Flights of Fancy

A few weekends ago on a sunny, yet still rather chilly and windy end-of-winter-day it felt right to head to the sandy Atlantic coast of Delaware with the aim of sampling the frothy brews of  Dogfish Head.

While the main brewery resides in Milton,  my target was just south in Rehoboth Beach where they have a microbrewery and restaurant combined, a place to eat lunch and sample seasonal, on tap only experimental brews originating in their Small-Batch Brewing Program. 

So, here's where the first bit of learning came in. Never had I heard the word "flight" in terms of drinks before. Birds or airplanes--yes, but not for beverages. Turns out the answer is simple; a flight is a grouping of similar objects, like a flight of stairs or a flight of geese. So, live, drink a 4 oz sampler, and learn. 

Selecting a range from the darkest chocolatey stout to the palest amber, all with melodious names like Bitches Brew, Namaste, Little Hoppy, Bricolage and El Diablo Verde, the tasting began. Hands down my favorite was El Diablo.

Jalapeno and cilantro sounded like an over-tweaked, pretentious flavoring for a beer,  but it turned out to be pleasingly bitter with a luscious green bite, heady herbed notes and a hint of citrus. Time to order a full-sized glass.

As for the food, well, beer calls for a salty, crunchy complement. Hence, a fried pickle seemed in order. Eating something like that makes me feel infinitely decadent, but a pairing of briny sourness  and crispy golden batter is so irresistible. It came with a mustard dipping sauce to be ignored.

Overall the food was mediocre. A nondescript, batter-fried, fish taco was bland and dull. But, the rice and black bean side was savory, spiced just right, and packed with cilantro which went so well with my drink that in the end I abandoned the taco in favor of the veggies. 

Crab cakes came two-to-a-plate with fries. Big and plump-looking, but again disappointing with too much filler. Once you've had the real thing elsewhere it's hard to measure up. And, already full of beer and pickles, could I possibly need more calories?

Namaste beer in the background, flavored with lemongrass and coriander, and also a winner.

Ah, yes, the road out from Rehoboth is lined with outlet stores...and there was that simple, sleek beige dress at Banana Republic that somehow, just somehow, came home with me. Perhaps not one to wear whilst sampling beer and pickles...have to figure out which foodie event it works for.