, Maryland's True Respite made the cut. The small brewery's logo - a keyhole - and well-curated tap list garnered my attention while I was searching for a suitable candidate as Sunday's first stop. I was always drawn to antique doors with wide keyholes for some reason, which seemed to be in abundance in many of the older homes in my hometown of Shamokin. The imagery of the keyhole also represents discovery and unlocking a mystery, which has always appealed to me. So the logo kind of sucked me in. (They have really intriguing brand and origin stories that I won't waste time paraphrasing; I recommend just clicking the link and reading for yourself.) 

Inside True Respite's Rockville, MD, taproom

Upon perusing the tap selection, I immediately noticed a Lichtenhainer, an antiquated German-style sour ale brewed with smoked malt, which is a style I love and just don't see all that often. I think I can count the number of times I've run across one on tap using a single hand (thumb included). If you're a smoked beer like me, this is kind of a holy grail beer style due to its scarcity and niche. As far as sought-after beers go, I'd put it on the complete opposite side of the spectrum as a hazy NEIPA, fruited milkshake sour, or pastry stout with fifteen ingredients. So when we arrived, needless to say the first beer I ordered was the Lichtenhainer. It was well-executed and enjoyable. If you've never had one before, think of the lightly tart gose with its wheat backbone and lemony zing paired with a rauchbier but not quite as smoky. The smoky character is a bit more subdued than what you'd get with a smoked porter or traditional rauchbier. So the next time you see one on a beer menu in your travels, give it a try.

Pleeps: "I ain't afraid of no Lichtenhainer!"

Up next was Fox, a classic unfiltered German-style pilsner. The twist here is that Fox is dry-hopped with two unusual hop varieties: Jarrylo and Kazbek. (Geek alert! I'm going to provide some fun facts about these two seldom-seen hop varieties, so feel free to skip ahead if you'd rather just look at pictures of Pleeps.) 

Jarrylo (pronounced 'Yar-i-lo) is a newer American variety not meant for IPAs or other hop-forward beers. However, when paired with a crisp pilsner base, this variety lends subtle hints of ripe banana, delicate pear, citrus and a hint of spice. Simple, lighter beers tend to benefit from this understated hop variety. Kazbek, on the other hand, has origins in the Czech Republic and borrows its name from Mt. Kazbek, a dormant volcano in the Caucasus Mountains, which stretch across the intersection of Europe and Asia. This variety is akin to the Czech Saaz hop; only it's more of an amped-up version with potent citrus notes of bright lemon and grapefruit. 

Here's looking at you, Pleeps!

OK, so there's your hop lesson for today. This beer definitely ventured into hoppier territory; not bitter, mind you, but flavor-wise. I definitely picked up on the enhanced lemon and citrus notes. It's always a pleasure to come across a finely-crafted pilsner, and this was one of 'em. 

From the Fox I moved to the Vulture, a black IPA brewed with old-school Cascade, Centennial and Amarillo hops. Aaah, the good ol' days! I'll never understand why Black IPAs didn't become more of a fixture on beer menus across the country. Sure, they're not uncommon per se, but you won't find 3 or 4 of them simultaneously on the board at a brewery. (I'm lookin' at you, NEIPA!) Come to think of it, the percentage of - and I'll use simple terms here - "good" vs. "bad" black IPAs I've had over the years is a very high number; meaning to say that I've been burned far less by a black IPA than, say, a West Coast IPA or NEIPA, or even a Session IPA. Vulture adds to that high ratio of "good" ones... and True Respite is three for three (if you're keeping score at home). All in all, it was a great first impression. I hope our travels carry us back to this area sometime in the future so we can dig deeper into True Respite's beers.

Everybody's got something to hide except...

After a delightful visit to True Respite, we were off to more familiar territory. Yes indeed, it was time for another stop to one of our favorite beer towns: Frederick, MD. First up was Jug Bridge, a brewery we'd just discovered earlier this year during our Frederick Overnighter jaunt. As soon as we entered the small taproom, the bartender called out, "Hey, Tröegs guy!" I'm not gonna lie to you... I enjoy getting recognized. Perhaps I have a unique look (for better or - probably - worse), which makes me an easy guy to pick out in a crowd. Of course, there was no crowd this time. I was wearing a mask, though. Anyhow, for some reason I'd thought we'd visited much longer ago than two-ish months, but time seems to have slowed down during the last year's oppressing COVID-19 times. Perhaps that's been the silver lining in 'Rona's otherwise black, miserable cloud. "Freeze this moment a little bit longer." Right Neil?  

When we first visited Jug Bridge, I was completely enamored with a beer called Companion3, a West Coast IPA aged in gin barrels that previously had been used to house port wine and later dry-hopped with spruce tips and Mandarina Bavaria hops. It was freaking amazing, and I didn't hesitate to tell the fine folks at Jug Bridge about my infatuation with this beer. Of course, it was no longer available, as I've been told I got the last two crowlers when we visited in January. Lucky me! 

Pleepin' around at Jug Bridge.

This time around, I enjoyed a pair of beers that were vastly different than Companion3 but were enjoyable nonetheless. First up was Path Forward, a dark lager fermented with a Norwegian Kveik lager yeast strain, then dry-hopped with Idaho 7. This beer was pretty interesting in that it straddled the line of a black IPA (some roasty and chocolate notes) with a contrasting lemony, citrusy character and a touch of pine and earthy black tea leaves. I've been drinking a lot of dark lagers as of late, and this one was more of a hybrid than a traditional dunkel or schwarzbier. 

For my second beer, I settled on a French saison called Ruban Rouge. The beer appeared as a lovely golden orange with a slight haze and a pleasant aroma of black pepper, lemon rind, and earthy spices. French saison yeast always strikes me as slightly sweet and sticky but with a fairly dry finish, and this beer possessed those qualities. Overall, this was a fine interpretation of the classic French farmhouse ale. 

It was great to get back here again so soon after our first visit, and I'm glad to add another must-stop brewery to our list of favorites in Frederick. Pleeps even met a new buddy, and he was also wearing a blue mask. He seems to make friends wherever he goes. 

Pleeps making more friends!

We seem to be clocking in quite frequently at Attaboy these days. Our travels over the last year or so have taken us through Frederick on numerous occasions, and it's not like we need an excuse to stop here anyway. You've undoubtedly read about our numerous visits to Attaboy, so I'll spare regaling you with unnecessary details. In a nutshell, it's one of our favorite breweries in Frederick (and there are quite a few of 'em these days, kids). 

Brewslut and I shared pours of two beers: Tarts McGee (Strawberry & Soursop) and The Famous Lion. The former, a tart and tangy offering from its cleverly named Tarts McGee (no longer on vacation, apparently) brewed with strawberry and soursop, a slightly acidic tropical tree fruit related to the custard apple that resembles a pear with a spikey exterior. Its flavor is said to resemble a combination of strawberry and apple with sour citrus notes but with a thick, creamy texture similar to a banana. It's an interesting fruit to say the least. Attaboy does a fine job with these sweet-tart beers, and we typically encounter one on tap when we visit, to which Brewslut tends to gravitate.  

The Famous Lion, on the other hand, is a NEIPA hopped with Citra and Strata. OK, so you probably thought you were off the hook with lessons in hops. Well, I'm sorry to inform you that I've got another one. Strata was first hop variety to be released by the Oregon State Aroma Hop Breeding Program based in Corvallis, OR, in 2009. Its dominant flavor profile is an unusual one for a hop: strawberry. While this beer did present a whiff or strawberry, it was also quite heavy on the citrus fruit, with an apparent orange note and hint of pith. The folks at Attaboy equate it to a glass of Sunny D (not the dreaded "purple stuff" at the back of the fridge). I dig. 

Attaboy, Pleeps!

Of course, no visit to Frederick is complete without a stop at Idiom, which has become a fast favorite of we Pour Travelers. Since we were ready for dinner by the time we arrived, it seemed like an opportune time to stumble onto one of our favorite local food trucks: Boxcar Burgers. They serve up some slammin' burgers including one of the best plant-based protein burgers around. The fries are pretty solid too! 

With our dinner plans solidified, it was time to focus on beer. Although Idiom produces some amazing hop-forward beers, I decided to switch gears and venture toward the dark side. Enter In a Nutshell, an American Porter layered with chocolate malts, toasted coconut and coconut cream. It seems a lot of breweries are churning out coconut beers these days, and this one was definitely up there with the best of them. Great beers aside, Brewslut and I always appreciate the names of Idiom's beers. Perhaps it's the English majors in us that recognize the clever wordplay. See? It's not just another pointless brewery moniker. 

For some reason, I enjoyed just one lone beer at Idiom. We'd thought about stopping at Fourscore in Gettysburg on the way home, but it was time to stick a fork into this guy, because I was done. In my advanced age, I seem to be getting less motivated to stretch out our final day of a trip. More often than not these days, the couch seems to be calling my name on Sunday round about 7 or 8 p.m. I suppose it's probably the reason why I like to pack as much in as possible on Friday and (especially) Saturday. 

Alas, the tale has come to an end. Thanks for following us on our most recent weekend escapade to "parts unknown" (you know... where the Green Bastard resides). Pleeps is already ramping up for our next adventure, so stay tuned for more Pour Travelin'. Until next time...