The More the Merriweather

So, I'm not really digging the Merriweather schedule so far. It's cool that Decemberists and Mumford & Sons are coming. But I've seen Decemberists so many times already (and can't risk hearing the Mariner's Revenge Song ever again). Hint: the Mariner's revenge was that he willed Decemberists to write a horrible horrible grating song and then close every show with it... As for Mumford, I think the album only has about three solid songs.

And I’m totally bummed that the Bright Eyes/M. Ward show is going to Wolf Trap instead of Merriweather. It’s not that I don’t like Wolf Trap. I love it. How can you go wrong with a concert where you bring your own picnic and beer/wine. And where you barter with your neighbors to trade beer for brownies? But I HATE Northern Virginia.  I hate it during the week and I hate it on the weekend. I hate it in the rain, I hate it on a plane. I hate it in a boat, I hate it with a goat.

You get my drift. In fact, I’ve long held that the state slogan accidentally replaced an “s” with a “v.” We all know what they meant to say was Virginia is for Losers.

But rather than sit here and complain about NoVa, I’ll make a list of shows I’d like IMP to pull together for Merriweather for this summer.

1. Wilco – They will have a new album out and I’ve seen some good Wilco shows at Merriweather. They’ll have a new album out.
2. My Morning Jacket – Two years in a row? I hope so! They will also have a new album to support and seeing them at Merriweather last summer was one of my music highlights of the year.
3. Band of Horses with Jayhawks. Yes. These two. Together. They recently played together in the Atlanta area. And aside from me having a hard time coming to terms with Jayhawks opening for BoH, it would be a great pairing. And listening to them in the open air seems like a great idea.
4. Black Keys – I think they are big enough to play Merriweather. If Mumford & Sons can headline, it seems reasonable for Black Keys. Black Keys seem to always play short sets. Maybe combining them with Iron & Wine (full band version) would work. It would certainly be a cool package.
5. Ryan Adams – The king of the train wreck! So he quit music a few year ago to be a “writer.” He’s back!? And playing shows in Europe. I’ve seen him 10+ times. You never know who will show up. He might play for four hours and blow your mind with a blistering set of country/rock with Stones and Gram Parsons covers thrown in. He might have the 9:30 Club setup folding and play Madonna songs on a turntable. He might have a nervous breakdown in the middle of the Meyerhoff, leave the stage for an hour and fifteen minutes and then return and stand on a stool in the middle of the auditorium playing acoustic guitar that only the first five rings of people around him can hear. He might play the same songs three times in a row. He might spend 15 minutes of an hour long set rambling about restaurants needing serve eggs after 10 am, and then play four or five Grateful Dead songs. It doesn’t matter. It will be entertaining. You’ll either have your mind blown, think he’ll be dead in two months, or want to punch him. At least you’ll have an experience.

I have not yet given much thought to who the opening acts should be, but I would enjoy Henry Clay People, the Head and the Heart, and Smith Westerns with any of these bands. hocoblogs@@@

My Band is Playing at Second Chance Saloon

While it's not the point of this blog, it's seems crazy not to use it to advertise my band's upcoming show at the Second Chance Saloon in Columbia, MD on Friday, April 8th at 9:30 PM. Right?

Dogfish Head Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot Pt. 2

Sam - talking about the old days

So, back to those “special tour tickets” I mentioned in my previous post. The Mrs. and I showed up at the Dogfish Head Brewery a little before 10:00 for our 10:30 tour. And going in the door just in front of us was none other than Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head President and Founder)! A few minutes later as we were gathered and getting protective glasses for our tour, it is announced that Sam is our tour guide.

We’d been on the standard DFH brewery tour a few months ago and were bummed to only see a small fraction of the facility. That was not the case this time, we spent an hour and a half with Sam leading us through the facility and talking (quite frankly at times) about the start of the operation, up through the filming of Brew Masters, and plans for the future of the brewery.

so much beer...

Sam discussed the recent decision by Dogfish to pull out of some markets in order to get more beer into some of their closer territories. He touched briefly on the experience of filming Brew Masters but did not address the angle pushed by Anthony Bourdain that Discovery nixed Brew Masters because of threats from “corporate beer.”

Growler of Black & Red

Sam also re-stated the old, "we don't want to be the 60 Minute or Shelter Brewery. We want to be known for all of our beers." And while I'm not a huge fan of some of the Ancient Ales, I think it's great that they are trying new things. I was super excited to hear Sam talk more about Hellhound on My Ale - the beer they are doing with Sony Legacy for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Robert Johnson. I don't want to scoop them on the details, so I'll hold off on details. I will say that the beer is bottled and ready for an "early May release." And I can't wait to try it...

Sam showing off the "Dr. Octagon" hydraulic keg lifter

Most exciting for me, Sam announced that they will be expanding the Rehoboth Beach Brew Pub next year, adding open fermenters, and moving the distillery to an offsite location. It sounds as though they will be using the open fermenters to do more sours and Begian-style beers. He added that they will be adding a new bottling line that will focus entirely on large format (750 ml) bottles. This will save them from having to convert the line when they switch from 12 oz. to 750 ml bottles (a process which stops the line for 3-4 hours). Thanks to the new line, we should start to see more beers in large format.

Dogfish Head Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot Pt. 1

Sierra/Dogfish Life & Limb

Over the weekend, the P90 family made the trip out to Delaware for Dogfish Head’s Weekend of Compelling Ales and Whatnot (WoCAaW). Somehow, Mrs. P90 was on the Facebooks when Dogfish announced the special tours (more on that later) and managed to score two tickets.

If you are not familiar with WoCAaW, it’s Dogfish’s annual celebration of all things beer and a thank you to the folks who spread the good word about Dogfish. Interesting tidbit I picked up over the weekend – Dogfish does very little traditional marketing and relies mostly on word of mouth and events (think pint nights) to spread the word.

So back to the festivities. Day one of WoCAaw took place at the Dogfish Rehoboth Beach Brew Pub and focused on some special Randall concoctions and limited release beers. I’ve included a picture of the menu below.  The wife, girls, and I headed over the pub around 4:00. It was packed, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. We got what we now call the "kids table." It’s the furthest back in the room near the stairs and kitchen. We've been placed there the last few times (with kids in tow). My guess is they put people with kids there to keep them out of the way. I’d probably do the same thing.

WoCAaW Menu

We started off with the 90 Minute IPA pulled through the hop randall and the Dogfish/Three Floyds Poppaskull (Belgian Strong Ale brewed with cardamom and aged in brandy barrels). Both were delicious. Not sure how I went so long without having a beer through the randall, but the hop aroma is amazing!

Next, we had my most highly anticipated item of the weekend – Burton Baton pulled through a randall stuffed with hops, oak chips, and vanilla beans. Words can’t describe the aroma of this drink. It was nothing short of amazing. We also had the Dogfish Sierra Life & Limb from cask. Being the product of two of my favorite breweries, I want to love the Life & Limb. It’s too sweet for me though.

Burton Baton Randall

As for the food, we were pleasantly surprised. We’ve been let down by the food at Dogfish on our last few trips, but this time it was pretty good. Mrs. had the veggie burger and I had the indulgence burger (topped with cheddar, bacon, and an onion ring). We’d get either again.

And because the girls behaved through dinner and allowed us to indulge in and enjoy our adult beverages, we finished the evening off at the Blue Scoop opening day. Beer. Ice Cream. Yum.

Fare (not so well) Michael's Pub

I’m generally of the same mindset as HowChow, in that if you don’t have something nice to say about a place, don’t say anything at all. I’m changing my tune for a minute - especially since the place in question is already closed.

Michael’s Pub closed earlier this week and I say good riddance. I wish Michael’s would have been decent. It was walking/stroller distance to my house and could have been good for a casual dinner and a beer. A place we could take the kids.

It was not. It was a filthy dump surrounded by an ever expanding cloud of cigarette smoke and f-bombs. It could be counted on for requiring me cringe while the clientele smoked outside and cursed while I tried to enjoy pizza and/or Rita’s with my kids.

Michael’s may have been great once upon a time, but it was horrible by the time it closed. From what I can tell, they never cleaned their draft beer lines (let alone their restrooms). Every beer I ever had the misfortune of drinking there was stale and flat. I will not miss it. The fact that they considered smokers to be their niche says it all.

And I’m cracking up that there is now a wordpress site devoted to saving Michael’s. I think the phrase is something, something too little too late. How about instead, we focus on getting a decent restaurant into the King’s Contrivance Village Center.

So this is me hoping that the village center concept isn’t dead. It’s one of the most important pieces of Rouse’s vision. It can be what ties a neighborhood together. And King’s Contrivance has one of the better village centers.

Yes, I’m still annoyed that Harris Teeter opens to the parking lot and not to the courtyard like the rest of the stores. But at least we have the best grocery store. We also have Master Barber where Mr. Lu has been cutting my hair for close to 20 years. We have Rita’s and Greenberries. And we have a good slice of pizza and a great little beer and wine store.

Now please, give me a half-way decent restaurant. I’m not expecting Victoria, Facci, or Iron Bridge. I am expecting some place that is willing to at least put in an effort.   hocofood@@@

Fever Dream

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a whiskey tasting event I attended at Quarry Wine & Spirits. While there, we tasted a great gin from Montana. I was also reminded of the various "artisinal" tonic waters out now. We didn't buy the gin - it didn't blow my mind. However, we lucked out in that the grocery store next door carried Fever Tree Tonic Water. It's a good deal more expensive that Schweppes or Seagram's, but it's much better.

For G&T's, the P90 family enjoys Broker's, Tanqueray, and Dogfish gins.

Unipig?

What is this? Some kind of cross between a unicorn and a pig? A unipig? I don't know, but I can imagine that this sparkly meat would be delicious after 12+ hours on the smoker...