This week, I had a delicious beer given to me by my friend, Pierce. This Pierce Brewing homebrew is made with New Zealand hops. What makes it unique is his process – he never adds hops during the boil. Instead, he adds Moutere to the wort prior to the boil, then Moutere and Nelson Sauvin for the dry/whirl. NZL DIPA has a terrific citrus aroma with a citrusy bitter taste that went down very easily. Next time you see Pierce, be extra nice to him and maybe if you’re lucky, he’ll offer you an NZL DIPA.
I found a few easy-reading articles about beer to peruse this Easter Sunday. Enjoy.
DC Beer tells us about the new brewery, Pale Fire Brewing.
VinePair asks an interesting question, Can a brewery sell out to IPAs?
This past January, I took the family to Milton, DE. We stopped by Dogfish Head for a tour of the brewery, of course. Here are tips on getting the most out of your visit to Dogfish Head.
This next article is about Major League Baseball squashing the practice of printing players faces on beer using beer foam. Really, people can print on beer foam? Is that really a thing?
There are lots of new Maryland craft beer choices in Camden Yards. Things are looking up! On the other hand, at Nats Park “craft beer” is selling at $16 for 25 oz, but ironically, it’s an AB Inbev product.
Beer/bike adventure
Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny Saturday, so I headed out for a bike ride. I’ve lived in Howard County for more than 30 years, but somehow, I found myself lost just a few miles from my home. To make matters worse, I tried to hop over a rock and bent my front wheel and scraped my knee.
As I picked myself up, I noticed a tree-lined lane with a charming building at the far end. I wheeled my broken bike towards the building and was greeted warmly by an elderly man. He eyed my damaged bike and torn clothes and asked, “Are you okay? Why don’t you come in and rest a bit?”
I followed him in, where he offered me a seat on a bench in a side room. He went off to fetch a drink. Returning, he handed me a freshly poured beer in a tulip glass. A golden colored beer sat beneath a fluffy white head and smelled of Easter Lillies. It had an earthy, honey taste with a dry, hoppy finish. It was heavenly.
I had learned my host’s name was Thomas. “Thomas, where did you get this beer?” I asked. “It may be the best beer I’ve ever tasted.”
With a twinkle in his eye, he replied, “That is very kind of you to say. We make this ale here at the monastery in celebration of Easter.”
I thanked him again for the amazing beer and handed him the empty glass, having downed the ale a little too quickly. He left the room with the glass, I assumed to put it back into the kitchen. Instead, he returned with another “Easter Lily” ale. He said, “Don’t worry, our ales have very little alcohol, just around 3%. But this should be your last glass. Folks that drink too much of this tend to lose a little too much weight. The healing qualities of our Easter Ale tend to speed up one’s metabolism. ”
I smiled at his joke and tried to savor Thomas’ beer only to gulp down my second beer almost as quickly as the first. He offered me a ride home in his van, which I was grateful for. My bike was in no shape to ride.
The next day, I felt great after a terrific night’s sleep. The bathroom scale seemed to be a bit off, it showed I’d lost 7 pounds. (I wish, I thought). Oddly, I also noticed there was no sign of the scrape on my knee.
I thought of Thomas’ joke about his Easter Lily Ale and wondered, just maybe he wasn’t kidding. I wonder…
If you’re skeptical of a delicious ale made by Howard County monks with healing and weight loss properties, you’re right. April Fools!
If you are Jewish, Christian or a Fool, happy holidays. As always, Cheers!
Warren