A Day of Tomfrippery

It's rare that I get a weekend all to myself. Brewslut was recently invited to go on an extended "girls' weekend" to the beach with some friends, which left me alone to my own devices. With a few days to myself, I decided to round up Darin and Doug (see The Point of Bro Return for a refresher) and head to the fabled Princeton Record Exchange, an iconic record store in New Jersey. Upon looking at my trusty brewery map, I discovered a plethora of craft breweries both on the way and in the general vicinity of Princeton. I scoped out some familiar - and unfamiliar - names and came up with a short list of places to hit after digging for records for about an hour and a half. Turns out I'd wanted to visit these places for quite some time, and now the opportunity had presented itself.

After mining for plastic for about an hour and a half, it was time to celebrate our hauls with a few cold ones. First on the agenda was a visit to Vault Brewing in nearby Yardley, PA. I'd first come into contact with Vault's beers during my frequent visits to the good ol' Corvette Bar & Grille in my adopted hometown of Annville, PA. Turns out that Travis, one of the Vette's long-time bartenders, is friends with one of the owners of Vault... at least that's how I remember it. So I'd had a few of their beers in recent years and have generally enjoyed them quite a bit. One that comes to mind is the Full City Coffee Stout, which I recall was quite good. At any rate, it was good to finally visit the source after having enjoyed some of their beers for about three years or so.

Outside Vault Brewing Co. (photo courtesy of patch.com)

With the 'Rona still in full force, Vault (like many other small breweries) has adopted a makeshift beer garden area for outside seating. I'd perused the food menu in advance and decided it would serve as a suitable spot for lunch. The beer garden is set up in the adjacent parking lot, complete with a large pop-tent affair... the kind that cost like $1000 to rent for a wedding. The shade was definitely welcome - although I always prefer inside seating with air conditioning - and despite being around 92 degrees outside, it was fairly comfortable at our table.

I started the day off with a pour of a NE-style Pale Ale called Of Hops and Clouds. We joked that it sounded like the name of a prog rock album title. Brewed with a hop combo of Mosaic, Citra, and Amarillo, this fruity ale boasts a juicy smack of pineapple and citrus with tropical notes of guava and  mango. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

For lunch, the waffle grilled cheese sandwich sounded too damn good to pass up, so I opted for carb overload... always a good decision when drinking all day! This was essentially a grilled cheese sandwich with homemade waffles standing in for plain old bread. I believe there was also smoked gouda in the mix, but I could be wrong. At any rate, this was bangin' and provided a solid base on which to lay lots of beer.

Speaking of beer, my second beer was one Darin had just had called Chasing Nickels. This NE-style session IPA is hopped with Idaho Gem and Mosaic for bright aromas of sweet citrus, grapefruit, and a hint of pine. I got more of a tropical fruit vibe with a twist of  lemon meringue pie. This was quite enjoyable albeit a tad muted after my initial hoppier beer. I did get inside for a bit to use the restroom, and the place is bigger than I'd anticipated. It kind of reminded me of Iron Hill, with lots of dark, smooth wood and a similar layout. I'd love to visit again when we're able to sit inside. Plus Brewslut needs to get to this place. I imagine we'll be back within the next year. 

Up next on the agenda was Huntindon Valley's Naked Brewing. This brewery has been around for the better part of the last decade, and I'd wanted to visit for quite some time. Naked debuted its beers at the Newtown Beer Fest (I performed there once with herbie) in 2011. After receiving a positive response from attendees, the brewery decided to go full time and was officially licensed on April Fool’s Day 2012. Within just a few months, Naked moved from a tiny garage to its present location. Again, we were forced to sit outside in the heat (thanks, 'Rona!), but like so many other small breweries, Naked had erected a pop-up beer garden and employed a food truck to keep its customers hydrated (or should I say libated?) and nourished. As you can see from the photo below, the beer garden was nothing fancy; a few scattered picnic tables and a covered bar with about eight seats. We grabbed a few seats at the bar as there was only one guy occupying a stool when we arrived. 

Naked's pop-up beer garden (courtesy of Trip Advisor)

After enjoying two IPAs at Vault, I decided to switch things up a bit at Naked. I spotted a beer called Ground Effects on the menu that sounded tasty described as a cream ale brewed with coffee roasted at Calm Waters Coffee Roasters. I'll typically order one of these whenever they appear on a beer list, and I've typically enjoyed these more often than not. This one features a nice balance of vanilla and light coffee with an almost blondie (blonde brownie) vibe going on.  

I decided to stay on the lighter side, and once I saw a beer name referencing Motorhead bass god, Lemmy, the decision was made. Lemmy Czech is a crisp Czech-style Pilsner brewed with the classic German noble hop Saaz for a grassy, citrusy bite in the finish. This was pretty solid overall, though not as super crisp as other examples of the style I've had. Still, it's refreshing to see more lagers being brewed by small breweries these days. I'd drink it again. Plus... Lemmy! \m/ However, I think that any beer named after Lemmy should taste like cigarettes and whiskey. Maybe a smoked beer next time? 

All in all, this was a pleasant first-time visit... even with the heat. The three of us always engage in lots of silly music geek humor (i.e. Tomfrippery, a term taken from our self-penned Prog Rock Dictionary, which includes 40 different entries thus far). Also, I did get to meander inside for a peek while waiting for the bathroom to become vacant. The brewery and adjoining tasting room definitely has a dimly lit warehouse vibe, which is totally fine with me. I tend to like my breweries to straddle the line between utilitarian and one-of-a-kind. I enjoy a space has its own unique character and doesn't employ a generic cookie-cutter design thats typically of a chain restaurant. I'd rather have no-frills than no personality. I'm looking forward to getting back here in the post-Rona world as well. 

In researching breweries for this little jaunt, I was surprised to find that Conshohocken Brewing Company has five different locations. The location in closest proximity to us was situated in Bridgeport, PA, so we set the GPS for Puddlers Kitchen & Tap, one of Conshohocken's satellite tap rooms. With PA liquor laws constantly changing (fortunately for the better), small breweries can now operate multiple tap rooms under a single license, which means other nearby communities can share the wealth while the brewery spreads awareness of its brand. This building is pretty damn cool too. Check it...

Conshohocken's Puddlers site (courtesy of plymouthnbeyond.com)

When we arrived, all of the tables under umbrellas were already reserved, so we had to sweat it out in the sun. We found a partially shaded table, but I'm prone to burst into flames during especially hot summer days, so I made a quick bathroom visit and popped back to the car to grab my own umbrella to provide a bit of shade. Brewslut and I had visited the original Conshohocken site shortly after it opened back in 2014 and were somewhat impressed. We weren't necessarily wowed but we also weren't underwhelmed. At any rate, it had been a while since I had the opportunity to dig in for a second run, so I was glad to be back to see what they'd been up to. I mean, they have five locations, so they must be doing something right, eh?    

Beer Garden at Puddlers site (courtesy of Facebook)

After perusing the beer list, I settled on Type A, a 7% ABV west coast-style IPA hopped with a blend of Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe against a backbone of pale and pilsner malts. This one boasts a full hop aroma with flavors of citrus and pine as well as that textbook dry finish that defines the style. It turned out to be a good choice. This one a one-and-done stop for me, as I was driving. 

Not sure what else to do since we had more time, we ultimately decided to end the evening at one of our collective favorites, St. Boniface. One of my regular quarantine libations has been SB's coffee IPA, recently matriculated from the Offering Series to a bona fide beer now named Whiff Roasters. The beer borrows its name from the Lititz, PA-based company that provides the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans for its recipe. Seriously, folks... this beer is bangin'! It may very well be the best coffee IPA I've had in my travels thus far. I simply can't get enough of it. As a matter of fact, we're heading down to check out the newly opened Tied House, SBC's new Lititz, PA taproom. Here's to hoping it's on tap this evening! I'm glad to see them thriving, as they've been one of my favorite central PA breweries since the get-go. 

Well kids, that's all for now. Brewslut and I recently made a weekend jaunt up to Penn's Creek Campground (not too far from our beloved chalet... RIP) to hit some new breweries and a few old favorites. Stay tuned for an account of that weekend, coming soon to The Pour Travelers blog. Until next time...

Cape Crusaders: Exploring SoDel - Part 3

On Sunday, Taylor and Greg made breakast to provide a nice base on which to lay some beer. After breakfast, we loaded up in Taylor's Jeep (with his sweet dog, Lucy) tagging along and set our sights for nearby Ocean City, MD. I hadn't made the connection geographically that O.C. was so close to SoDel. The weather outside on this particular day was unseasonably warm yet a bit breezy. Still, folks were out in droves, enjoying some fresh air and a stroll down the boardwalk. Unfortunately, the appeal of the boardwalk (and the beach, for that matter) had all but vanished in my early twenties. It was all fine and good when I wanted to buy cool posters, T-shirts, or other music memorabilia for my dorm room at college. I also never was a beach bum. I mean, look at me. I'm practically translucent. With that said, put a brewery at the beach and I'm there.

Ocean City's Backshore Brewing Co.

We parked about five blocks away and took a leisurely walk down the boardwalk with Lucy in tow. Our first stop was a small brewery right on the boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic ocean, the dog-friendly Backshore. The first nano brewery in the area, Backshore opened in 2012 with a meager 6-tap draft line and a philosophy of constantly rotating those taps with new and interesting beer styles to keep folks coming back. Backshore's website features a brewery cam, where you can check out what's going on right at this very second if you feel so inclined. The place definitely has a beachy, retro vibe, which is embodied by its logo featuring a classic VW bus with a surfboard on top.

However, the brewery wasn't always known as Backshore. Actually, the name Backshore came as the result of a 2013 trademark infringement lawsuit that had threatened to put the brewery - then named Shorebilly - out of business. (The lawsuit is well-documented online if you feel like doing down that rabbit hole.)

What's on tap at Backshore.

Taylor mentioned they released an IPA called "The Professor" as a tribute to my recently fallen hero, Neil Peart. Sadly, it had just kicked a day or two prior. There was, however, another IPA in its place that sounded right up my alley. What better way is there to embrace the shorebilly mentality than with a dank-ass beer? Enter Dank You Very Much - an excessively dry-hopped IPA with copious amounts of ganga... um, I mean CTZ with some Julius hops on the side.  So what is CTZ, exactly? Well, it's basically the combination of Columbus, Zeus and Tomahawk, three super high alpha hop varieties that exhibit dank, herbaceous characteristics. The resulting aroma is very reminiscent of marijuana. While I don't have much experience toking the reefer, I love me some dank nuggs. And let me tell you, this puppy ranked pretty high on the scale of dankitude and served as a great introduction to this little brewery.

I knew it was going to be difficult to top Dank You Very Much, but we decided to sample another beer. We settled on Armstrong, an English Strong Ale clocking in at 8.5%. It sort of fell in the realm of a wee heavy, although it wasn't quite as thick and malty. Not bad, but I was still deep in the dank tank so Brewslut and I shared one final pour of it before we hit the road.

While we were at Backshore, we had the pleasure of meeting Nate, one of the brewers, who also happens to be the doppleganger of Scott Ian from Anthrax. It turns out he's also a huge Rush fan and the guy who named the aforementioned "Professor" IPA. We got to talking and of course Solar Federation came up. It's always fun to geek out with fellow Rush fans, and there's not much else that excites me more than talking about my favorite band with like-minded people. Before we left, Nate disappeared for a few minutes and brought me a crowler of The Professor, which he was saving to drink at home. This was such an awesome gesture that it really made our experience at Backshore that much more special. Cheers Nate!

After an enjoyable visit to Backshore, we set our sights to nearby Berlin, MD, and Burley Oak, which has been on my long list of breweries to visit for quite some time. Over the past few years, every time I looked at its location on a map, I reacted as such: "Damn, that's far away, and there's no other breweries close by." Well, when I found out that Taylor lived about 20 minutes away and there were plenty of new breweries to check out, it sparked my decision to commit to a long weekend excursion. In other words, my longing to visit Burley Oak was the impetus of the trip. Needless to say, we'd be there for a while.

Burley Oak... finally!

The name Burley Oak takes inspiration from its hometown of Berlin, traditional brewing methods, and the history of its brewhouse. Back in the late 1700s, the town of Berlin was part of the Burley Plantation, a 300-acre land grant pre-dating the town by more than 100 years. The town's name of Berlin is rumored to have its origins in the Burleigh Inn, a local tavern.

I was surprised to learn that the building in which the brewery resides dates back to the early 1900s and was previously occupied by a cooperage that constructed oak barrels to fill with local produce and seafood to ship off to Baltimore. Burley Oak prides itself on sustainable brewing practices and utilizing materials and craftsmen sourced locally. One such project that has manifested as a result of these practices is Burley Farming, whereby the brewery plants and harvests its own grain for the "Home Grown Ales" grain-to-glass beer series. Now that's pretty freakin' cool!

I kicked off our lengthy visit with a pour of Coffee N' Cream, a cream ale featuring Burley Oak's own house-made cold brew coffee. This definitely didn't suck, so it was a great first impression. However, I quickly realized I should have opted for a sampler flight, because the beer list was ri-God-damn-diculous! As predicted, the menu was heavy on the IPAs and sours, but many other styles were represented, including a hibiscus wheat, a porter, a pilsner, a red ale, and a pale ale. Although the Coffee N' Cream delivered, I was ready to get my J.R.E.A.M. on!

After my initial pint, I succumbed to a sampler flight. It had to be done. Here's the scoop on my flight, which consisted of six different beers:

• Free Nights and Weekends - IPA
• Search and Destroy - Triple IPA triple dry-hopped with Galaxy, Vic Secret, and Cashmere.
• Double Strawberry Rhubarb Pie J.R.E.A.M. - sour ale conditioned on hundreds of pounds of strawberries and rhubarb, then finished with signature pie spices. Juicy, tangy and delicious!
• Double Blackberry Cobbler J.R.E.A.M. - Imperial sour ale with lactose conditioned on lots of blackberry as well as cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla.
• Blueberry French Toast J.R.E.A.M. - Sour ale with lactose conditioned on blueberry, maple syrup, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
• Jacques Goseteau - Gose with Atlantic Ocean sea salt conditioned on pineapple, passionfruit, and pink guava.

Pleeps is ready for some nice J.R.E.A.M.s!

These beers were all very good in their own right, but I definitely gravitated to the J.R.E.A.M.s., which were all pleasantly flavorful and complex with juicy fruit characteristics, ample tartness, and full-bodied textures. Brewslut was really digging the Jacques Goseteau, which was a super-sour take on a gose with tons of tropical fruit character, courtesy of pineapple, passionfruit and pink guava. I enjoyed this one immensely as well, and as a result wended up grabbing a 4-pack to enjoy at home.

Geddy Lee, best bass player EVER. Come on!

Taylor said I couldn't leave without trying Lost IPA , which is Burley Oak's flagship year-round beer. This IPA is intensely hopped with Amarillo, Mosaic and Simcoe, which produced lots of citrus and mango flavors. But I definitely left in a state of utter "jreaminess"!

After a memorable visit to Burley Oak, it was time to head back to Dewey Beach. Our next stop, 38° 75° Brewing, is situated in the adjacent Gary's Dewey Beach Grill. Established in 1991, Gary’s has been a favorite of locals for its food and casual, laid-back atmosphere. There wasn't much going on when we arrived. A few patrons were strewn about the small place, and I don't think anyone - save for maybe one guy - was at the bar.

Pleeps doing what he does.

Upon examining the tap list, I noticed there were more guest taps than house beers, which is always suspect. This usually means that the house beer is underwhelming (hence the better-known, and often tastier, guest beers). I decided to try my luck with the Oatmeal Porter, and it delivered pretty much what I'd apticipated: a middle-of-the-road beer that lacks inspiration. While this place may have been great 10 or 15 years ago, it just seemed to have that tried-and-true mentality, which often prevents establishments from changing with the times. Maybe I'm being a little too hard on this place, but with some of the stellar beers we had over the last two days, this definitely fell short of my expectations. Still, it was fun doing a bit of sticker spotting on the walls, coolers, doors, etc. while sitting at the bar and chatting. After one beer, it was time to check it off the list and move on.

Sock monkey photo bomb!

Back at Dewey Beer Company, we decided to prolong our stay a bit by getting dinner. Also, the place wasn't nearly as crowded as it was on the previous night, so we managed to grab four seats at the bar. I was hell bent on trying some more new beers - especially Secret Machine variants - since I'd enjoyed them so much the night before. 

First up was a peach, pineapple and macadania nut beer called Thrills. This heavily fruited, thick peach and pineapple. Sweet, savory-buttery macadamia nut. This beer crushes! It might have been my favorite beer we had from Dewey and in my Top 3 beers of the trip. Of course, you can rarely go wrong with the magic ingredient of peaches! 

Next, I continued my exploration of the excellent Secret Machine series. This time, it was the "Blueberry, Blackberry, Raspberry" variant. This was bursting with a blend of earthy berry tartness and sweetness, but fell short of the Thrills in which I'd just partaken. Peaches for the win!

After a pair of fruit-forward beers, it was time to switch gears and explore more hoppy terrain. Heavily Meditated is a soft, plush tropical fruit-forward IPA hopped with Motueka, Wakatu, and Citra. Motueka and Wakatu are both hop varieties from New Zealand and carry traits of citrus and tropical fruits, especially lime. Citra lends pungent grapefruit and orange notes. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Inside Dewey Beer Co. (Photo courtesy of sarabozich.com).

I can't recall how we started talking to our bartender, a young kid, but whatever the topic, I remember it was pretty in-depth. After a while, he surprised us with a sample of the brand new Secret Machine "Raspberry, Peach, Marshmallow" variant, which wasn't hitting taps until the following day. This was another stellar beer in an amazing lineup of fruit-forward tart ales. This one boasted ripe berry notes with tart peach and sweet, fluffy marshmallow. I debated stopping in yet again the following day to grab a 4-pack, but alas it wasn't meant to be. And with that, we bid a fond adieu to Dewey Beer Co. One thing is for sure... we will be back!

Back at Taylor's, we enjoyed some more beers while watching a great Howard Stern interview with Paul McCartney as well as the latest episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Taylor was quick to break out a variety of DFH beers that were occupying his fridge. One of the best fringe benefits of working for a brewery is the insane quantities of free beer one amasses, and apparently DFH is no different than Tröegs when it comes to complimentary beer for its employees.

The first one out of the fridge was SuperEIGHT. Featuring eight different ingredients - prickly pear, mango, boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, kiwi juices, toasted quinoa and red Hawaiian sea salt - this fruit-forward beer boasts a vibrant red tint and flavors of tart berries, tropical fruit, and juicy watermelon.

Taylor also busted out a bottle of a collaboration with The Veil called Knuckles, Bats and Homemade Tats. Brewed with a blend of locally grown and malted Violeta barley as well as ancient grains Einkorn and Spelt, this open-fermented beer features mixed yeast and bacterial cultures transferred to French Oak Chardonnay barrels. After 18 months of aging, the beer is refermented on hibiscus and red, white and black currants for an intense, complex beer. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, and was glad to see that The Veil could contribute something to this collaboration besides murky haze or Oreo cookies.

Speaking of haze, we also enjoyed a can of American Beauty Hazy Ripple IPA. Another collaboration beer, this one with The Grateful Dead (yes, the actual band... or what's left of them, anyway), is inspired by the American Beauty album. An unfiltered IPA featuring spelt and a special yeast strain to complement the hop aroma, this one features notes of tropical fruit and juicy citrus. I found myself enjoying this more than I enjoy both hazy IPAs and - especially - the Grateful Dead's borning, meandering, LSD-laden space-outs. I wonder if John Mayer was involved with this one. Probably not.

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On Monday morning, we woke up, packed up the CRV, and headed up the road to Fenwick Island for breakfast with Taylor at his favorite spot, Jimmy's Kitchen. Known for its chipped beef, I was also surprised to see scrapple on the menu. Turns out someone involved with the restaurant is a PA coal cracker, where love of scrapple runs deep. Since I'd already eaten some bacon over the last few days and Jimmy's didn't have any non-mammal protein available for breakfast, I opted for a slab of scrapple with my eggs and grits. The food was solid and the place was super laid back, with a definitely jam band vibe. After breakfast, we said our goodbyes to Taylor (and Lucy) and began our northward trek back home... but not without more brewery visits along the way!

Outside Milford, Delaware's Mispillion River Brewing.

Our first brewery of the day was Milford, Delaware's Mispillion River. I'd planned to hit this place on Saturday morning, but they didn't open until noon and I was anxious to get to DFH. Once I realized they were open on Monday, I called an audible and added it to our Monday agenda. The story of the brewery begins as a sort of midlife crisis for the owner, Eric Williams, who woke up on the morning after his 40th birthday and decided his life wasn't complete until he opened a craft brewery. After two years of planning, learning his craft, and traveling the country, Eric assembled his team and Mispillion River officially hatched in the fall of 2013.

Mispillion River distributes its beers throughout Delaware, New Jersey and a very small pocket of Maryland, as well as northern and central PA. I'd come across its beers on a few occasions while out and about at local taverns and such, so I was familiar with the name. Upon checking out the beer menu, the brewery seemed to have a penchant for IPAs (no surprise there). Lucky for me I was in a hoppy mood, so I decided to go with an IPA-centric sampler flight featuring the following beers:

• Lightning Bug - Triple dry-hopped with Azacca, Amarillo and Ekuanot
• Not Today Satan - An unholy joining of El Dorado, Centennial, Columbus, Cascade and Mosaic hops
• Nor'easter - NE-style rye IPA that's hoppy and bitter with a grainy, spicy character and lingering dryness
• Reach Around IPA - flagship old school IPA featuring Columbus, Cascade and Nugget hops

Pleeps takes flight at Mispillion River!

Not Today Satan was probably my favorite of the bunch, but all were commendable. We had a good time chatting with the bartender about beer and music (of course) while we worked on our sampler flights. They also have award-winning bathrooms! Check out the link if you don't believe me.

I was struggling to figure out where else we could go after Mispillion River. We'd recently visited Wilmington and Newark and were pretty thorough with our exploration of that area, so we decided to swing through Ephrata on the way to check out the new-ish Pour Man's Brewing Company.

The brewery stemmed from three friends' shared love for homebrewing, and over time they honed their skills, eventually winning an award in 2015 at a small competition. After three years and several more local awards, Pour Man's opened for business. I was pleased to see two ribbons from this year's PA Farm Show beer competition hanging next to two of its beers on the chalkboard. Good for them!

We decided to share a few small pours to dip our toes into this new local brewery. Here's the skinny:

• Sampson - Crisp, refreshing lager brewed with flaked rice and hopped with Sorachi Ace and Citra
• Oats & Hoes - Brewed with oats as well as five different kinds of malt varieties and cold brewed coffee brewed from Javateas, an Ephrata-based gourmet coffee cafe 
• Ja'Crispy - Kolsch-style ale brewed with Pilsner malt and hopped with Hallertau and Saaz
• Black Market - Black IPA brewed with midnight wheat, caramel malt and oats and hopped with Columbus, Simcoe and Cascade

Everything we had was commendable, with Black Market being my favorite of the bunch. I must admit I'm still a fan of this flash-in-the-pan style that seems to have all but disappeared across the craft beer landscape in lieu of fruited sours and hazy IPAs. So every time I run into one, I most likely give it a shot. 

Of course, we couldn't be in Ephrata without stopping in at St. Boniface. When we arrived, we had trouble securing a parking spot. Inside, the place was packed for a Monday. Not only was it a long holiday weekend, but they were also hosting Music Bingo, which is pretty popular. We had planned to share a pizza here, but the wait was well over an hour, so we each enjoyed a beer while standing and talking to a few friends. It seems as though we run into people we know at breweries quite often. 

I went for my go-to beer from St. Boniface, Paideia, a citrus-forward pale ale hopped exclusively with Citra. Brewslut opted for one of the one-off Offering beers, #51 - Oaked Belgian Sour, a fairly dry Belgian-style ale with plenty of woody and tart citrus notes. Since it was so packed, we just decided to pick up some Chinese take-out and relax on the couch for a few hours before veering back into reality. 

We hope you enjoyed our SoDel adventures! All in all, it was a wonderful long weekend that allowed us to catch up with some friends and continue our exploration of the country's ever-expanding craft beer landscape. Thanks for reading. Until next time...

When Music & Beer Collide

Until recently, Brewslut and I have spent several of our wedding anniversary weekends attending Philly Beer Week. Sometimes my band schedule interferes with our drinking plans. However, this time my two passions crossed paths when The Heavy Push (one of my many bands) was asked to perform at this year’s Bonifest.

For those of you who are not familiar, Bonifest is an annual festival organized by Saint Boniface Brewing Co. in Ephrata, PA. Brewslut and I attended last year and had a blast, so we had already planned to attend in 2016. Turns out the event had been scheduled on the actual day of our 17^th anniversary. Dain (my buddy and one of the co-owners of Saint Boniface) asked if one of my bands wanted to play. The wife was cool with it, and since I was going to be there anyway, I might as well make some scratch, right?

The goat shirt!

To compound matters, my other musician friend Corty Byron (with whom I perform in a Doors tribute band called Ride the Snake) asked me to fill in for his drummer that evening during the final band slot of 6 to 8 p.m. I’d pulled double duty many times before, so it was no big deal. There were plenty of friends attending so Brewslut wouldn’t feel too neglected. Plus I had plenty of downtime between sets to imbibe and shoot the breeze with her and our peeps.

Bonifest festival grounds (ie. their parking lot)

We’d checked out the beer list in advance, and I was stoked to see a bunch of special firkin tappings on the schedule for the day. I was able to get a taste of the bourbon barrel-aged Hegemony Imperial Stout, which was pretty damn amazing, as well as the habanero spiked cream ale, a variation of one of its Offering Series. Unfortunately, I missed the chance to sample the Citra dry-hopped Paideia with blood oranges, which tapped while I was on stage and sold out in less than 15 minutes. Quite a feat! Brewslut said it was awesome. Happy anniversary to me? Hmmm…

Brewslut in the lounge position.

I was also ecstatic to see the Berliner Weisse on tap throughout the day, which is probably in my Top 3 Berliners of all time. Seriously folks, it’s THAT GOOD! Mike (another of the owners) was kind enough to get me some woodruff syrup from his personal stash to complement the tartness of the beer. If you are unfamiliar with woodruff syrup, I won’t bore you with a lengthy description. You can read about it here on Wikipedia. I also downed a couple of Shandys, a concoction comprised of equal parts Berliner Weisse and lemonade, which made for a refreshing thirst-quencher while getting some aerobic exercise on stage (ie: drumming).

Somewhere in the middle of the day, I meandered inside the tasting room and saw another of the Offering series on tap – Molasses Porter. I had this on a previous visit and enjoyed it quite a bit, so I obviously had to order one, right? It offered a nice contrast to the hoppy Paidela and tart Berliners I’d consumed throughout the day. Speaking of Paideia, I also enjoyed a few cans of this gem throughout the day (which by the way drinks amazing well from aluminum). The batch on hand was super-fresh and bursting with citrusy hop goodness! This is their flagship beer, and for good reason too. Pick up a 6-pack next time you see it in the coolers at your local beer shop.

Some nice cans!

Cheers to the fine folks at Saint Boniface for organizing such an awesome event. In addition to enjoying some great beer throughout the day, I’d like to offer myself a well-deserved pat on the back for kicking some serious ass during both bands’ sets. It’s a joy to be able to do what I love while doing something else that I love with the people I love. Is that rampant use of the word love? Perhaps. But you can never have too much love… and I love it when music and beer collides!