Little Cabin in the Woods: Part II

The weekend was quickly coming to its inevitable conclusion. Tristan shipped off pretty early on Sunday morning and Taylor decided to head back to Delaware to take care of some chores, so by early afternoon the group had been reduced to the "four regulars" - D&C, Brewslut, and yours truly. Considering we had to work the following day and had a three-and-a-half hour drive ahead of us, it didn't stop us from undertaking a fairly ambitious schedule. Turns out we'd hit five breweries on this particular day, four of which were new to us Pour Travelers. 

First up was another farm brewery, the brand spankin' new Death Ridge. Situated on Higher Ground Farm on the outskirts of Culpeper County in the small town of Jeffersonton, VA, this brewery takes its inspiration from the American Civil War. The streams that wind through the property are part of what's called "Delridge Run." Originally known as "Deatherage Run," the name stems from William Deatherage, who settled in Culpeper County in 1675 after he and his two brothers had been granted 950 acres by King Charles II of England. Since the brewery is situated on part of this land, the owners decided to combine these two similar names and adopt Death Ridge as the name of the brewery. The actual site of the brewery was once used as a campsite during the Civil War, and many relics have been found all over the surrounding fields. 

Doesn't say anything about monkeys, so...

I noticed quite a bit of variety on the beer menu, so I decided that I flight was in order. Here's the run-down:

• Dark Mild - an easy-drinking 2.5% English dark mild ale with notes of chocolate, toffee and lightly toasted bread. 
• Bonfire Lager - clean, crisp Helles lager brewed with German malts and Noble hops. 
• Coffee Lager - coffee-infused Vienna lager
• Blackpowder Stout - American stout offering traces of dark chocolate and coffee flavors. Brewed with Maris Otter, chocolate, special roast, and black malts.

Like me, Pleeps prefers sitting in the shade.

Although the main tasting room area is quite large, we decided to sit outside on the patio since Magpie was in tow. The weather was cooperating and it was a shady spot, so I had no qualms with getting some fresh air. As we worked on our beers/flights, we had a fairly long conversation with one of the owners, who told us all about the land, how the brewery got its name, and the history of the farm. He was also more than happy to chat about the beers, not to mention offer a discount when I told him I worked at Tröegs. 

After finishing my flight, I decided to go with a full pour of Brass Button IPA, a hop-forward American IPA hopped with Citra and Cascade. I had a sip of Deuane's and it passed the taste test, so a pour of my own was in order. This old-school style IPA came across as more West than East coast (fine by me!) and hinted at notes of grapefruit and tropical fruits with a sweet, malty backbone and pleasant hop/malt balance.

The beers here were all solid and respectable, especially for a brewery that had just opened a few months earlier (January 2021). I particularly enjoyed the Brass Button IPA, of which I had a full pour after the flight. Otherwise, I'd say I liked the Mild best of the lot from the flight. It's always nice to encounter this traditional albeit scarce beer style in our travels.  

Outside Powers Farm & Brewery

Our next stop brought us to another farm brewery. Based in Midland, VA, Powers Farm is an integrated sustainable farm, hopyard and brewery that sits on 21-acres, although the majority of its operations take place on just two-and-a-half acres. On this land, the farm grows almost all of the ingredients it uses in its beers. Most of these come from organic and heirloom seed stock, and everything is grown sustainably without chemicals or pesticides. The farm even goes as far as to practice "companion planting," whereby it grows a wide variety of flowers to help attract beneficial insects such as bees. Its on-site hop yard is comprised of traditional American varieties, and they conduct an annual hop harvest each August. Powers Farm brews on a 5bbl brewhouse adjacent to its hop yard and garden, which churns out fresh "farm to glass" beers using the fruit, herbs and vegetables grown on-site. The farm even offers a produce CSA! 

And what they can't grow, they purchase from local purveyors and farms. Every batch of beer is fermented with custom-propagated yeast from a local lab called Jasper's Yeast, and 100% of its specialty malts are Virginia-grown and locally malted in Charlottesville by Murphy & Rude. If you're as intrigued as I am, you can read all about the history of the farm, its ingredients, and more by clicking here. 

Pleeps gets to know the beers at Powers Farm.

With lots of interesting beers to be had, I opted for the Lemongrass Pils. I find the flavor of lemongrass to be refreshing and its aroma quite pleasant. This crisp, dry pilsner starts with a soft malt bill steeped with dried, farm-grown lemongrass added during the boil, which coaxes delicate floral aromas and the slightly citrusy flavor of this unique ingredient. This was quite refreshing and packed with flavor. I was off to a good start!

Pleeps has extraordinary powers!

I decided a second beer was in order, so I went with a pour of Appalachian Corn, an American-style lager brewed with a large portion of Virginia-grown red and yellow-hued, fully flavored Bloody Butcher and Golden Butcher corn. According to the folks at Powers Farm: "Bloody Butcher corn is an open pollinated heritage variety traditionally grown in Appalachia where seed savers have preserved this variety for centuries." This lager was very light and slightly crisp with a smooth, creamy texture. 

Meanwhile, we were starting to get hungry, and luckily a food truck called Rolling Wraps was on-site during our visit. After perusing the menu, I settled on a falafel wrap and a side of fries that was absolutely delicious! Brewslut and I also shared a pour of Cold Moon, an easy-drinking IPA brewed with a Virginia-cultivated yeast strain and hopped with 4lbs. per barrel of Citra, Mosaic, and Cascade. This was a light, citrusy, well-balanced IPA with a touch of bitterness in the finish. Nothing crazy; just a good, solid old-fashioned IPA. Sometimes you just need that kind of simplicity. 

What's a farm without a tractor?

We kind of stumbled upon our next stop, Altered Suds. This new brewery opened for business in 2019 with a simple business plan: to brew quality beer and have a cool place at which to enjoy it. (I think that's pretty much the goal of every small-town brewery, isn't it?) The brewery's owners and master brewer all grew up and went to school in town, which by the way happens to be Warrenton, VA. Like its off-centered beers, the brewery incorporates its collective passion for music, the arts, and - to quote them - "all things a little weird." The long, narrow tasting room ends with a small deck in the back overlooking a makeshift beer garden in the parking lot. If you're hungry, Molly's Irish Pub is right upstairs and offers a limited pub menu for guests Altered Suds. 

Outside Warrenton's Altered Suds Brewery.

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After examining the eight available beers on tap, I narrowed my decision down to two IPAs. I got the low-down from the bartender and ultimately landed on Late to the Tea Party, an unfiltered IPA that was first released when the brewery opened its doors and has remained a fan favorite since the beginning. This was damn tasty, especially for a new brewery. The fact that they led with this beer is pretty impressive. I'd be happy if I was a local and this was the IPA I had to drink day in and day out. 

Colorful beer boards at Altered Suds.

After a nice diversion frolicking through the farmlands of Virginia, it was time to continue our homeward trek. It seems like every trip we've gone on this year has included a stop at one of our favorite Frederick breweries, Attaboy. It was fairly busy when we arrived, so we snagged a table outside. Once we got situated, Deuane and I went inside to order beers. When we got inside, there were two lines: the first was for people who knew what they wanted (i.e. no samplers); the second line was for those people who simply can't commit to a beer without trying it first. Heaven forbid! So wouldn't you know it, the people in front of us ask to get a flight, to which I replied, "C'mon man, didn't you see the sign?" The two of them looked at me like I was speaking another language. I was only kidding (half, perhaps), but I do wish people had more situational awareness. I suppose it comes from staring at a phone or similar device and "scrolling down" for hours on end. Oh well... I'd have to wait an extra 90 seconds for my beer. 

Obligatory "Attaboy, Pleeps!" caption.

Since we've been talking about Attaboy a lot this year, let's just sit back and focus on the beers this time, shall we? This time, I opted for The Whistler, an old-school West Coast style IPA, which I don't ever recall having at Attaboy before. Hopped with Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin (I almost always order a beer when I see it features the latter variety), this crisp, slightly dry IPA boasts hints of citrus and juniper berry. To my good fortune, it finishes with a solid bready malt backbone and wash of good old bitterness across the palate. Imagine that. An IPA that's actually bitter.  

I followed this up with another IPA called Boss of the World, a 7.7% ABV hazy orange delight hopped with Citra and Strata. With hints of orange marmalade and mango, this was another winner in a long pedigree of fine beers from Attaboy. Strata hops are known to be both dank and fruity with somewhat of a weed-like aroma. A versatile variety that's been around for a little over a decade, this hop harnesses layers of fresh fruit flavors - think bright tropical fruit and juicy grapefruit - with a hint of sweet strawberry and mild cannabis vibe. 

Extreme close-up!

We ended the evening at Smoketown Brewing, which happens to be at the other end of the same block as Attaboy. We'd visited Smoketown's original location back in 2018 on my On the verge of 44 birthday weekend jaunt. While we weren't terribly impressed, I always enjoy revisiting a brewery after a hiatus to see how they've evolved during the down-time. I seemed to have remembered this place more for the people-watching and less for the beer (check out the blog for details and a story about a guy we dubbed "Feets on Fire"). 

The brewery's main location is actually in Brunswick, MD. In the early 1900s, the town of Brunswick coined their famous nickname, Smoketown, after the valleys of the town were blanketed in smoke from coal trains passing through. This Frederick location opened in October 2019, complete with a 10bbl brewhouse and total brewing capacity of 40 barrels. Not too shabby! 

This was our final "one and done" stop of the trip, so I had to make it count. There's nothing worse than ending an amazing drip on a down note with a shitty beer. I eyed up my choices and settled on Smokestack, a black IPA. Hopped with Citra and Centennial, this was a straight-up old-school black IPA with notes of bitter grapefruit amid chocolate and coffee notes. I was pleasantly surprised with this one, and was ultimately glad we swung by to check out this new Frederick location. 

And with that, it was all over. By this time, it was already dark out and we still had an hour-and-forty-minute drive ahead of us... with the new work week ready to rear its ugly head. We parted ways with D&C (and Magpie) and set the ol' GPS to the familiar "home" setting. 

Well kids, another "birthday weekend" is in the books (although this was technically the week after my birthday). Somewhere out in the woods, there's a cabin that's calling my name. I'm already looking forward to next year's adventure... I just hope there's a working shower and shitter that flushes! Until next time...

On the verge of 44: Part 1

When you get to be my age, beer and birthdays go hand in hand. You may remember that last year, we spent a weekend with friends in Virginia (start with Day 1 and continue on if you wish). This time around, we decided to spend the few days leading up to my 44th birthday with some friends at a quaint cabin situated on 160 wooded acres* in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere happened to be a stone's throw away from Mercersburg, PA. Like last year, all of the planning was left to my good buddy Deuane. [*Editor's Note: Thanks Deuane!]

By now, readers of the Pour Travelers should be privy to our friends and fellow Team D(r)INK compadres, Deuane and Carolyn (later referred to collectively as D&C). Deuane took care of booking the accommodations, procuring food, and laying out the brewery agenda for the weekend. He even cooked breakfast on Saturday and Sunday morning, and prepared a fantastic Thai curry chicken meal for dinner on Saturday evening. Now that's my kind of getaway!

On Friday after work, Brewslut met me at the brewery for a quick beer before we shuffled off to meet D&C at GearHouse in Chambersburg (although we were only meeting D as C was en route from a conference in Philadelphia and would be joining us at our next stop closer to our destination).

I was excited to get back to GearHouse, and couldn't believe a year had passed since our last (and initial) visit. Unfortunately, brewer/owner David was out of town at a festival, so we didn't get to connect like last time. When we arrived, Deuane was waiting and promptly informed us about the firkin sitting on the bar. Score! I'm always down for "Firkin Friday." We all opted for a pour of Single Speed IPA #6, and this particular one-off, cask-conditioned brew featured blood oranges and whole leaf Chinook hops. It was a suitable way to kick things off into gear (pun slightly intended).

We decided to get some grub this time since we left immediately after work. Brewslut and I split a tasty turkey panini and we each enjoyed a bowl of smoked mac and cheese with ancho chili seasoning. With full bellies, we moved on to our next beers.

For my next selection, I had to get it based on its name - The Barkness. Described as somewhat of an IPA/stout hybrid, this dark, roasty ale is brewed with midnight wheat, caramel malt, barley and flaked oats, then finished with Amarillo and Centennial hops. For lack of a better term, let's just call it a Black IPA. It certainly was hoppy enough, with a dry, piney profile and lots of roasted malt character.

Pleeps shows off his high school yearbook photo pose.

We decided to swing by Flannery's Tavern on the Square in nearby Mercersburg, which was on the way to the cabin. Carolyn would be joining us shortly, and Deuane needed a place with a TV so he could spectate some Final 4 March Madness collegiate sporting event with lots of BRACKETS. You know, the one where the guys throw a brown, round ball through hoops with nets. The beer list was respectable though not impressive. It was, as they say, "do-able." I went with a Troegenator - of all things - which is completely out of character for me. And you know what? I enjoyed the hell out of it! I really have to be in the mood for this rich, sweet, chewy double bock brewed by my employers, but this just hit the spot. Perhaps because it was a cold and windy night and I was wearing nothing but a hoody (well, and pants... duh!)

I checked out the jukebox on the way back from the bathroom and felt we needed some musical entertainment. Deuane was nice enough to provide me with five dollar bills, which afforded me 14 credits in the jukebox. So like a kid in a candy store, I went on my merry way and dove headfirst into my go-to songs. I always need to get my money's worth, so nothing under 6 minutes made the cut. We're talkin' Rush's side-long epic, "2112" as well as the 12+ minute opus and superior live version of "Xanadu" from Exit... Stage Left, "Master of Puppets" by Metallica, the live version of "Victim of Changes" from Priest's Unleashed in the East, Pink Floyd's epic 17-minute track "Dogs," King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man," and a pair of Sabbath ditties - "War Pigs" and "Fairies Wear Boots." This translates to about 78 minutes of pure hard rock bliss!

But I digress. I finished off our visit with a grilled Gouda sandwich and fries and - what?! - a glass of Merlot. "I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!" said Paul Giamatti's character in the hilarious movie Sideways. But I'm not that much of a wine snob. I like me a good red wine every once in a while, and nothing else on the beer menu was jumping out at me.

OK, I better get back to beer. After all, this is a beer blog, right?

Back at the cabin Fri. night, we enjoyed a selection of bottles I drug out from my cellar, including a few vintage treats for this vintage guy!

I wear many different (stupid) hats.

We kicked off with Hummelstown Bock Party by the local Howling Henry, which is situated in Hummelstown. Someone picked up a mixed six-pack for me during the holidays, and we've been working through them. This was easily my favorite of the few I've had thus far. I'm curious to see how this tiny nano brewery develops over the next few years.

Up next was Uncommon Crow from Allagash. This was the unanimous favorite of the four beers we consumed that particular evening. Named so due to a crow's love of blackberries, Allagash ferments this beer exclusively with its house strain of local Brettanomyces yeast. Boasting hints of dark chocolate and an earthy sweet-tart blackberry flavor,  the Brett character is mild to moderate but provided a bit of pucker amid the juicy berry notes.

We followed this up with a 2015 vintage of Victory's Old Horizontal, one of my favorite PA barleywines. I dug this one out the cellar as well. Turns out I had three bottles from what appeared to be the same batch based on the date code. Given it was only aged for about three years, I would have thought this would have held up better. It was definitely past its prime. Some of the hops were still lingering, giving it a somewhat fuzzy (for lack of a better term) flavor. Deuane hated it. With that said, I didn't have high hopes for the 2005 vintage I unearthed in my cellar, which I was saving for the following night. (More on that later.)

We finished the night off with the infamous Russian Imperial Stout, Black Albert from De Struise. By this time, Deuane was fast asleep on the couch, so I had the lion's share of this small 11oz. bottle. He didn't care for it, anyway. Brewslut and I picked this bottle up during our 10th anniversary brewery tour of Northern California back in 2009, and it'd been collecting dust in my beer cellar ever since. After cracking open decade-old DFH 120min. and Sam Adams Triple Bock during my birthday weekend trip last time, I found it only fitting to continue the tradition and bring something equally as old. And with the last drip in my gullet, it was time to retire for the evening.

After breakfast (blueberry pancakes, turkey bacon, OJ and coffee) on Saturday, we were off to the impetus of the trip - Abolitionist Ale Works in Charles Town, WV. This marks only the second brewery we've ever visited in the state of West Virginia. Deuane had raved about this place a few months earlier after a similar trip to the very same cabin. Turns out Brewslut and I shared in his enthusiasm after our visit.

I decided I was going with full pours in lieu of sampler flights, which we usually stick to when traveling. Plus Deuane was doing the driving, so I could delve a bit deeper into the beer selection at each visit. Upon our perusal of the beer menu, I quickly realized that there was much to try. You won't find very many worn-out, pedestrian beer styles here. Instead, we were greeted to a handful of varied farmhouse-style Saisons and wild ales, Belgian styles, and barrel-aged treats. For my first venture, I opted for Pale the Funky (Black & Blue), a wine barrel-aged farmhouse ale with Brett and finished with blackberries and blueberries. One beer in and already off to a great start! This beer boasted a lovely rose-tinted hue and packed a juicy sweet-tart berry flavor with just the right amount of funk. Brewslut went with Let's Gose, a fantastic straight-up German-style tart wheat beer (aka Gose). This sucker was on point!

Pleeps and Zeke enjoy each other's company at Abolitioist.

I decided to go with the lone IPA on the list for my next beer. Alpha Mayle IPA was a solid effort, but a bit too spicy/peppery/earthy for me. Still, I was glad to see something a bit off-kilter versus the same tired "hazy NE-style IPA" that so many breweries have been latching onto recently. My next beer, however, was quite enjoyable. West by Quad turned in an awesome performance! This Belgian-style Quadruple was aged in French oak bourbon barrels and was strong and alluring. The bourbon character was not overly boozy, but rather offered a nice, round vanilla-chocolate flavor. I really enjoyed this one!

I'm usually not attracted to odd-sounding wild ales, but something about my next beer - Beverly Farmhouse Ale - caught my attention. Described as a "wild ale brewed with local cascade hops from Beverley Farms, just a few miles away, and fermented with wild WV yeast then keg conditioned with pear juice," this beer intrigued me... on paper, anyway. Well folks, it delivered! The wild yeast was unique and I swear I could taste a bit of West Virginia in there somewhere. that sounds vague, I know, but sometimes you can just pick out the subtle nuances of a region by the stuff that floats through the air and into a wild fermented beer. This was one of those rare beers.

I also tried a bit of Brewslut's Shenandoah Saison, Abolitionist's house Saison. This variation was aged for eight months in a wine barrel with local plums. You could really taste the plum skins in this one, which was a bit overbearing perhaps but still pretty tasty.

I'm fairly certain this place will be in contention for my Top 10 of new breweries visited in 2018. All of the Saisons were outstanding, and head brewer/co-owner Mike was kind enough to spend some time with us at the bar answering our questions. This place hasn't even been open for a year, so Mike & co. are definitely off to an impressive start. I already can't wait to visit again!

After an extremely pleasant visit to Abolitionist, we were off to nearby Brunswick, MD, for a quick stop at Smoketown Brewing Station, another new-to-us brewery. It was shaping up to be a pretty decent spring day, so the garage doors were open, exposing a beer garden/patio-type space when we arrived. We wandered in and bellied up to the bar, and I was surprised by the diverse list of beers on tap. Everything from pedestrian styles like a Blonde and Hefe to more adventurous-sounding beers such as a Candy Cane Stout. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Deuane did inform me ahead of time not to get my hopes up because it wasn't as good as Abolitionist.

Smoketown Brewing Station in Brunswick, MD

After perusing the beer menu for a minute, I settled on the whimsically-named Backyard BBQ, a German-style Rauchbier. Most folks would have found this overly smoky, and I understand it's an acquired taste for most beer drinkers. I happen to enjoy a good smoked beer every now and again, and this provided a welcome change from all of the farmhouse and wild ales we'd just consumed at Abolitionist. This one was pretty mediocre, unfortunately. While still drinkable, it was heavy on the liquid smoke character versus a really good smoked malt flavor. Perhaps they really were going for the "backyard BBQ" vibe with this one. I mean, it was drinkable but I probably wouldn't have ordered another one. The body could have been a bit chewier too. This one fell into that sparse gray area of "underwhelming" and "drinkable." Our "big ass pretzel" with three varieties of mustard dips was quite enjoyable and "big ass" as described!

Waiting for our "big ass pretzel."

My next selection was much more enjoyable. I inquired about a beer called Walter's Spirits, as there was no other description available save for an 11+% ABV. Turns out this was a bourbon barrel-aged porter. Named after the fabled ghost of Walter Rice, a former firefighter at the firehouse-turned-brewery, Smoketown aged this porter in bourbon barrels from A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg, VA. Although a bit on the boozy side, this was pretty enjoyable.

Speaking of enjoyable, this place also provided much entertainment in the form of "people watching." For example, there was a guy lollygagging around the brewery and outside on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, kind of sliding around like a retarded James Brown on depressants. Brewslut bestowed upon him the comical nickname of "Feets on Fire." After basking in his presence for a while, we were all convinced there was a meth lab right around the corner. Moral of this story? Lay off those drugs, kiddies.

There were also four ladies at the bar playing Justin Timberlake and other assorted horrible pop and hip hop songs on the jukebox. I enjoyed a bit of lighthearted flirt-talking with them, which helped pass the time in a fun way. They were dancing, having a good time, and drinking the lightest beer offering available.

Cushwa was another place that came with a high recommendation from Deuane, so we decided to visit last June when we headed down to Bristow, VA, to see Iron Maiden. We were glad we did and were excited to return this time with D&C. Cushwa has been busy churning out some tasty NE-influenced IPAs. We'd enjoyed a beer called Jello last time around. Sadly, it wasn't available during this particular visit, but there were still plenty of hoppy offerings to satisfy any lupulin lover.

Inside Williamsport, MD's Cushwa Brewing Co.

I started with Fog at Daybreak, a pale ale described as a "hop cocktail of Simcoe, Mosaic, and Amarillo." Weighing in at 5.6% ABV, this one drank like a session ale but packed the hop aroma of a DIPA. Think sticky and resinous with notes of tropical fruit. This one was very well executed. Brewslut kicked off with After School Snack, a PB&J-inspired ale. This dark golden chestnut-hued beer boasted a pretty authentic sweet, peanuty flavor with fruit jam in the finish. You know, just like mom used to make. I was more of a toasted (aka "grilled") cheese sandwich kid myself. My grandma made me one every day after school. PB&J beers have become much more popular over the last year or two. We definitely come across them more often in our travels these days. This was one of the better ones we've encountered.

Up next, I went with Natural Progression, a NE-style DIPA hopped exclusively with Mosaic. With a namesake derived from its aroma and flavor profile, the term “mosaic” implies multi-faceted, exquisite, and complex. The same can be attributed to this particular hop variety. The result is a tasty DIPA rife with bright citrus, a mélange of tropical fruit, pine resin, and some faint earthy, herbaceous notes. Sticking with the hoppy beers, my next choice was Synonomous, a softer NE-style IPA hopped with Citra and El Dorado. This hop combo delivers an almost Juicy Fruit gum flavor. Obviously, the aroma is heavy on the citrus due to the use of Citra hops, but El Dorado sneaks in hints of hard candy akin to watermelon Jolly Ranchers. Despite the gum and candy references, this wasn't overly sweet and proved to be another nicely done IPA.

I ended our visit with a taster size portion of False Dichotomy, yet another NE-style IPA. Might as well try it, right? Brewed with a hefty dose of Spelt malt, this sucker is hopped with an assortment of varieties including Simcoe, Amarillo, Motueka, Kohatu, and Vic Secret. This varied hop combination elicits tree fruit and grapes, and provides a dry finish on the palate. And by this time, I was pretty much spent. The well was dry... right Pleeps?

Sorry Pleeps... all gone!

Stay tuned for more more hijinx back at the cabin and Sunday in Frederick, MD. Until then, this is Gandalf signing off...

Is that Gandalf?