Last Saturday was the release day for Sugar Shack Samoa Porter at Strangeways Brewing in Fredericksburg. This beer is inspired by the Tastes Like A Samoa™donut from Sugar Shack Donuts. To compliment the beers, a “donut hole” Samoa donut was given out with each glass of beer. Colleen and I headed over early and enjoyed a late “breakfast” of a donut and beer.

Sugar Shack Samoa Porter pours a deep black color with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet chocolate and molasses. The chocolate theme carries into the flavor, adding a hint of bitterness. The mouthfeel is smooth and moderately thick. We both enjoyed the beer, and the Samoa donut hole, though we agreed that having full sized examples of the donut available for sale would have added to the pleasure.

Since we were bringing a couple bottles of the Samoa Porter home, we opted to try a few more beers from Strangeway’s extensive tap list. Colleen opted for the Strangways classic, Woodbooger Belgian Brown Ale. I selected Always Forward New England Pale Ale.

Of course, one does not survive on breakfast alone. So as we sipped our beers we also enjoyed some delicious Puerto Rican food from the Will’s Place food truck. We started with Nachones, a dish of fried plantains with slow roasted pork, lettuce, tomato and Coqui Sauce. A couple of “Zeke” empanadas, made with jalapenos and pimento cheese, rounded out the meal. The food was very flavorful and reasonably priced. Will’s is a regular visitor at many of the local craft breweries, but this was our first chance to try out their food. We’ll definitely keep an eye out for Will’s mobile food in the future.

The weather was extremely pleasant and we were enjoying our outside table. With no other plans for the afternoon, I opted to try Strangeways Nottingham Striker English Mild. We also could not resist ordering a couple more of those tasty empanadas from Will’s. The English Mild was not as strongly flavored as the prior beers, as expected, but was well done. At just 3.8% ABV is was a fitting finish to a most relaxing Saturday afternoon.

We’ve had this quote from St. Augustine on the sidebar for several years…”Though defensive violence will always be ‘a sad necessity’ in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men.” Aug…

Waiting to pay my tasting room tab I overhear the millennial in front of me ordering a beer…Server: “Do you want the 13 ounce pour?”Millennial: “No, just the beer.”After some back and forth, the question is settled. He finally walks away with hi…

I escaped the office a little early one afternoon this week and decided to use that found time for a quick range visit. This time I decided I would shoot my current carry gun, using the IWB holster it rides in, instead of my competition gear. As I dropped some ammo into my range bag, I felt odd to not be loading guns into the bag. Now that my son is back at college there’s also less gear and ammo to pack so it was a quick load up.

When a guy wants have a beer with friends, he does whatever it takes.
[ This content originated at Musings Over a Pint ]

A coworker approached me recently to tell me he was getting his Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit. He asked if I would have any objections if he kept his gun in his briefcase while he was at work. I replied that I would most strongly object to that…M…

I drove over to Charlottesville on Saturday morning for the monthly Rivanna IDPA match. Instead of the regular match, this month they ran a Classifier match. There was also a side match for BUG and CCP to benefit VCDL. It was the first time I had the opportunity to shoot the new IDPA Classifier setup.

White supremacists, KKK, Nazis, Communists, BLM, Black Panthers, CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood, Antifa…Un-American terrorists, the whole lot. They should all be treated as domestic enemies, without quarter or question.If you wrap yourself in a flag other …

Sort of gives a whole new meaning to the term “charging handle,”I plan to do something more exciting than auto mechanics with my guns this weekend!
[ This content originated at Musings Over a Pint ]

I hit the range with my son after work on Tuesday for a quick shooting session. It had been raining most of the day, but when it cleared up mid-afternoon I messaged my son to see if he wanted to try to hit the range after work. Not surprisingly he answered in the affirmative.

As we unpacked the gear at the range and started loading magazines we noticed that the surfaces of the guns, mags, and ammo all felt damp. The transition from the cool car to the humid air was producing a lot of condensation. Checking the local conditions on my phone I saw the humidity was up at 87%, with a dew point of 75°. The temperature hovering around 80°, so it wasn’t surprising that things felt wet.

Humidity: You can’t see it but it’s there

At one point in time I had a fog treatment cloth in my range bag; it seems I need to replace that important item. Despite the exceedingly humid atmosphere, it was fun way to wind down after work.