Pilgrimage Pours, Bermuda Shorts and Virginia Creepers

9/23 - 9/24 -  We attended our second ever Pilgrimage Festival this weekend over in Franklin and I was pleasantly surprised at the craft beer choices available...almost as abundant as the great performers they had throughout.

Listening to The Texas Gentleman and  drinking a Michigan craft beer.  Bell's Brewery was a big sponsor of the festival and dominated most of the craft beer choices there.  I didn't mind.  Those Yankees make some great beer!  First off for me was the tasty and hoppy Oatsmobile Ale.  Next was their decent Amber Ale.  I strayed from the Bell's Reservation next with a solid Oktoberfest Gemutlichkeit (2017) from Wiseacre Brewing out in Memphis.

New beer, new band...the tart Oarsman Ale from Bell's Brewing (MI) and Walk the Moon from Cincinnati.

9/24 - Sounding like a young Robert Cray, Devon Gilfillian, had a great set to start Day 2 off with at the new Shady Grove Stage.  While I didn't have any beer at the festival today, I did start the day off with a Hop Lift IPA from Third Street Brewing  (MN) that I got at our local Aldi's grocery store and brought with me.  It was really, really good, but, hey, what do you expect from Aldi?  

9/29 thru 10/8 - We took a cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda, and then to close out the week when we got back, we spent a few extra days in Northern Virginia checking out some wineries and, of course, some breweries.   

I even had a beer I could check in on the flight up to BWI as I saw that Southwest was carrying the Oktoberfest ale from Leinenkugel Brewing (WI).  It wasn't great, but it beats the hell out of their usual choices of domestic, mass-produced swill, and it was free since I had some Southwest drink coupons.  Cheers!

When we got to Baltimore, we went and got a late dinner and a couple beers at the local DuClaw Brewing over at the Arundel Mills Mall .  The beer was decent.  I had the Hop Hammer IPA that was nice and hoppy, and a bit disappointing DLF Coconut Caramel Chocolate Ale.  Their food was outstanding however.

One of of faults I have against cruising is that the beers available on-board are usually pretty unexciting.   The Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas was no exception, but it was actually better than some I have been on and did at least have some choices other than Bud or Bud Light.   Since we did get the unlimited drink package,  because it was such a good deal, I got what I could to check in to my UNTAPPD app.  I had a Paulaner Hefe-Weizen Natural Wheat out of Germany that was decent, plus an Amstel Light lager and a Newcastle Brown Ale (because I never checked them in before).  Other decent stuff I had on the boat that was already checked in were some Sierra Nevada Pale Ales, Guinness Stouts and Red Stripe Lagers.

I loved Bermuda, but was surprised to find they don't have a national beer like many other island nations.  Not that I am big fan of weak lager beers like Red Stripe (Jamaica), Kalik (Bahamas), Belikin (Belize) or Balashi (Aruba), I still always look for what a new-to-me country has to offer.  Thanks to Ashlee, I did find a small craft brewery inside an English pub near our dock called The Frog and the Onion where I had a decent Trunk Island Pale Ale from Dockyard Brewing.  I also had a sip of Ashlee's nice Black Anchor Porter.   

VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS...OF BEER! 

10/5:  Our very first stop after getting back to port and driving to Northern Virginia was Vanish Farms Brewing in picturesque Leesburg, VA, where I had their amazing 6-pack flight.  From left to right was the superb Farmhouse Table Ale; the excellent and tangy Mango Smoothie IPA; the solid Session IPA; the good Fresh Hop Pale Ale; their top-notch flagship IPA, Ghost Fleet; and the amazing Imperial Ghost Fleet IV double IPA.  Very impressive from start to finish.

Little did I know I was on the LoCo Virginia Ale Trail which means this area is chock full of great little breweries...I may need to come back soon!

Before dinner tonight in the movie-set cute town of Purcellville, Virginia, we stopped in Jack's Run Brewing for a four-bang flight that was from right to left:  the goodbye-to-summer Berry White Raspberry Wit, the smooth Happy Ending Cream Ale, the robust yet light Mornin' Joe oatmeal stout and the outstanding Afterburner Mango-Habernero IPA.  I also had a sip of Ashlee's solid Haunted Harvest pumpkin ale.

10/6: You are looking at the only survivor of a mission I tried to carry out to sneak three good beers onto the cruise ship.  Since you are allowed a bottle of wine each to carry on and since Ashlee and our friend, Bethany, were getting the unlimited drink package and didn't need to bring wine, they agreed to bring bomber bottles of beer on for me and hope they would pass for wine bottles.  It didn't work...for the most part...they let this one in because it said wine on the label...lol...whatcha gonna do?  I decided to save this one and not drink it on the boat since I too bought the unlimited drink package and instead toted it all the way Fairfield, Virginia, in a Styrofoam cooler to drink in front of a tee-pee (long story).  I give you the Vivid Sauvage Belgian Style IPA Aged in Red Wine Barrels from Green Flash Brewing (CA).  After all that trouble, it wasn't all that great, but I drank it  anyway for the story.

10/7:  Is there anything better than good beer with a view?  If you don't think so, this place is heaven.  Dirt Farm Brewing up on Blue Ridge Mountain in  Bluemont, VA, is easily one of my Top Ten favorite breweries now not only for their great product, but their outstanding locale.  This pic is of the terrific Boots Off IPA.  I also had their decent Milk Stout and a taste of Ashlee's solid Peter Peter Pumpkin ale.  I also finished the shandy my friend, John, ordered mostly because he doesn't like beer.  It was their Straw golden ale and their own grape soda.  Not to shabby for a shandy. 

Later on at dinner back in Leesburg, I had a Punkin Ale (2017) from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE) with my dinner at Lightfoot Restaurant.

I would love to have a cold one with Jack Nicholson!