On Saturday I had to drive over 1.5 hours to Frederick, MD to work at a beer festival with the DC crew. I'd agreed to go ages ago but now the day had arrived I had no energy or enthusiasm for it and would have much preferred to spend the day in my garden and lunching locally with friends. But I'm not one to let anybody down unless I'm physically incapable and so I set off, arriving early and amazingly finding it very easy to find a free parking space close to the event.
I signed in and received a text from the others who were characteristically going to be late. I chatted to the organizers and discovered that there would be no t-shirt supplied, something none of my friends who'd worked this event before had bothered to inform me of. We always got a free shirt when volunteering and I had arrived expecting one. The staff said they'd see if I could have one later. It was a little chilly and I was assuming my free shirt would be enough to feel warm. I was on glass clean up duty but since no public were admitted for a while yet, I had little to do except sample some of the fine beverages on offer. I did get a free glass so I lugged my dustpan and brush and set off, feeling my day wasn't going too well so far. The wind was blowing and dark skies threatened to dump rain, lots of it, judging by the sombre darkness of the clouds that filled the sky.
To take my mind off the cold, I wrapped my arms about myself and concentrated on the vendors. As well as beer, there were folks selling fancy growlers, starting at $129 so I walked past those quite quickly, soaps and dog biscuits, (why here?). There was one excellent local company who offered a service where they would drive your car home after the event with you in the passenger seat and another vehicle following to pick up the driver. A great idea but it was only for locals so wouldn't apply to me.
I scrutinized the beers, not wanting to taste just anything, since I did have to drive home and therefore had to limit myself. So I was being selective in what I'd consume. I spotted a hazy DIPA that I didn't know and asked for a pour.
This was a fabulous start to my beer tasting this dreary day. Called Playground Legend by Calvert Brewing Company, it slid down way too pleasurably for a 9.2 percent volume. It was pure nectar, smooth and fruity, and so citrusy delicious that I could have sucked down a whole pint in one gulp. I could barely tear my lips away from the glass. A hazy brew of nectarines and mangoes, not too sweet or hoppy, a flavor and aroma that lingered and wafted, tantalizingly teasing my taste buds and nostrils. This beer kicked off Squeeze from its top spot on Debby's Best Beers list with a hefty boot to the arse. I quickly asked for another pour and then inquired about its availability. MD was a lot closer than NH, the home of Squeeze. And then my world toppled. I was told that this was just a temporary beer and only a couple more casks existed in their pouring room. No more would be made as the brewery were constantly creating new recipes and wanted to focus on West Coast IPAs rather than East Coast versions. I looked at the guy in incredulous disbelief. Was he crazy? Completely off his rocker? Why on earth would you create a concoction so wondrously divine and then never want to make it again?
I wondered where the others were, wanting them to taste this before the barrel ran dry. They appeared soon enough, some on water duty, filling up the plastic igloos on the site for drinking or rinsing glasses,and some on the gates, handing out glasses to folks as they entered. I led them all to the booth, telling the brewery, "I bring friends!". He loved my phrase, saying a future beer would be called this, a nice gesture, but not enough to squash my disappointment in finding the perfect beer within my grasp, only to have it snatched away again. But the crew did agree it was a tasty beer, and I did go back for more refills before leaving.
The rain obliged us by holding off, although the sky was constant gloom. The lines to come in were never ending, this was a popular festival, although the location meant it was difficult to get from end to end. All the booths were spread out along the river and the path wasn't that wide, so once there was a lot of folks, the lines to get beer made it difficult to move past. But we managed, and before the general public were admitted we headed to the food area where Richard and I had the most delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. Mine had bacon, apple and cheddar, with a hint of honey, on marbled rye, it hit the spot. And was so large that I didn't even mind sharing some of it with Dave, who was busy on the gate and hadn't thought to get food before the rush.
Of course there was music. and this particular band was pretty good.
Kev Bev and The Woodland Creatures, pushing an album called Domesticated, they looked anything but. Lurid flowing, concealing nothing, orange trousers with a shocking lime green boa caught my eye, the guy wearing them looking like he'd stepped straight off a Grateful Dead album cover. We stopped and listened for a while, they had a good rock sound.
I was actually very well behaved considering that I was surrounded by so much free beer. Aware that at some point I had to drive I was careful with the brews I consumed and those that didn't pass muster were discreetly poured onto the grass. I had one glass clear up in the morning, it happened right as I passed, so was dealt with swiftly. I could then just walk up and down, scrutinizing the ground for glass but otherwise able to do my own thing. I think I had more freedom than the others.
The festival was packed by mid afternoon and it soon became a task to become part of a long line to get a pour of beer. We hovered by a few promising vendors but soon gave up. Dave had purchased a huge bag of popcorn, having missed his opportunity to get a proper lunch and our shift was soon finishing. We'd tasted the beers we'd been interested in but I was pretty much 'beered out'. We were ready for the finish.
We had a last photo taken by Emily. I had a last call for cleaning up broken glass, once again it happened right next to me, a smash and tinkling as someone's beer mug fell to the ground, and then a huge cheer from the crowd as I swiftly appeared and swept it up. I took my broom and pan back to the organizers and said goodbye, smiling hugely as they gave me a free t-shirt. We all then relaxed at a Mexican restaurant, stuffing nachos and other goodies washed down with diet coke. I left to drive home, the country roads clear with little traffic. I may very well work this festival again, it had been fun.
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