Shoe Love: Kuwaiti Sandals

As our move to Kuwait approaches I can't help but fantasize about the types of shoes women might wear there. I imagine lots of open sandals worn with breezy kaftans or demure abayas. I imagine sandal shops filled with possibilities and cobblers ready to make something just for me. There might be days where a simple shoe would do, but then others where something a little glitzy will be in order. I'm really looking forward to finding out!

Some of my favorites on Net-a-Porter, clockwise from top right: Musa, Ancient Greek Sandals, another pair of Ancient Greek Sandals, Oscar de la Renta

The Airport Wine Bar

While traveling, I often find myself having a glass of wine at an airport wine bar in a city I've just become familiar with. On one of my trips I had to wait several hours for my friend's flight to arrive, so I decided to write about my experience as it was happening. In order to protect the people employed at this particular bar, I have not mentioned which airport or the name of the bar. 

This is the unedited edition, and a little glimpse into my mind...

The menu describes the Alots Las Hormigas, Malbec from Mendoza Valley Argentina as “Blackberry-Medium-What a deal!” and charges a reasonable price, as the description announces, at $8.50 a glass.

I’m not sure what I was expecting besides blackberry, medium, what a deal. Surely I was just appreciative that there was a wine bar open on a Thursday at 2pm. Then again I was at the airport and such bars are usually open even in the wee hours on a Monday morning.

My fellow bar companions spread themselves out almost evenly at every other seat. Couples or friends sitting next to each other and strangers with at least one empty seat between. Most of them are middle-aged single women drinking flutes of something bubbly. All with noses buried in their iPhones or books and none interact with each other as if they have no peripheral vision. There are two men next to me –four empty seats between us - discussing the labors of their daily jobs. I keep hoping they will gossip but they strategize instead. Sometimes they talk about the weather or sports. They are in their 40s. They ask to “settle up” when they want their bill. Two women on my other side are also sitting together and equidistant from me as the men. They ordered red wine and no food. They sit facing towards each other, talk slowly and don’t make that much eye contact. I can’t tell if they are tired, not that close or forced to be together. Maybe they’re sisters, maybe they’re gossiping.

The airport wine bar I’m bellied up to is located in the main terminal of the airport. It is dead center in the middle and open to passers-by, which is how I estimate they get most of their business. It is an alternative to waiting at Starbucks. People are caught one by one, as if by a fisherman’s hook, as they meander by.

There are three men manning the bar. One, flamboyantly gay, blond and in his 20s, is in charge of the food. After the rush leaves he wipes his forehead like a damsel from the civil war and says, “all that food!” He comments to his co-worker who is a middle-aged man, slightly out of shape. He wears a button up and khakis, versus the other two who are in all black with fake pilot epaulettes on their shoulders. I assumed he was the manager when I approached the bar. He seemed nervous to talk to me and had to ask me what my order was several times while clumsily fumbling with the computer, which was in clear view. He seemed to lack the memory and confidence of a bartender. Or at least the ones I’m used to dealing with. Lucky for him, I didn’t mind, I wasn’t in a hurry.

He tried to flirt with the female customers, not in an inappropriate way, just friendly and slightly nervous. The third bartender seemed to know his way around the most of the three. He was also in his late 20s, maybe early 30s and blond. He efficiently cleaned the back of bar while taking orders and drying wine glasses with a towel. I was curious to know what he thought about this out in the open set up and his colleagues. These three men seemed to get along, but also seemed unlikely to interact as friends in any other point in their life and it made me miss having co-workers.

During the lull between rushes – when I ran the front of shop for a pizza place – we would flirt and gossip as we cleaned the place and started preparing for the next rush. We had the convenience of privacy so that if customers were assholes or we ran into someone we didn’t mean to see (read: ex-lovers) we could rant about it afterwards without their knowledge. Most kitchen staff has this privilege. As I sat and ate my salad rushes came and went. The three men quietly gossiped as they did their between-rush chores. I daydreamed about the wild variety of customers they might serve on a random Thursday afternoon. Did they have regulars? Did they care? Did they have server jobs somewhere else?

The Calma Tempranillo/Graciano from Rioja Spain was described as “Red berries-roses-earthy spices-vanilla and cocoa-smooooth” also at $8.50 a glass. No wonder people think winos are assholes. It sounds like we just throw random words at bottles. “I love lamp” would have made just as much sense. These descriptions read as if you’ve already had the bottle then go about formulating a judgment.

The two wines listed after the Calma are JC Vizcarra Tempranillo, Ribero de Duero, Spain and Monte Bernardi “Retromarcia” Sangeovese, Tuscany Italy. They are described as, respectively, “Dried Cherry, Leather, Perfect for Food” and “Dried Rasberry-Tobacco-Dry” and after that Pertimali Sangiovese/Cabernet, Tuscany Italy “Dried Blackberry-Dusty-Dry” I assume these all taste like what I’m already drinking and wonder if “dusty” and “dry” would be a good combination or if I would need a glass of water and a margarita after drinking it.

A new couple sits down where the two men sat previously. They are boisterous and “knowledgeable”. They are in their 60s and three hours early for their flight. They decide to park it and make friends with the nervous one, as I now call him in my mind. They introduce themselves to him, and he warms up, even cracking a joke. His name is Tony. He also works at Carrabba’s (which is across the corridor) and I wonder if the others do too. He reveals to them that he has been working at the bar since 8am (I told you airport bars open early!) and was so tired. He said this in an apology for forgetting their order. He eventually got it WAY right when they wanted to order pasta from the restaurant and he took their order and had it served to them at the wine bar. A service I’m sure he went above and beyond to do.

The couple gave Tony very personal information. They assumed he was their friend and they monopolized his time. They will be here for at least two more hours and I suddenly want to tip Tony more than 20%.

After listening to them talk for a few minutes. The man confirms he is 65. Tony is 42. The man assumes Tony is a sociable person and now they are BEST friends.

A new man sits down and also befriends Tony. I wonder if I am unapproachable and sip my second glass. The older man says, “this reminds me of a bar in New York” to the new man. The new man feigns recognition.

My friend texts me a link to @pornforwomen’s instagram feed and a joke about John Hamm. I end up laughing out loud.

Tony’s shift is over and he is relieved of his new friends. My friends arrive and I close my tab.

Exploring Wine: Greek Style

Back in May I was invited to a fabulous wine event at Zatayna sponsored by the Greek Embassy. It included a wine tasting of over 40 Greek wines followed by a three course lunch paired with four wines in each course. I hadn't really tried Greek wine before but after the event I definitely feel comfortable ordering it at a restaurant or picking one to pair with outdoor summer grilling.

Some of the wines I tried tasted like the salty Aegean Sea and I imagined drinking them on a white washed porch with grilled octopus (because I eat that now). I wouldn't understand a single word of Greek spoken all around me, but I wouldn't care because the sun would be warming my skin and the sound of the sea would be soothing my soul.

Here's an intro to Greek wine and a round up of my favorites for summer sipping.

Greek wine got an early start in the ancient world as early as 2500 BC. You can see wine represented in Greek art, architecture, archeological evidence, writings, and philosophical writings from that time, as you're probably familiar with. But modern Greek wine production is little related to the ancient days, besides the varieties of grapes, and didn't gain much commercial traction until the 1980s. Over the last century this was mostly due to political unrest following WWII and the Greek Civil War (1946-49).

There are ten growing regions with over 300 indigenous types of wine to explore - this is not including cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, and other European grapes also grown in Greece. Some of my favorites from the event were the white wines Assyrtiko from Santorini, Moscofilero from Mantini, and Vidiano from Crete. The red wines generally weren't as good as the whites, but I really liked the Foundi Naoussa 2007 Xinomavro that was paired with a spit roasted lamb shoulder (I mean!!). Most of the wines were soft, crisp, fresh, and some were lemony. Perfect for pairing with regional seafood and small plates with piles of tzatziki.

1. Kourtaki Retsina, Moschofilero, Mantini $8.00 *
2. GWC (Greek Wine Cellars), Nemea, Agiorgitiko $13.00
3. Sigalas, Assyrtiko, Santorini $25.00
4. Kouros, Patras $11.00
5. Galvala, Assyrtiko, Santorini $15.00
6. Costa Lazaridi Amethystos, Blend (Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Asyrtiko) Drama, Makedonia $15.00

*We didn't try a traditional retsina at the event, but I tried it at home. More notes on this regional specific wine next week!

Wardrobe Staple: Grey T-shirt and Jeans

As some of you may know, I kind of have an obsession with wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans. Some of you (like Meg and Katherine) are even in the boat with me. To me this simple, yet chic, ensemble can be worn while working from home, running errands, meeting friends out for dinner, ladies night, date night, or traveling. There are many variations on the theme ranging from super casual light denim and baggy tourist t-shirts to paper-thin tops tucked into dark high-waisted skinnies. You can go full on bling, cowgirl style, or throw on a pair of boyfriend jeans with sandals for a day of playing tourist. 

I like a grey t-shirt versus a white one, because its more modest and I don't have to worry about what I'm wearing underneath. For instance, do you need a nude bra or strapless? It doesn't matter with a grey tee - just throw one on with anything and get out the door.

What I like about it too is that I can wear a variation based on a destination and know that I'll feel comfortable and stylish no matter where I go. Boyfriend jeans for post beach days in Florida, boot cut for dancing in Nashville, dark high-waisted skinnies for shopping in Paris or lunch in Tokyo. You get the idea.

Here are some of my go-to combinations, details after the images...

Look one:
American Apparel t-shirt, low rise bootcut jeans by Wrangler (similar here), Kate Spade peep toe pumps (similar here and here)

Look two:
Tourist tee from Cambodia, Club Monaco light wash mid-rise skinnies (similar here and here), Club Monaco bag (similar, and this one, and here too), Minnetonka Moosehide Driving Moc

Look Three:
Henley (old Urban Outfitters, similar here, and here), Gap boyfriend jeans, Target white and gold sandals, Clare Vivier handbag (updated versions here, here and another tote here)

Look Four:
JCrew vintage v-neck cotton tee, BlankNYC high-waisted denim, JCrew Janey flat, She's Unique gold ring, vintage bangles

A Summertime Florida Thunderstorm

I smelled the rain coming as a bead of sweat gathered enough momentum to drip down the side of my face. I sat outside slouched in a patio chair with my feet propped up on the one next to me. The air was still. So still that if it weren’t for the dripping sweat I would have mistaken the stillness of the water in the swimming pool for a tiny frozen lake. I looked out over the screened in patio, past the pool and into the yard beyond the screen. Not a blade of grass moved. I thought it was all make believe until two cardinals suddenly broke the stillness and flew away. Other birds followed their lead - the last to leave before the rain started to fall. I scanned the area for other movement and saw the front of the storm quickly approaching in the near distance.

Before a Florida thunderstorm begins to rain, it smells. It’s a damp scent, different than mold, wet clothes, or wet dogs. It’s fresh - the freshness of newly formed rain clouds. But it’s more than fresh; it’s also the smell of tree bark, freshly tilled soil, and rainwater. This particular scent is what I imagine the air to smell like when I look out the window in an airplane mixed with what it is like to be in the wilderness first thing in the morning.

It’s a comforting scent to a girl who grew up in Florida. As a child, the smell meant you had to abandon that game of basketball and go inside. It meant that its time to get out of the pool or leave the beach. It meant that we had to play indoors for an hour every afternoon from May to September. That hour was a welcome break from the escalating heat and humidity that was building all day.

Besides the scent, in Florida you can see the afternoon thunderstorms coming. Their clouds billow up as they gain momentum over flat grasslands and swamplands. The clouds get darker and darker and start to swirl as they visibly move forward.

The rain will come slowly at first. Soft drops here and there ting the metal cage of the screened in patio I’m sitting on. Then it starts pouring and you can’t see through the rain. Sometimes, so much rain will fall in such a short amount of time that flash flooding is common in some areas every afternoon. The rain comes predictably at the same time every afternoon. So predictably that people plan their afternoon activities around it. You don’t need to carry an umbrella.

Floridian children are taught a game about how to tell how far away a storm is. Once you see a flash of lightening you start counting, “One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand,” and so on until you hear the rumbling thunder. The amount of “one thousands” between the lightening and thunder will determine the distance of the storm to you in miles.

As the rain gets heavier the cracks of thunder get so loud and so deep that they reverberate through your body as if you were standing next to a speaker at a club. It’s the same feeling as the bass of the music through your heart and breath. I count as the lightening pops and it nearly lulls me to sleep. Suddenly my hair stands on end as lightening strikes almost directly on the other side of the fence. I can barely count “one one th—“ when the sound of thunder almost took my breath away. If this wasn’t such a normal experience for me growing up, I would be terrified. I would be hiding behind the bed, like the dog. Instead, I’m sitting with my in-laws and we speculate about how someone from a drier climate might be freaked out by the amount of rain and thunder.

As a little girl, I would sit with my dad and watch the storms. As soon as the smell of the rain touched his nostrils he would grab a beer, pull the garage door open by a manual handle, and put his plastic chair on the edge of the smoothly poured concrete. The mist from clashing raindrops would moisten our skin as we sat on the edge of our safe shelter. Our little spaniel dog, Lady, would loyally accompany us, not moving from my dad’s side the entire storm. Although she was afraid of the thunder, I’m guessing she liked the smell of the rain more because while she sat there she would close her eyes and sniff the air as if she was intoxicated by the scent. He would sit there quietly and watch the storm go by without reading, talking, or distracting himself in any way. When I would join him, I felt like I was in on a secret.

During the strongest part of the storm, the rain clashes with itself and onto every object in its path. The sound is a constant hissing that calms ones nerves, though it seems like it would be the opposite. The thunder rolls into a crescendo, driving the rhythm of the raindrops. At this point he rain is so loud that you can’t hear someone talking only a foot away. Then suddenly, it’s over.

I’m stirred by the sound of Gman’s voice, “Sweetie, we’re going to the store. Did you want to go with us?” I must have dozed off while counting my “one thousands”. I got up as he talked and wiped the misty raindrops from my legs, arms, and face. As quickly as the storm arrived, it was gone. It left the colors of my surroundings a deeper and brighter hue than when I fell asleep. It looked like I lived in an oil painting. I walked inside, the birds returned to the feeder, and the smell of the rain folded back into my childhood memory.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July! Fellow Americans, I hope you celebrate our freedom by relaxing and spending time with loved ones. I'll be doing the same, but with some pulled pork, bison burgers, and s'mores added in there. :)

My Summer Makeup Secret

I'm going to let you in on one of the little pleasures in my life, it's one of my little secrets too: I wear full makeup everyday. What I mean by that is I wear moisturizer, cream foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, eye shadow, mascara, powder, and lipstick. I know, its not always necessary. But I honestly just love the process of putting it on. It relaxes me to feel the brushes on my face and I feel instantly put together when I'm finished. One of the problems of wearing full makeup is the summer time heat. To put it graphically, if you wear full makeup and its 90 degrees outside with 95% humidity, it looks like your face is melting off.

When I ask for advice for wearing makeup in the summer, most people have just recommended that I switch to a tinted moisturizer, but I think I may be addicted to my foundation! 

Recently I found the little secret to keeping it all together/in place: NARS Pro Prime. I started putting a tiny amount on before my foundation about 6 months ago and it has made such a difference. My makeup stays in place while I'm sweating all day long (another tip: always dab your sweat, don't wipe it). The NARS specialist at Sephora told me I could swim it in, too. I haven't tested that out yet, but I can say that this eye makeup primer stays put whilst one is crying... or also swimming. or playing tourist. yeah?

Do you have any summer beauty secrets?

Exploring Wine: Hess Collection Chardonnay

Hess Collection, Chardonnay, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, 2010 $35

My rating for this bottle? I would drink the whole thing.

I first tried this chardonnay at the winery out in Napa Valley last July with my friend Katie. The experience was not at all what I expected after hearing what a sh*tshow the Napa scene had become. I was expecting huge tasting rooms with hoards of tourists fighting their way to the bar and demanding larger pours, drinking to get drunk. Instead, after a tour of the facilities and (fabulous) contemporary art collection on Hess Collection grounds, we had the pleasure of our first wine tasting in Napa in a quiet, almost private bar. Our guide, Ward, was knowledgeable and seemed to be having fun with Katie and I as we learned and tasted. I had my wine tasting notebook in hand and enjoyed a relaxing three days with my best friend. We had such a great experience that we signed up for their wine club (you can read more about the wine club here.) 

My tasting notes from that day read, "Smooth, slightly salty, pear(?), slight minerality, honey sweetness, usual chardonnay buttery-ness almost undetectable. Ward recommends pairing with oysters." This was one of Katie's favorite from our first stop. I purchased a second bottle at the time. Gman and I opened it a few weeks ago. It was fun to take notes and compare then to the ones from last summer (without looking at the earlier notes). Here's what Gman and I thought about it: straw color, viscus, smells of lemon and honeysuckle, slight alcohol. Tastes honey, bright light mouthfeel, creamy and buttery - what a chardonnay should be. We drank it with salad for dinner.

How interesting that the buttery flavor came out when we opened the bottle 10 months later. Or maybe I'm a more careful taster now? I am curious to see how this wine would develop with more time. I should have bought more than one bottle! Do you notice if your favorite wine changes over time?

Paradise Living

Just a few reasons I love being in Florida - Sanibel Island, Indian Rocks Beach, Clearwater Beach, and Caladesi Island all in two weeks! It's always so hard to leave. Thank you to all my loved ones who took the time out of their busy schedules to hang with Gman and me! I love you dearly. 

I can't wait to share my Florida experiences with you soon. But first, I'm off to explore the American South. Have a great week!

Exploring Wine: Three Wishes Merlot

Three Wishes, Merlot, California, $2.99 (available at Whole Foods)

My rating for this bottle? I would drink a glass.

The first thing you should notice about this wine is that it's $2.99. Now if that isn't affordable luxury, then I don't know what is! The first "good" $3 wine I ever had was actually a 3EUR bottle of red wine in Paris in 2006. Little thought went into grabbing up a bottle for a sunset picnic by the Eiffel Tower and it was perfect for the occasion. If Paris had Whole Foods (which thank goodness it doesn't) (sorry I'm not sorry) (Also, this is probably the cheapest thing you can buy at Whole Foods) (anyways...) then Three Wishes would be a wine I would grab and bring to an Eiffel Tower picnic.

With a sort of sweet, sort of not sweet, one dimensional red wine flavor it is a good bottle to bring to or serve at a party. It appeals to the taste buds of non-wine drinkers and new red wine drinkers while also being decent enough for your oenephile friends to enjoy a glass or two. I don't really like sweet drinks, which is why I rated it as only drinking a glass. It's not my #1 favorite, but if at a party, I'm happy its in my glass. Three Wishes also has a Cabernet Sauvignon (the Merlot is better), and a Chardonnay (the best of the three). 

Gman and I bought a case (which was the same price I usually pay for one bottle...) and keep it on hand to serve in "emergencies", to last minute guests, and to bring to our friend's houses as a host gift. It has never disappointed. After all, no one gets upset when you show up with a bottle of wine in hand.

Wardrobe: What to Wear to See Tomahawk at the 9:30 Club

Gman and I have been pining to see a concert at the 9:30 Club since we moved to DC but due to laziness in checking the schedule, we hadn’t. So when we found out that one of Gman’s absolute favorite bands, Tomahawk, was playing there, we jumped at the chance to finally check it out. I really liked the venue. Pretty much any place you stood seemed like a good spot and it was rather intimate. I’m not sure that I have to say this, but obviously they didn’t have a wine list. I was very glad to see one of my favorite beers from our Dogfish Head exploration, Raison D’Etre, on tap - a little too timely, no?

Gman has a thing for Mike Patton. He’s the talented front man of Tomahawk and also lead other groups you might be familiar with: Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. I became well acquainted with his work through Gman. What I like about Mr. Patton is that he isn’t afraid to explore new sounds or ways of composing a song. Over the years he has developed as an artist without losing himself. For instance, his album Mundo Cane sounds lounge-y and is mostly in Italian. He sings Deep Deep Down with a live orchestra, too. I think Mr. Patton would get a kick out of John Cage’s 4’33” (hooray for art history!).

I wasn’t sure what exactly to wear, as choosing something for a rock concert was completely out of my usual ensemble selection purview. However, I do have two pairs of Vans and thought this the perfect occasion to put one of them to good use. I ended up wearing skinny jeans and one of Gman’s button-up shirts to try and channel his enthusiasm. I had a lot of fun at the show and it reminded me that I really like going to live shows and need to go more often.

Here are a few observations from the evening, for your enjoyment:

My favorite Tomahawk song was played second.

As every song started Gman would say with a twinkle in his eye, “This is my favorite song!” with one exception later in the set when he shouted to me, “this one’s called Rape This Day.” I think this one might actually be his favorite.

The guy next to me was in the zone rockin’ out as if no one else was around. I assumed he was on something and I had fun trying to follow his rhythm vs the band’s.

Most people there were in their mid-thirties and the crowd was really relaxed, just listening to the music. The two men standing in front of us put earplugs in as the music started. They were about the dorkiest twosome I’ve seen and yet I could hear them making fun of everyone else there.

There were a lot of interesting tattoos and variations on the mullet hidden beneath ball caps.

Shoe Love: JCrew Capri Sandal

When I was living in NYC my aunts and mom came to visit me. While on the phone discussing our itinerary, I mentioned that we would probably go to one fancy dinner and maybe drinks afterwards. My aunt asked, "Should I bring my dressy flip-flops?" I couldn't stop laughing because at a nice restaurant in NYC you would never consider wearing sandals, let alone flip-flops! I told her she could borrow a pair of my heels. She couldn't see what was so funny, because down in South Florida not only is it perfectly acceptable to wear sandals almost anywhere (as a woman) but in fact most ladies have a pair of nicer flip-flops or sandals that they wear to dinner, parties, and even church. 

As I packed for multiple week vacation in Florida, I thought about this story. Each thing in my suitcase will have to perform double duty for trips to the beach, dinner, shopping, walks in the park, playing tourist, and relaxing around the house. I used to work at JCrew (in Columbus Circle in NYC) and the leather Capri sandal used to fly out the door this time of year. I think its because this sandal is the perfect marriage of something you can throw on with a sundress or shorts for non beach related summer activities but they aren't so precious that you would be afraid to get them wet and sandy at the beach. They also lay completely flat in my suitcase, freeing up space for more heels, I mean running shoes... 

Do you have a favorite sandal that performs double duty when you travel?

Candy Orange Slices

When I was a little girl my sister and I used to go over to my grandparents' house. We would go over there often, for entire weekends, and on weekdays after school. No matter how frequent our visits, we always had special little things we did. For instance, we played dress up in my grandmother's silk night gowns and made up dance routines to Disney soundtracks (Beauty and the Beast being a favorite) and Barry Manilow tapes (no snickering, he's awesome). One special treat always sticks out in my mind when I think about those days.

When you walked in the front door of their house the formal living room was to the left. We weren't really allowed to play in there as it was for adult company. The room wrapped around to the formal dining room and then connected to the kitchen, where you would walk if you went straight instead of to the left when you walked in the door. We could run around the entire house in a loop. On the coffee table in the formal living room there was a large glass lidded candy dish. My grandfather was a sucker for orange slice candies and always had the bowl filled with them. For a long time he was the only person I knew who actually ate them (much like finding the person who really likes Peeps or candy message hearts you get on Valentine's Day). I used to run through the room and sneak a slice or two while we were there. I never took too many because I didn't want him to know I was sneaking one of his special candies!

Many years later my grandfather has passed away, the house has been sold, and the candy dish sent to a consignment shop. Sometimes when I'm feeling lonely or I miss him, I'll swing by a drug store and buy a bag of orange slices. I eat them quietly and linger over the crunch of the sugar crystals between my teeth. The gummy texture and artificial orange flavor take back 20 years. While I'm eating them I think about my grandfather and all of our wonderful memories together. 

Do you have any foods that bring your back to your childhood? Any that help you remember your loved ones?

We're Moving!

Hello dear readers! I have some big news to share with you. As some of you may know, Gman and I have decided to take this whole travel lifestyle to the next level. This summer we will be making the journey eastward and setting up our home in Kuwait City, Kuwait. We couldn't be more excited about exploring the region and learning new cultures, tastes, languages, and styles.

I've never been to that part of the world before! Neither of us has visited Kuwait or really seen many pictures as it seems the more glamorous locations like Dubai, Qatar, and Morocco are more widely visited and photographed. We can't wait to get our feet on the ground and to acquaint ourselves with our new neighborhood.

I am looking forward to sharing the journey with you through the blog and magazine! In the meantime, we're still living it up here in the US, checking things off our DC bucket list, and preparing ourselves with lots of reading materials for the changes ahead. Cheers!

Exploring Wine (through beer): Dogfish Head Brewery

Fermenting barley greeted our nostrils before we rounded the corner and saw the facilities of the Dogfish Head brewery. We happened to arrive just as new wart was being extracted after fermentation and dumped into a dump truck just outside the entrance to the tasting room. Later we would learn that the mash was going to local farmers as feed for their cows and that cows become greedy, excitable animals upon tasting the delicious mash and their mouths have been rumored to water as soon as they see the truck pull up. Their flesh, in turn, feeds hungry travelers at the Dogfish Head Brewpub on Rehoboth Beach. Making for one of many lovely sustainable little life and business cycles in greater area of Milton, Delaware provided by the brewery.

Dogfish Head is a craft beer brewery, founded in 1995 by Sam Calagione an English major who jumped the train headed to teacher land for a love of brewing. His knack for play on words and puns abound. For example, the machine used to continually add hops to their IPAs (a signature technique) is called Sir Hops A Lot. Being categorized as a craft brewery means Dogfish Head has a small production, less than six million barrels per year, it is owned by people, usually the beer maker, vs large companies like Anheuser-Busch. Because the people who live in the community make the beers locally, craft breweries tend to use sustainable growing methods and include lots of community outreach and programing. They also look at the past to revive flavorful historical brews and enjoy the challenge of improving on them.

The motto at Dogfish Head is “off-centered brews for off-centered people”. They are brewing beers for the sake of brewing beers, which don’t always appeal to mainstream tastes. Being a smaller production company, when we went on a tour of the beer making process, it was actually in the same facilities they make the beer in, along with actual brew masters deep in thought. I mention this because I’ve been on several brewery, winery, and distillery tours where the tour takes you through a simulated brewing process set up like a museum. All have been incredibly informative but it was neat to be so intimately exposed to the beer makers, facilities, and ingredients at Dogfish Head. It made me feel connected to what I tasted later.

The architecture of the interior reflected the cedar and metal of the exterior giving one the impression you were standing inside of a beer tank. It had a home-y, industrial feel if that makes any sense. The smell of cedar, kegs, old beer, new beer, raw barley, yeast, and fresh water filled every space inside. Bright sunshine poured through the floor to ceiling glass walls of the tasting room and on to the faces of beer nerds of all ages and origins - over 10 different license plates spotted in the parking lot.

After the tour we tasted four beers. The descriptions of each beer were similar to the language I’m used to seeing on wine descriptions like, “notes of lemongrass, orange peel, or coffee”. Just like a sommelier, the notes listed food-pairing recommendations and even a wine they felt the beer compared to in terms of mouth feel, weight, and sometimes flavor. Very useful indeed.

When I’m not in the mood for a glass of wine (gasp) or I need a little carbonation, my favorite thing to do is to go to a beer place and order a sampler. I tend to be indecisive when ordering beer because there are so many great, small production regional varieties. Its hard for me to commit to a whole pint when I want to try everything. Usually with a sampler I can try 4 or 5 beers at once (hooray!). During our visit to Dogfish Head and later at their brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, I had the opportunity to sample over 10 of their beers (and was somehow still standing). Here are some of my favorites from the day with wine comparisons.

Namaste was the first brew we tried upon arriving for our tour. It is a Belgian-style white beer that was compared to a Gerwurztraminer from Alsace - meaning bright, crisp, with floral notes, and refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Namaste was made with dried orange slices (not just the rind), lemongrass and coriander so it had less floral notes than its listed wine comparison and made me think of a Sauvignon Blanc. It was perfectly light and a great place to start our beer tasting journey.

Chateau Jiahu shows off what Dogfish Head is all about. The story behind this one is that they worked with molecular archaeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern to recreate an ancient Chinese recipe for beer. This recipe dates back to 9,000 years ago from the village of Jiahu in China. The flavor was highly distinctive and definitely not for everyone. Muscat grape juice (a type of wine grape) is added to the barley malt along with orange blossom honey and fruit then fermented for a month with sake yeast. (Dogfish Head uses many different strands of yeast for their selection of beers.) It basically tastes like a Muscat wine (very sweet) mixed with a citrus-y beer. Another interesting historical beer we tried was Midas Touch.

As noted above in the Chateau Jiahu, Dogfish Head experiments with adding wine grapes to their beers. The most successful, in my opinion, is Sixty-One. It is basically their famous 60-minute IPA with a touch of Syrah grapes thrown in. It was my sixth tasting of the day and I remember feeling pleasantly surprised by its balanced flavor and rounded mouth feel. The touch of Syrah took the bitterness out of the IPA.

My over all favorite was the Raison D’Etre, which unlike some of the others were tried is available year-round and at most of their retailers – good news for me! It boils down to Belgian brown ale plus raisons added to the fermentation process. This is comparable to Bordeaux red wine and pairs perfectly with a steak dinner, which was the point of its creation. It tastes kind of fancy but not overly messed with.

Perhaps with all this new knowledge, next time Gman takes me to a pub I’ll be able to make a more decisive choice when selecting a pint. In the meantime, I leave you with this.