Monday, July 14, 2008

Home sucks

I guess I should have declared a blogging break. Sure, I've posted a few times in the past couple of weeks, but while on vacation I wasn't really reading your blogs much, either. Come to think of it, I've been off my game for a couple months now. So I now officially declare a half-assed blog break, retroactive to around June 1 or so.

And now I will post.

So yeah, we just got back (two days ago) from an impromptu vacay that was very nearly extended even further with a trip up to New England. Nearly. Very nearly. Actually, if the innkeeper at The Christopher in Boston (that's an actual B&B, not a reference to NPW's man; we wouldn't be quite that presumptive) was still answering the phone at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday to take reservations, we would have gone. Instead, we decided to just call in the morning on our way up there and at some point during the night we changed our minds about the whole thing.

We settled for a stop in Charlottesville to see Monticello, which was actually just one of five presidential homesteads on or near our route home. Given more time, we could have had a regular dead-president-a-thon. Actually, our calendar is pretty open, but after Mount Vernon (which we saw last year) and Monticello, the other entries are pretty weak by comparison.

Another highlight of the tail-end of our trip was a stop for lunch at the Dogfish Head brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Easily one of the finest and most interesting breweries in the land, we owed it to ourselves and to Jacob to not pass up this opportunity. Along with a fine lunch in which we split a pizza and some excellent crab dip (tasty, but not the point of the visit), my lady friend enjoyed a 60-minute IPA and I a snifter of Palo Santo Marron (the point of the visit.) Awesome beer. Delaware gives so much to the world.

The vessel that would deliver us safely to the far shore of the bay, where fine beer awaits.

Courtney regarding her beverage thoughtfully.

Good stuff. While I grilled the waiter for recommendations, he asked me what I like, besides Mickey's. I was hoping something would come of wearing a shirt bearing the logo of a shitty malt liquor to visit a well-known craft brewery. And yes, I did mention that I'd just enjoyed a 40 of it the night before. No shame. The Palo Santo Marron was somewhat better, though.

13 comments:

Courtney said...

Delaware gives so much to the world. Ha.

Can't argue with Dogfish Head, though. That's yummy stuff. I should also add that our server was one of the best I've ever had. He really knew his beers. And no sales tax!

Come to think of it, Delaware is kind of awesome.

Anonymous said...

Yum! Dogfish Head. Such deliciousness. Glad you guys had fun.

Stefanie said...

Is 60 minutes the time it took to make it or to drink it? (Probably neither, but I have no idea what else that means.)

Also, I like Courtney's shirt. (That's really a comment more for her than for you, but I assume she'll stop by and see it at some point.)

Allie said...

I like Courtney's shirt too. :)

Glad you had a good vacation. I love that you guys made good use of the drive back too. We are the "we're not stopping for anything" type. I think I'd like traveling more if we stopped and saw the sights like you guys.

Courtney said...

Thanks, Stefanie and Allie! And I have no idea what the 60 minutes refers to either. (I'm sure some commenter will enlighten us.)

Julie said...

Bernard: Mickey's tired after his long drive home from vacation, so I will do him a solid. Go to hell.

Mickey: Welcome back. It's been lonely as the only one commenting on each and every one of Jacob's blog posts.

Now, go get a job with a co-worker that can entertain us all.

Pretty Unfamous said...

Why is it that only OLLLLLD presidents' homes are national monuments (monuments? is that the right term?)? We don't caer about Jimmy Carter's home. So why do we bother with Thomas Jefferson or George Washington or Abraham Lincoln? I'll never know...

shelleycoughlin said...

You guys are too funny. What's the use of having a friend in Boston if you're just going to stay in a hotel?! I'm disappointed you didn't come but maybe it's for the best, what with my early morning root canal yesterday. Also, this just means you will be coming up here sooner rather than later!

Jacob said...

Ooh, Ooh, Mickey, can I answer the 60 Minute question?

I'll assume your lack of immediate answer as a yes.

60 Minute in the name refers to the fact that the beer is continuously hopped for the 60 minute boil the wort (unfermented beer) goes through before being cooled down and fermented. Normally hops are added at different points of the boil because they add different qualities to the beer (early additions just add bitterness to balance the sweetness and late additions add more citrusy, floral, or herbal aromas and flavor and much less bitterness).

Dogfish head has a hopper of sorts that just continuously and steadily drops hops in throughout the boil. They also have a 90 Minute and 120 Minute that are done the same way except boiled longer. Those are also stronger and hoppier beer.

And Mickey, I hate you. I had my trip to Dogfish Head Brewery and the Brewpub a couple of years ago scrapped by my mother-in-law who made plans regarding me without asking for my input first.

That Palo Santo Marron was really good stuff, in my opinion. I had gone into it not expecting very much but what poured out of the bottle was damned tasty.

Going to Dogfish Head isn't as big of a priority anymore because they're distributed in Georgia now, but they make about a half-dozen beers over the state's legal limit of 14% abv, so there are still some we can't get.

Chris said...

Well, I was gonna take the 60 minute question, but I guess Jacob covered it adequately.

Meaghan said...

The way Courtney is eying that beer, I'd be worried if I were you, Mickey. Welcome back!

Aaron said...

Delaware does give so much. I was born there.

Unknown said...

I was always an OE kinda man myself.