Oak's Bottom Public House

Brother Eric was in town yesterday. Leaving Beer Nirvana two years ago, he now resides outside the D.C. beltway. Sadly, craft breweries are few and few between in his pond of the world, Dogfish in Delaware is the closest, proper pub, and it is over an hour away.

Aiding another aficionado, we went on a pilgrimage to Oak's Bottom Public House. It's a quiet, cozy pub featuring Lompoc news and a few guest tops. Eric is an IPA man. He tried their Centennial IPA . They describe it as, "-A classic Northwest IPA. Nicely balanced and easy drinking with all the hop flavors. (6.0% a/v)." Its a nice beer. It is not overwhelming and definitely not extreme. I had the the Lompoc Strong Draft - Portland’s new cult beer. LSD is an American strong ale with big body, a touch of smoked malt and a generous hop profile. (6.9% a/v)" I think of it as summer stout. It is a rich ale that is full of flavor, without being heavy and oppressive. It was perfect with my Totchos, "a heaping plate of tater tots, smothered with cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños, black olives and onion topped with sour cream and salsa." The small portion, I added black beans for added flavor. It's an epic appetizer made to be a meal.

For dessert, we both imbibed the "C-Note Imperial Pale - This HUGE Imperial Pale Ale (100 IBU!) is a hop head’s dream. Using Crystal, Cluster, Cascade, Chinook, Centennial,

Columbus and Challenger hops. (6.9% a/v)." It's an uber ale: extreme and hoppy. The combination of seven hops creates a complex taste worth trying again and again.

Oak's Bottom Public House, without a doubt, has the Church of Beer's blessing.

-Brother E.