I Can Taste the Chocolate!

On a chilly pre-spring day, I returned from Burketsville MD, stopping outside Lovettsville, VA at Wheatland Spring farm and brewery. I knew that they had done a collaboration with Ocelot and wanted to check in. The beer was clear (in purpose and spirit) and tasty. I don’t remember if it was ‘hazy.’ (Note the jab) […]

West Coast is Still My Favorite

I love when something grabs my attention for all the right reasons. Before visiting the Beer Garden at Dominion (easily one of the nicest after effects of Covid) I reviewed their draft list. Melvin IPA, which is long overdue in our market, had just been consumed. Melvin, the quintessential cool, unaffected brewery just reached VA. […]

Court Rules on FDA Cigar Regulation

Oh ma gosh. BIG NEWS I have been working a double for the last 6 1/2 months. First job: work, then stressing about work, then stressing about family and Covid, friends who work in restaurants, then the factory and farmers who help us make delicious cigars. Second job: collecting and analyzing data for the FDA. […]

Cider in the City

There’s a lot, I mean A LOT going on in the District of Columbia tomorrow. The 4th of JULY!!! I’m not talking about tanks, flyovers or John Stamos. Up Georgia Avenue, there is a delightful spot called Capital Cider House . What these fun people do, is feature ciders from surrounding states as well as […]

It’s Been A Long Time

“What happened?!!!” you say. “You haven’t posted it 2 YEARS!” Well, let me tell you a little story about a horrible webhost called Bounceweb. That’s where I hosted this site. They proport to have some of their energy coming from windmills! I’d say it’s a lot of HOT AIR! Like the fabrication I received when […]

Graft Cider

Better is not always better. Sometimes you gotta be wild. Think: painting or traveling or cooking. Sometimes you want a stable, uneventful experience, but is that really fun? Does that lead to amazing discoveries? No. That’s what was reaffirmed as I heard Kyle Sherrer talk last Sunday about his work blending cider. Anxo hosted a […]

Did You Say Sake?!?

In 2012, I pulled myself out of my winter misery flu cocoon to meet the man responsible for the most deliciously un-pronouncable beer. Brewer, Kjetil Jikiun was in the house and I had to meet him. I blinded him (accidentally) when I tried to interview him with my camera phone. I asked him to correctly […]

It’s Time For Barleywine

A colossal event of gastro-biblical proportions! Split into 2 sessions of EIGHTEEN BEERS EACH, this event should knock the socks off your socks……off. Wait. What? Beers from 2012 to 2016! Bill Madden is the coolest. Hoarding barleywine and not making excuses. Wow. Pretty cool info on ‘barleywine’ and ‘barley wine’: Wikipedia see also: wheat wine […]

Koopa the Bull

The other day, outside of Rustico, I met Koopa. He is a bulldog with a mammoth head; part mastiff was the explanation there. I should have asked for an autograph. Was it Cooper? CoolBro? Kewlbrah? I had no idea. Whether he was named after a situational comedy? An actor who has climbed up the ranks: […]

Churchkey 5th Anniversary Week – Night of the Living Ales 2014

One of my favorite events takes place at the magic castle aka Churchkey. It’s not really a castle, but you do have to climb a flight of stairs. Oh and it’s dark. There’s elaborate fabric riveted headboard furniture. I think there’s a chandelier. It’s made out of brick and there are lords of libations. Ok, […]