First Sip - Jailbreak Brewing Company

In case you haven't been paying attention, HoCo is about to get two breweries. The first is Jailbreak Brewing and their grand opening is this Saturday (the 26th) at noon.

I had the pleasure of visiting their tasting room and sampling some of their beers a few weeks ago. The space is inviting and the beers are great. My favorite beers were the Made Wit Basil and the Stout. The Big Punisher double IPA was also delicious. And while I'm not a big fan of pepper beers (having been literally burned by Stone's Crime), the Welcome to Scoville is really good, with only a hint of jalapeno spice.

Leading into opening weekend, Jailbreak will be doing some limited growler fills on Friday from 3:00-7:00. They won't be allowing on-site consumption during this time, but the will offer a free growler with the purchase of a fill or 20% off of a growler fill (for anyone that already bought a Jailbreak growler). 

To taste at the source, you'll need to visit tor the grand-opening weekend. They will be open from 12:00-10:00 PM on Saturday and 12:00-6:00 PM on Sunday. Along with delicious beers, they will have some local food trucks in the parking lot. hocofood@@@

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Session IPAs on the Horizon

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for big hop flavor and aroma in lower alcohol beer. When I homebrew, I typically keep the ABV at 5.5% or below. I just love a "session beer."

This is why I'm totally thrilled that the coming months will bring not one, but three "session IPAs" from three of my favorite breweries.

First, we have Lasso IPA from Great Divide. It's a new year round offering clocking it at 5%. With generous amounts of Columbus, Centennial and Cascade hops, I can't wait to give it a try.

Next, we have Go To IPA from Stone. It's slated to be released on 3/3/2014 and is said to have the "fruity, piney character of a much bigger IPA" at only 4.5% abv.

And Finally, coming in the Sierra Nevada 4-Way IPA variety pack will be Nooner Session IPA. Nooner is said to be "light in body but high in aroma" and is 4.8% abv. It will also be out in March. Hopefully it will be good enough to make it into year round rotation.

IM Wine and Wine Bin to Start Growler Programs for Beer

Beginning on Friday, February 1st, 2013, IM Wine will begin filling growlers. And beginning this Friday (the 25th) Wine Bin in Ellicott City will start.

I've been patiently waiting for IM Wine to offer growlers. I know they've been trying for a while to get this going and I'm thrilled that they finally are.

It sounds like they will launch with a six-tap system. I can't wait to see what they have on tap!

IM doesn't say what size growlers they will offer, but they state that by law, they must be branded as IM Wine. I'm hopeful that they will offer 32 and 64 oz, but I'll be happy with anything.

Thanks to a commenter I've been alerted that the Wine Bin in Ellicott City is rolling out Growlers as well. The picture above shows what's on tap and prices. And note that they are offering 32 oz and 64 oz. The prices are pretty good as well. hocoblogs@@@

Wegmans Liquor Part III - Overheard

I made the horrible decision to go to Trader Joe's at 5:00 o'clock on Saturday. Seriously, I should be punched in the head for that bright idea. The parking lot was a war zone, the inside of the store looked like a Soviet bread line, and my three year-old had an EPIC meltdown re: being forced to ride in the cart. As if there was some other option while shopping in what felt like a mosh pit at a Fugazi show circa 1993.

But aside from the sheer hell of it all, I overheard no less than three groups of people talking with excitement about the proposed liquor store slated to open in Wegmans and the hopes that it would move Maryland toward more sensible alcohol laws. I'd be a happy boy buying wine at my local Trader Joe's rather than stocking up when I visit friends in VA. One can dream... hocofood@@@

Kids Love a Liquor Store

If you follow this blog, you no doubt have noticed that I really enjoy beer, wine, and whiskey. I like to think I’m pretty good at pairing wine and beer with food. So at many meals, I will comment to Mrs. P90 about how a certain beer or wine complements said meal. As a result, my young daughters frequently hear us talk about wine and beer.

I also happen to be a homebrewer. It seams that the girls see that as just another type of “cooking that daddy does.” It’s not unusual when they are playing house to overhear them saying “I’m making pork ribs, I’m making meatballs, I’m making beer.” And since the girls do a lot of shopping with us, it’s not uncommon for them to join us on trips to the beer or wine store. So sometimes when playing together, they will say things like “I’m going to Trader Joe’s and then the beer store.”

I try not to get weirded out by this. After all, I hope we’re leading by example and teaching the girls that alcohol should be enjoyed with friends, family, and good food, and not pounded in the alley or the back of a movie theater (i.e. there is no reason for a product like Four Loco to exist). My general philosophy is that if you are bothered about my kids talking about beer or wine, that’s your problem. It’s not like they drink the stuff, they know it’s for “mommies and daddies.”

However, recently, my five year-old started telling my wife that she “wanted to go to the liquor store.” At every afternoon pick-up, she’d say “mom, I want to go to the liquor store! We have not been there in a while.” She was saying this a lot, and it started to get a little troubling. So a few weeks ago, we sat her down, and explained that the liquor store is for adults and that kids shouldn’t really be talking about it. My five year-old burst into tears and ran away. We didn’t understand the severity of her reaction, but she did stop talking about going to the liquor store.

Then yesterday she said to my wife “I want to go to the store where we got the Halloween stuff and the batteries* for daddy.” My wife said “Oh, you mean the dollar store?” Five year-old responds “The dollar store? That’s what I thought was called the liquor store!” I guess that explains the tears when we told her she couldn’t talk about it and it was for adults only…

*I don’t know why $150+ fuzz pedals sound better with crappy dollar store 2-for$1 9-volt batteries, but they do.

The Bitter Truth about Blue Moon and Shock Top

I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you should have found out by now anyway. Blue Moon and Shock Top are NOT micro brews, or craft brews, or whatever fancy name we are using to distinguish “real” beer from “corporate” beer.

If you like them, that’s great. But don’t think for a second you are drinking beer made by a small group of artisans. Blue Moon is made by Coors and Shock Top is AB-InBev .

And they weren’t created to appeal to your great taste in beer. They were created because the big boys noticed that Sam Adams (that’s a story for a different day), Sierra Nevada, and other “good” beers were starting to take over more shelf space. And god forbid consumers have access to more than just yellow fizzy junk in blue, red, or yellow labels.

Disclaimer: The author has been known to drink Miller Lite on more than one occasion. Especially when it’s hot outside.

Dogfish and Pearl Jam - Faithful Ale

Originally Posted on 9/23/2011: It looks like Dogfish Head's Brand X (the last remaining beer in their 2011 release schedule) will be Pearl Jam Faithful. According the the schedule, it will be released in November.

A few weeks ago, I was scouring the 4th quarter releases for Sony Legacy assuming that Brand X would be another beer in that partnership. I didn't think the third in the series of the Johnny Cash Bootlegs warranted a beer, and I was pretty sure that Billy Joel's Piano Man wasn't a good fit (see Joel's struggles with alcohol abuse). My best guess (and hope) was that it would be the Ben Folds/Ben Folds Five Retrospective, but I figured that was a long shot. I love(d) Ben Folds, but he's not quite of the same legendary status as Miles Davis or Robert Johnson.

So they threw us for a loop and partnered with Columbia Records. I gotta say I would have expected a "Black" ale, but instead they went with a Belgian golden with Black Currants. I assume it will be "Alive" and bottle conditioned. Now I wonder if they will have a special bottle to guarantee an "Even Flow" when you pour. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Update 10/6/2011: Today, Dogfish Head announced a mid-October release of Faithfull Ale along with "re-issues" of Hellhound and Bitches Brew. I guess it's good that beer re-issues don't come with out-takes and extra tracks. I doubt they would taste very good...

From the press release: 

"Faithfull Ale is a celebration of Pearl Jam's 20th anniversary as a band and its extraordinary debut album, "Ten." In recognition of these milestones, this Belgian-style golden ale is delicately hopped to 20 IBUs and fruit-forward from 10 incremental additions of black currants over a one-hour boil. Faithfull will clock in at 7% ABV."

Dogfish Dash - My First 5K

On Sunday, I ran my first 5K – the Dogfish Dash in Milton, DE. It was better than I expected. The middle mile was rough and I had to walk for a few minutes, but all in all it was good. I managed to finish in 39:59. I realize this isn’t a remotely impressive time. But for the first race of a 35 year-old who always bailed on the mile in middle school and high school, I’ll take it!

And I never could have done it without my playlist. My playlist could not have been better. My “power song,” Mr. Brightside by the Killers kicked on right as I was doing the uphill section of the last mile. And yes, I realize that anything by the Killers should be considered suspect as a “power song.” I can’t help it. The song sets the perfect cadence for me. Even better, as I rounded back on to the Dogfish property for the last .2 miles, Surrender by Cheap Trick came blasting out of my ear buds. I felt like Conan O’Brien running from NYC to LA.

And the best part, my wife and daughters were waiting at the finish line and cheering me on. I thought they were happy for me. Turns out they were just eager to get their hands on the green re-useable water bottles that all of the runners that beat me were using.

New Belgium Beers in Maryland!

I've been doing some sleuthing over the last few days and it appears as though we should have New Belgium Beers (Fat Tire et. al.) in HoCo by the last week of August.

As reported previously, at first we will only have 22 oz. "bombers." It's expected that kegs will follow a few weeks later, and 6-packs and 12-packs of bottles should be in our market by the new year.

As for the exact beers we'll be seeing, I.M.Wine is expecting Fat Tire, Ranger, 1554, and a few from the Lips of Faith series. I would add Hoptober and Mothership to the list of beers to expect. I'd also guess that the Lips of Faith beers will be Super Cru, Clutch, and Kick.

And I'll take this as my cue to hurry up and drink the bottle of Super Cru I smuggled home from Colorado...

Maryland Beer Month

August, for me, is going to be Maryland Beer Month. For some reason, I don’t drink a whole lot of Maryland beers. I’m not sure why this is, but I seem to drink mainly beers from CA, DE, and CO. But I’m switching things up - my goal for the month of August is to drink only beer from MD (aside from drinking Dogfish and Evo when I’m at the beach).

A few months ago, I wrote a post about Wine in the Woods and suggested that maybe we should have a complimentary event called Beer in the Bushes. The name not withstanding, I think it’s a great concept. Maryland’s wines are certainly miles ahead of where they were 10 years ago, but they still pale in comparison to West Coast wines and even a lot of East Coast and Midwestern wines.

But our beer, our beer is great. When I came of beer drinking age, we had Oxford, Clipper City, Wild Goose, Blue Ridge, Baltimore Beer Company and maybe one or two I am missing. I’m just old enough to have had quite a few delicious pints at Sisson’s in Federal Hill prior to it closing. In my “early professional years” while living in Baltimore, Brewer’s Art was my bar of choice. Heck, when I lived in Burtonsville and worked in Halethorpe, I would drive the wrong direction in order to go to Brewer’s Art for happy hour!

And today, our locally produced beer supply is even better. Hugh Sisson is still turning out great beers through Heavy Seas. Brewer’s Art is bottling and canning their beers, and while I still think the Resurrection in a can tastes different, it’s still a great beer. And I can’t leave out Flying Dog since their Bier de Garde has a visual that resembles a cross between Cujo and Daisy (my loving dog).

So, in August my plan is to stock the fridge with Maryland beer and visit the Heavy Seas and Flying Dog breweries. And it won’t hurt that the first few batches from my return to homebrew will be ready to drink!

Searching for a Session Beer

So, as often happens, it turns out that my brain/tastes are right in line or just ahead of a coming trend. It seems I’m not the only person searching for flavorful beer that isn’t going to knock me out after one glass. Session beers are all the rage – I was just searching in all the wrong places. Check here, here, and here.

The search for a flavorful beer of less than 4.5% is the biggest factor that brought me back to home brewing after a 10+ years absence. I am hop head, there is no doubt about that. And of my 10 favorite beers, 7-8 of them are IPA’s or other aggressively hopped beers. But sometimes, I want a beer in the 3-4.5% range. So what to do?

And while the name “session beer” has never sat well with me, it’s better than “daily drinker” or “lawnmower” beer. One of those makes me sound like an alcoholic and the other simply reminds me of my most hated summertime chore! But session beer? That sounds like I’m visiting a shrink. Let’s drop the nomenclature and just agree that we are looking for Little Beers with Big Flavor!

21st Amendment’s Bitter American and Stone’s Levitation are close to what I’m after. But Bitter American was only around for a limited time, and dropping $12 for a six-pack of Levitation is a splurge for me. I want Sierra Nevada Pale Ale with 2/3 of the alcohol and more hop aroma. I want a beer with oak undertones that won’t put me under the table. I want a beer that I can crack open on a Saturday afternoon and not immediately need a nap.

It’s like Dad Rock (you know, Wilco and the sort, music that is just cool enough, but not too noisy to offend) but in beer form. That’s it. Dad Beer – Small Beers with Big Flavor! Looks like my little basement nano-brewery has a name.

Dad Beer – Because one beer while the kids are napping shouldn’t make you need a nap!

Day of Alonement

Today, Mrs. P90 and the girls took a day trip the beach with my father-in-law. I’ve already blown through a large chunk of my annual leave, so I chose to stay home. Assuming the girls don’t make it home until 9:00ish, I will have just over three hours of “me” time.

So what do? Crank the amplifier to eleven and rock out and work on some new songs? Brew or bottle beer? Go for a run free from pushing the suburban bourgeois rickshaw? Kick back in the hammock, enjoy a cold beer, and finish reading Player One by Douglas Coupland?

Often times, when faced with a glut of something that was once scare (“me” time in this case), I tend to squander. So, how to make sure I take advantage of this precious commodity?

Well, the skies seem to be conspiring to keep me from running. And let’s be honest, I might as well wait until the humidity breaks and push the extra weight to get a better work out. And the bottling or brewing is a one-to-two hour job at best, and can be done any evening after the girls go to bed.

Hammock time – that’s a serious luxury. Although, rocking out through an amp on the edge of explosion isn’t too bad either (and certainly can’t be done with the family at home). I’m thinking I’ll do a little hammock and a little rock. Seems wrong not to.

Are You Ready to Rumble?

You might have noticed a gap in blog posts a few weeks ago. What? You mean, you’re not coming here first thing every day to see what’s on my mind? I’m heartbroken…

The reason for the lapse in posts is that I was in Denver for a conference and a painful amount of meetings. I hear there are mountains in Denver. I wouldn’t know, the only things I saw were the giant blue bear in front of the convention center and the interiors of a few hotels and restaurants.

But on the good news front, I ate pretty well and enjoyed some delicious beers. My initial plan was to head out early and visit a few of the breweries (New Belgium in Fort Collins to be exact). However, paying $100+ for a rental car just to visit a brewery or two seemed like a crazy idea (even for me).

I resigned myself to visit a few brew pubs in the evening and then hopefully do a tour at Great Divide Brewery. Sadly, my evenings ended up being work-related dinners and events. Wednesday rolled around and I had yet to visit any of the brew pubs. At the end of the day, I quickly finished up my work and high tailed it to Great Divide.

Maybe it was the pent up anticipation, but a few of the beers blew my mind. I didn’t make it there in time for a tour, but I did make it in time to visit the Basic Kneads food truck. I’m not convinced that a 700+ degree wood fire inside a converted box truck is a good idea, but I am convinced that they turn out an excellent pizza. I forget the name of my pizza, but it had sausage, caramelized onions, and rosemary. And they do the first whole wheat pizza crust that I have ever liked. I’ve been doing some experiments at home to create my own version.

But back to beer. It’s probably sold out locally by now, but the 17th Anniversary Wood Aged IPA is maybe the best beer I have ever had. It’s got hops galore, but it also has a woody/vanilla sweetness that hides the fact that it’s 10% ABV. Best to split this one with a friend. I’m calling it the big bold zinfandel of beers. And I could see it pairing well with the same foods. I have one bottle of this left. I think I’ll be pairing it with ribs. It could be great with steak as well.

The other beer that blew my mind was the Rumble, an oak aged IPA. This beer is like a less intense version of the 17th Anniversary. Less hops, less alcohol, less wood. I need to try the three of them side by side, but I think I might this more than DFH Burton Baton and Stone’s Oaked Arrogant Bastard.  And the good news, the Rumble should be available at both Perfect Pour and IM Wine for a while.

Oh, and back to New Belgium. I’m lucky to have a co-worker that went out early and toured New Belgium. She picked up a six-pack of the Somersault (the replacement for Skinny Dip this year) and a bottle of the 20th Anniversary Super Cru. And luckily, these and a sox-pack of the Rumble all made it home safely in my suitcase. Sadly, both will be long gone when New Belgium arrives in MD/DC/VA in late August.

Strange Brew

For my 22nd Birthday (13+ years ago for those keeping score at home) my now wife bought me a Mr. Beer home-brewing kit. That first batch (made by combining the little can of Mr. Beer malt extract with refined sugar) wasn’t very good. But for my second batch I went to Maryland Homebrew and was steered in the proper direction to make delicious homebrewed beer.

I fell headfirst into homebrewing and even began working part-time and Maryland Homebrew. I sucked my friends and room mates into the hobby, and brewed batch after batch of delicious beers:

• Tail-Chaser Ale,
• Pimpbot Stout (this beer will cut you man),
• Death Star Stout (an imperial stout that fermented so vigorously it exploded poor Mr. Beer and forced the move to a better primary fermentation vessel),
• Numerous other ESBs, Steam Beers, and whatnot.

And then it stopped. Life got busy. I got a “real” job. I brewed an infected Vanilla Porter and then a stuck steam beer. Maybe I got lazy? Maybe I had enough disposable income to buy good beer? Maybe I switched more and more to a wine drinker? Maybe Mrs. P90 and I moved in together and she said that homebrewing smelled like Cheez-Its? In truth – it was probably all of these things. Either way, the homebrew gear was boxed up, moved with us to our current home, and sat abandoned in our garage and basement.

So why this trip down memory lane? Because I spent Saturday digging out my old homebrewing equipment, and returned on Sunday to Maryland Homebrew to buy supplies for my first batch in 10+ years.

I’m starting back slowly. I’m planning to make a beer with the malt content of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the hop varieties of some of my favorite IPAs. My goal is to create a hopped up session beer.

I wrote up my recipe, bought my supplies, now I just need to brew. And in case I forgot anything over the years, I found this great introduction (refresher in my case) to homebrewing by the Homebrewer’s Association.

Here goes nothing…

Trying not to be fat and lazy

Last year I signed up for the Dogfish Dash 5K. I trained a little and then got side-tracked. A few weeks before the race, we were invited to a birthday party (taking place on race day) at Clark’s Ellioak Farm.

It was an easy excuse to bail on the race.The girls love Ellioak Farm. When our now four year-old was two, we had a four-six month stretch where every night before bed, she demanded an Ellioak Farm story. Now that we are usually required to do P90 girls meet Tiana, P90 girls meet Ariel, or P90 girls meet Cinderella story, I really miss those Ellioak Farm stories.

But back to my point. I registered again for the Dogfish Dash. I figure if beer is largely to blame for my 20-30 lbs of excess weight – it can be part of the solution. And a race with beer at the end seems like a good idea.

So this week, I’m starting to train. I’m using the Couch-to-5K method and downloaded a handy app that will integrate voice prompts for interval training with my chosen playlist. Here goes nothing…

Hellhound and Homemade BBQ Pt. 3 - The Cheater's Way

I talk a lot about "cheater" recipes and my "cheater's" smoker. When I use this term, I don't mean for it to be snobby. Because while a show like Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee might not be the most high-brow cooking show. At least it gets people out of cooking only from a box or the freezer. And even if you're just adding one or two ingredients to a prepared meal, it's a step in the right direction.

So rather than give away my full BBQ sauce recipe (which many people won't take the time to make) here's a "cheater's version " that will get you 95% of the way there.

60-Minute BBQ Sauce

• 12 oz Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA
• 2 Tbsp Penzey's Spices BBQ of the Americas

Combine these in a medium sauce pan and boil until reduced to 4 oz of liquid (use a larger pan than you would expect - this foams a lot.Reduce the heat to medium low and add the following:

• 2 cups of KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce (it's a little sweet, but makes a good base)
• 1 cup yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 of a cup of vinegar (I've used cider, white balsamic, and red wine vinegar all to good effect).
• Salt and black pepper to taste.

So there you have it. This sauce works best with pork and chicken.

Hellhound and Homemade BBQ Pt. 2

Last night, along with our delicious BBQ pork dinner, Mrs. P90 and I split a bottle of Hellhound on My Ale. It was really good. For those of you unfamiliar with this beer, it's a collaboration between Dogfish Head and Sony Legacy celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of blues guitarist Robert Johnson. As the story goes, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for incredible guitar playing skills. The beer takes its name from the Johnson song, Hell Hound on my Trail.

But back to the beer. It's an imperial pale ale brewed with dried lemons. It clocks in at 10% abv and 100 IBUs. If I had to compare it to something, I'd compare it to the Dogfish 90-Minute IPA. It's probably close to a cross between 90-Minute and 120-Minute. But it's been a while since I've had any 120-Minute...

As for the lemons, I'd say they are subtle at best. I didn't pick up on them at first and would never have smelled them if I hadn't known they were in there. As the beer warmed in my glass I might have finally smelled them. Or maybe I was just telling myself I did. It doesn't matter. It's a great beer on its own. Get it while you can. It's a limited release and won't be on shelves long. The King's Contrivance liquor store had a few bottles as of Friday. I haven't seen it anywhere else.

Hellhound and Homemade BBQ Pt. 1

As Farmer Hoggett's wife once said "pork is a nice sweet meat." And it's even better after it has spent 24 hours in a 225 degree chamber surrounded by hickory smoke!

I'm a novice when it comes to smoking. I've been doing it for maybe seven years. First on a Weber kettle and then for the last four years with a an upright propane-fired (cheaters) smoker. Some things turn out pretty good (hot-smoked salmon). Some things (brisket) not so good. But my pork shoulder is amazing! I'd enter a contest if it wasn't for the whole "no propane fired smokers" rule that all of the BBQ competitions employ.

So last night, we dined on pulled pork, zinfandel baked beans, corn on the cob, and Dogfish Head Hellhound on my Ale. As the week progresses, I'll share the recipes for the whole meal. I'm still on the fence about sharing my BBQ sauce recipe, but I'll probably share it. I'll also review the Hellhound. Stay tuned...

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Mix Pack

It's here! After searching high and low, I located the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 12-Pack at Corridor in Laurel. I tried at Kings Contrivance but they only received a few cases and it sold out quick. Rumor has is that IM Wine has some. And knowing the folks that shop at Perfect Pour - I'm guessing that if they had it, it's gone. I'll report back as a try the beers. For now, they are resting peacefully in my fridge!

Wine in the Woods/Beer in the Bushes?

This morning on my drive into the office I noticed the tents prepping for Wine in the Woods. Then I remembered the last time I was there and that none of the wine was very good. Granted that was probably seven or eight years ago and MD wine has come a long way since then. See Black Ankle Vineyards.

And while I love the idea that MD is starting to develop some decent wine, the bang for buck is still a pretty poor ratio. Given my wine budget (and the average P90 family wine purchase is in the $8-12 bottle range) I’m sticking with California, Chile, Spain, and Argentina. And when I do have $25-30 to spend, I’m probably going with a crazy good zin out of Ridge Vineyards.

So this got me thinking… While MD is trying to make good wines, we’re doing pretty great with beer! Flying Dog, ClipperCity/Loose Cannon, and Stillwater Artisinal (to name just three) are all making world class beers.

I realize beer has an image that is far more proletarian, but we’re talking craft beers here, not Beast. Maybe it’s time to add some Beer in the Bushes to Wine in the Woods? hocofood@@@