Indoor Activities This Week

The weather outlook is dreary at best. I haven't made use of the indoor range in the past few weeks, opting instead to take advantage of the nice weather to shoot outdoors. Looks like that will have to change in the coming week.

And perhaps there will be some time for good beer. A man's gotta cope.

Good Beer and Sports Celebrity Sightings

A lack of blogging recently isn't an indication of a lack of life activity, just the opposite in fact. It means I've been too distracted by life to sit down and write. We were out of town last weekend, in part to attend the Spring Game at VA Tech. I was pleased we had reservations at the same hotel at which we found good beer last year. Before I even checked in at the front desk I detoured to take a peak at the taps in the lobby bar. I was not disappointed.

Colleen and I visited lobby bar in the evening to relax over a few beers. Three of the offerings were old favorites, along with one new to me beer. I tried a sample of a local beer, River Company Dumpster Dog Porter, but opted to go a more hoppier route. Colleen enjoyed a pint of the Porter. I couldn't resist a pint of an old favorite, Loose Cannon from Heavy Seas, and later a pint of Bell's Two Hearted Ale.

As we were enjoying our drinks and talking with other guests, there was suddenly a lot of excitement in the lobby and bunch of folks leapt from their seats. Buffalo Bills Quarterback Tyrod Taylor was checking in to the hotel. He posed for a few selfies and things quieted down. For a bit anyway, until Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Smith walked in. He too posed for selfies and signed autographs and the lobby calmed once again. Seattle Seahawks player Kam Chancellor also made a pass-through of the lobby.

The commonality among the players is of course, they are all VA Tech alumni, in town for the Spring Game. In all honesty, if it wasn't for the other fans at the bar, and some quick Google searches, I wouldn't have known who they were, not being a big sports fan. Nonetheless, it added some excitement to an already enjoyable Friday evening.

Just a Day at the Range

On Thursday our friend "Checkered Flag" was visiting, so he, Colleen, and I headed over the range after work. It was a sunny and warm day, perfect for spending some time outside. Since I knew I couldn't get to the range on Earth Day, I counted this day as my "celebration" and figured I'd do my part in restoring some lead and copper back into the earth.

We ran no specific drills this outing, it was really just time to stand and shoot. You might say it was like dry fire practice, pulling the trigger — but with live rounds  — over and over again.

At one point Colleen asked me, "Who's the guy watching us with binoculars?" I looked and saw him about 50 yards back by the bench. When I went to talk to him I saw he was one of the range officers. He said he had come out of the club house because of the "rate of fire going on." I guess he was satisfied to find he was hearing three guns going off, and not someone violating the "rapid fire" rule, as he didn't stick around.

At least standing in just a few places while we shot made the brass easy to pick up. It was a fun couple of hours before it was time to head home for a refreshing adult beverage.

They Don't Even Realize They Are Losing

I laughed a bit last week when anti-gun democrat Deb Lavender of Missouri introduced an amendment opening the state capitol to concealed carry for members of the public. Of course, she did so in an attempt to prove a point, and was bitten by her own arrogance. But my irony meter pegged again this week with the news about the $20 bill.

Democrat Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced that the portrait of Andrew Jackson would be removed in a redesign of the $20 bill, and replaced with an image of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. In the attempt to cover their own party's history, the left has actually managed to promote freedom and guns. Andrew Jackson was a slave owner, championed the massacre of native Americans, and was the first Democrat president of the United States. It's not surprising that the whitewashers of history wanted him gone.

Image via Amazon

Harriet Tubman was everything the progressives hate about freedom loving Americans. She is credited with saying, "There was one of two things I had a right to: liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other." And she was not opposed to backing up her freedom with a gun, in violation of the law.

Tubman carried an old percussion pistol for protection against slave-catchers and their hound dogs. This violated an 1806 Maryland statute, which forbade “any negro or mulatto within this state to keep any dog, bitch or gun.”

The pistol was also a threat against any faint-hearted fugitive who wished to turn back. As Tubman knew, any slave who returned would be tortured into revealing everything about the remaining fugitives, which would result in the whole group being captured. Pointing her gun at one escapee, who was exhausted and hungry after a day of hiding in a swamp, she told him, “Move or die.” She delivered him and the others to freedom soon after. 

Tubman was also a religious woman, gaining inspiration from biblical accounts of fleeing slaves in the Old Testament. She is even recognized in calendars of saints of the Episcopal Church and of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Gun owner, freedom fighter, religious; Harriet Tubman would be unwelcome in the democrat party if she were alive today. The irony is rich.

Purcellville Road Trip

After that super fun IDPA match on Saturday, we drove out to Purcellville to visit a friend and a brewery or two. Our first stop was Belly Love Brewing.

When we walked in, I was surprised at the lack of a crowd, for late Saturday afternoon. We placed our beer orders at the bar, carrying the drinks to a nearby table. None of us had much too eat all day, so we were quite hungry, and ordered a soft pretzel with cheese and spicy mustard dipping sauces to hold us while we perused the food menu further. The appetizer was delivered promptly to our table, and was quickly devoured.

I ordered a Double IPA with an interesting sounding name, Flying Unicorn Crotch Kick. The beer had a strong, bready malt base. The bitter grapefruit and mango flavors were enjoyable and not overwhelming. The beer was flavorful but well-balanced. I expected a more extreme flavor profile, especially given the name. My glass was emptied in short order.

Colleen enjoyed a 6 ounce pour of Brooke's Currant Obsession. Just the fact that a short pour was offered made Colleen happy, though an actual half pint "short pour" would have been preferable. Despite the size, she enjoyed the mild citrus and tart hint to the Porter. Our friend opted for Eye of Jupiter Milk Stout. I stole a sip of this one and found it quite pleasant as well.

The beers we had were very good, and I would have tried more, but the need for food took precedence. The food options at Belly Love all sounded good, and the items we saw being delivered look appetizing as well. However, given that we were all extremely famished and looking for more substantial fare, we opted to look elsewhere for food. We ended up eating at a nearby old-style diner.

Having satiated our hunger, we were now in the mood for another beer stop. Adroit Theory Brewing is another well-known brewery in Purcellville. Checking online we saw that they had closed at 8:00 PM, on a Saturday. We discussed going back to Belly Love for more "research" but decided to head over to Lost Rhino, a brewery we've visited previously. I'm pretty sure a joke was made about needing a Lost Rhino Face Plant to go with my Belly Love Crotch Kick!

Instead of a big IPA at Lost Rhino, I opted for a pint of Dawn Patrol, the brewery's session IPA. As an added treat, the beer was being served from cask, and dry hopped with Simcoe hops. It was the perfect wind down for the evening. BTW, Colleen had a glass of the Lost Rhino Root Beer and it was delicious.

There are still a number of Loudoun County breweries we need to check out. We will have to plan a future excursion, one that starts much earlier in the day. I did pick up a bottle of Belly Love My Bitter X that I look forward to trying that in the near future.

Rivanna IDPA Match

The April IDPA match at Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club was held this past Saturday. I was looking forward to the match since I had only been to the range for stand and shoot practice for the last eight weeks, no matches. The weather was excellent and, in a change from the winter months, the ground on the range was dry— no mud! The Match Director made sure everyone got plenty of movement in after months of mostly static shooting due to range conditions.

The first stage for our squad was a bit of a novelty stage. Four shooting areas were laid out like a baseball diamond. We started at "home plate" holding a bat which we dropped at the buzzer and ran to "first base" to put one hit on a single target. Next we ran to "second base" to engage two targets with two shots each, and then it was on to "third base" where three targets each requiring three hits. Returning to "home plate" we settled from the run to engage four steel plates placed downrange. I finished with 0 points down for the stage.

Stage 2 started with the shooter engaging two targets while retreating to cover where two more targets were shot though a port in a wall. Next, while moving across an open area there were two open targets to be engaged and two other targets, requiring a single head shot each. The head shot targets were partially obscured by a non-threat. All four of these targets were to be engaged on the move. I hit the first target with two shots, then moved to the head shots. I made those cleanly and was celebrating in my head as I shot the last open target in a hurry. I saw the two -1 hits and decided quickly to make them up before moving to the last two targets at the final position. Of course those extra shots meant I needed to do a reload to take the last shot of the stage. Overall, the extra two shots and extra reload cost me more time than the two -1 hits would have, but I really wanted the -0 on the stage, which I got.

The next stage was quite interesting, and involved a pickup gun at the start. That loaded revolver was sitting on the chest of "Earl," the match dummy. You grabbed the gun and engaged three targets while dragging Earl to cover. I've only shot a revolver a few times, and that was a "snubbie" a few years ago. Here was a gun I had never shot or even handled. To be shot strong-hand only. While on the move. I knew it was going to be fun.

I was happy to have five -0 shots and just one -1 hit with the revolver. After safely depositing Earl and the revolver we moved to the next position where we had staged our magazines and unloaded gun. Quickly stowing any needed mags and loading the gun, we hit a stomp plate that released a swinger moving between two non-threats. There were also two stationary targets to be engaged from that position. As an added twist all targets after the revolver required three hits each. Lastly, three more targets where engaged from cover at the end of the course. I finished the stage 3 points down.

The final stage involved shooting around, and through, an old car. The targets were placed in various places in front of and beside the vehicle, at varying distances. They all needed to be engaged from cover, and that generally meant a combination of leaning and stooping. I was just one point down on the stage, but struggled to twist my old back into the required positions. (Perhaps I need to learn less contorted means of using cover.)

The entire match was a lot of fun to shoot and offered a good variety of challenges. At the end of it all I was just four points down for the match. It felt good to drive away from the event with no regrets about mental errors, and misses or penalties.

This month there was also an optional side match for BUG and CCP guns. You could shoot the five quick strings at any point when you had down time. I shot the BUG match while waiting to shoot the third stage in the main match. I wondered how it would be shooting a different gun right in the middle of the match, and then I ended up shooting the revolver right after the BUG gun. Even though it was technically two matches, it was fun to shoot three different guns in essentially one event. Hopefully the side match will become a regular addition to the monthly event.

After arriving home I cleaned up and we headed out to visit a friend, and some breweries. During the two hour drive to our destination I don't think I stopped regaling Colleen with my recollections of the match. It really was that much fun. I can't wait to do it again!

Devils Backbone Founder on Anheuser-Busch Deal

Listen to Devils Backbone founder Steve Crandall talk about the history, and future, of the Devils Backbone partnership with Anheuser-Busch. There are exciting things to come.

Thanks to Tommy Stafford and Blue Ridge Life Magazine for sharing this interesting interview. 

Why Locked Phones Matter

Why all the fuss about one encrypted phone? Because it's not about just one encrypted phone.

I've said from the beginning the San Bernardino iPhone issue wasn't about fighting terrorism, it was about setting precedent. Be glad the FBI failed. This time.

Reading My Own Blog

The last couple of months were the busiest posting months on these Musings since late 2014. That's no promise of things to come, it's just an observation. Despite the enjoyment I get from, um, "researching" these posts, I still frequently wonder exactly why I do it. Recently I was searching for an old post to reference and started reading through some old musings. I found myself reminiscing about past adventures. I got lost in my reading, and before I knew it, more than an hour had passed. I left to run some errands, but came back later and picked up where I left off.

It was fun reading about a beer event, range outing, event or even the occasional rant, and stopping to recall even more about it. Often I would think, "I forgot we did that" but then it would all come back like it was yesterday. The beers start running together, but the tap takeovers and brewpub visits were refreshed in my mind. The times spent on the range with family and friends over the years especially brought me smiles. I've often said I write this for my own entertainment and it's true.

Fortunately I didn't read any post and think, "Nope don't remember that happening at all."

Anheuser-Busch Acquires Devils Backbone Brewing

When I saw the headline Tuesday morning my first thought was that it was an April Fool's joke I had missed. But it is true, Devils Backbone Brewing is the latest acquisition of the Anheuser-Busch InBev conglomerate.

New York and Lexington & Nelson County, VA. April 12, 2016 – Today, Anheuser-Busch announced an agreement to acquire Devils Backbone Brewing Company, the leading and fastest-growing craft brewery in the state of Virginia. Devils Backbone will be the latest partner to join the diverse portfolio of craft breweries within The High End, the company’s business unit comprising unique craft and import brands.

“I am extremely pleased to announce the partnership of Devils Backbone Brewing Company with Anheuser-Busch. While we are joining a creative group of craft breweries in the division, Devils Backbone will retain a high level of autonomy and continue its own authentic DNA within The High End framework,” said Steve Crandall, co-founder and CEO of Devils Backbone Brewing Company. “The existing management team plans to stay on board for many years, while continuing to innovate and bring locally crafted Virginia beer to the nation.”

In 2008, founders Steve and Heidi Crandall opened the doors to Devils Backbone Brewing Company in the Virginia Heartland, after being inspired by a ski trip to northern Italy in 1991 where they had their first taste of Germanic style beer. After success with the first brewpub, Basecamp, the decision was made to break ground on the Outpost facility, in Lexington, Virginia. Originally projected to produce 10,000 barrels of beer in its first ten years, the Outpost produced almost 45,000 barrels in its first three. Steve credits much of this early success to the excellent network of distributors within his system, which is weighted heavily towards Anheuser-Busch.

“I congratulate Steve and Heidi Crandall and the entire Devils Backbone team as they partner with Anheuser-Busch,” said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.  “Through the strength of Anheuser-Busch’s network of distributors, Devils Backbone’s award-winning craft beer will soon be available throughout the country and beyond. I want to thank Devils Backbone for their immense contribution to Virginia’s world-class craft beer industry, and I look forward to the additional exposure for Virginia as a leading state for craft beer lovers.”

Today, the Outpost Brewery & Taproom in Lexington serves as the primary production brewery while the Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows in Roseland, serves as a visitor destination. Devils Backbone takes full advantage of the scenic 100-acre Basecamp property surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering a variety of opportunities for guests to enjoy the outdoors. In 2015, the two locations hosted more than 500,000 guests.

“Devils Backbone has captivated beer drinkers in Virginia since opening its doors eight years ago,” said Felipe Szpigel, President, The High End. “From the beginning, they have shown creativity and talent with the great beers they brew, and they’ve been able to use the authentic offerings at Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows to cultivate a fun, outdoor lifestyle that resonates with everyone. Pair these qualities with dynamic leadership and a dream to do something bigger, and you have the recipe for an even more promising future.”

While best known for its flagship Vienna Lager, which accounted for nearly 60% of Devils Backbone volume in 2015, the portfolio also includes other award-winning year-round favorites like Eight Point IPA and Schwartz Bier. Developing beers with personality and individual integrity of flavor has helped enable Devils Backbone to win four National titles: 2014 Great American Beer Festival Mid-Size Brewery & Brew Team, 2013 Small Brewing Company & Small Brewing Company Brew Team, 2012 Small Brewpub & Small Brewpub Brewer, 2010 World Beer Cup Champion Brewery, and the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest Best of Show medals in 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

First Beverage Group acted as financial advisor to Devils Backbone Brewing Company. Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with Devils Backbone is expected to close in the second quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

Many online commenters immediately decried the announcement, however once the initial surprise wears off, I don't think it's all bad. I'm no fan of the A-B "factory" beers, but the "partnership" will mean an opportunity for continued growth and expansion at Devil Backbone. According to Devils Backboine founder Steve Crandall,

Devils Backbone was built with a unique, adventurous spirit, and our job is to preserve that culture. That being said, our vision has now outgrown our means. We still know where we want to go, but we realized we needed a partner to get there. For the past year we’ve been exploring options for a long-term solution that would enable us to continue expanding our business of brewing consistent, high-quality craft beer. As I evaluated our options, ABI’s The High End rose to the forefront as a support team that believed in our dreams. We had many discussions and the more we spoke with ABI, the clearer it became that The High End shares our passion. All of our senior management are on board with this new direction and in it for the long haul. ABI will support our brand as we build out our dream of what Devils Backbone can become.

When you come right down to it, it's the flavor and quality of the beer that matters to me, not the parent company's logo on the label. The Devils Backbone management remains the same, the award winning beers will continue to be produced, and even more fans will be introduced to excellent brewed beverages from Virginia. Congratulations to Steve and Heidi Crandall, head brewer Jason Oliver, and all the folks at DBB. We're looking forward to more great things to come.

Spring "Flowers" on the Range

While looking through photos for a previous post, I was struck by the similarities of these pictures. Colleen captured the Dogwood blossoms at the range. The target "blossoms" were created during the same outing.

Bill Whittle: Appropriate This!

What this country needs is more real warriors, and fewer "social justice" warriors.

A Delightful Sunday

Despite experiencing cold winds and even snow flurries the day before, the weather on Sunday was cool but sunny. On the way home from Mass in the morning, Colleen suggested we hit the range for a bit. She got no argument from me! We quickly changed our clothes, loaded the car and headed out. We spent a little over an hour shooting and enjoying the sunshine. There was a noticeable drop in the temperature at the covered bench area as opposed to the open bay. That just meant we reloaded our magazines quickly to get back to the sunny part of the range to shoot.

We spent about an hour shooting. It was a fun way to spend time outdoors, and I enjoyed the time with my wife. I'm typically on the range by myself and was great to have Colleen as company. We went through several hundred rounds and lots of "splatter targets" during the outing. It was a beautiful spring afternoon; the birds were singing and the Dogwoods were blooming.

When we arrived home, we were both quite hungry so the obvious thing to do was to head downtown to enjoy a late lunch and a couple of good beers. We opted for Capital Ale House since we hadn't been there for a while. We wasted little time getting our beer and food orders in after working up an appetite on the range.

I got to try out a couple new to me beers, Maine Beer Company Zoe Red Ale and Apocalypse Ale Works Hoppocalypse Imperial Red Ale. (The latter is quite a tongue twister of a name.) I enjoyed both very much, and they went well with a platter of spicy Andouille and Shrimp Pasta. Colleen ordered a very tasting looking Chicken and Waffles dish. I might have to try that next time.

Later in the day, I found myself in my favorite chair, enjoying a good book. Well, at least that was the plan. After the time spent on the range and at pub, the book lost out in favor of a nap. I really couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable day spent with Colleen partaking in some of our favorite activities.

Close Enough

It took four days, but a package "delivered" by the USPS system has finally been located. According to the tracking status, the package was "delivered in or at the mailbox at 2:00 pm on April 4, 2016." Unfortunately it wasn't our mailbox.

I called the local post office and initiated an investigation. The package showed up on Friday. I was told by a manager at the post office that the package had been "delivered to a similar address."  I guess that's what we refer to as "close enough for government work."

Five O'Clock Friday: Finally

A timely reminder.

Merle Haggard - "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink"

Poet of the common man, R.I.P.

Flying Dog Chipotle Ale

Flying Dog Brewing is putting out five seasonal beers this year in what they are calling their Heat Series. The first of these beers, released in February, is Oaked Chipotle Ale. I cracked open a review bottle from the brewery after dinner this week.

Oaked Chipotle Ale pours a deep mahogany color with a thin beige head. Right away there's a smoky, rauchbier-like aroma. As the beer warms I also start to pick up a mild charred pepper note. The initial flavor is a slightly sweet, caramel malt with a touch of smokiness. At first sip, I didn't notice any heat, then it arrived in the back of my throat. First very faint, then gone. Another sip or two and it builds, with a cumulative effect. The predominate flavor is that of smoked malt, with the heat of the chipotle lingering just in the background. Neither the smoke nor the pepper notes are extreme, but are just enough to be noticed and enjoyed, not overly assertive.

I found the Oaked Chipotle Ale to be mild beer with a pleasing flavor combination. It seems that with smoked beers, and pepper beers alike, folks are quite opinionated. Either you enjoy them, or you absolutely do not. The charred chipotle flavor of this one puts in decisively in the "love it or leave it" category.

This bottle of tasty brew was an unsolicited review sample from the brewery. The drinking was done of my own free will.

Quickie Range Trip

I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to hit the indoor range during lunch earlier this week. Well, I had my shooting stuff already loaded in the car, but mid-morning I decided to forgo the trip. Then a bit later I changed my mind and headed out. So, spur-of-the-moment.

When I arrived there was a guy shooting some sort of hand cannon two lanes over. I swear the block walls were moving out and in with each shot. He soon packed up so I only flinched a few times. I had some 8'' bullseye targets in my bag and stuck a couple of them up at 10 yards. Even with the 2" red center dot it was hard to see the rings in the low light.

I used those targets for about 75 rounds, before switching to an IDPA target to finish off the 100 rounds I had packed. The last group was all shot rapidly from low ready; two body, one head. I managed to keep them all in the -0 zones. It was a quick trip but as always, provided a bit of mid-day entertainment.

Go Home Mother Nature, You're Drunk

And this morning (Tuesday) the radar indicated snow over us.

Maltese Brewing Company

We finally paid a visit to Maltese Brewing Company this weekend. The brewery is owned by firefighters, and many of the employees are also firefighters, and this connection is apparent in the pub's decor. The tasting room is small, with just four seats at the bar, with a few tables in a front room and several more in the back with the brewing equipment. We did learn that after less than a year from their opening, the owners are already are making plans to expand into the space next door.

The small space doesn't limit the beers the brewery is pouring. We started with a flight, called a Brigade here, that consisted of all 7 beers being poured, along with a cold-pressed coffee that was served on nitro. The flights at Maltese Brewing come with a small bag of pretzels. That was a very welcome twist which is just one example of the attention to detail the owners offer.

The selections in our Brigade were Fireman's Blonde, Vanilla Brown, Pump Panel Coffee Brown, Amber IPA, Mint Chocolate Porter, Fire Wife Wheat, Pineapple IPA, and the aforementioned coffee. There were no disappointments in any of the beers. Among our favorites were the two IPAs, the Vanilla Brown and the Wheat. The coffee too was quite enjoyable. The flavor of the locally roasted coffee was rich, and the nitro pour made it quite smooth. After our tastings, we debated about our next selection. In the end Colleen opted for a pint of the Pineapple IPA and I went for the just tapped Amber IPA. The flavor of the Amber IPA is a cross between an Imperial Red Ale and an IPA. The rich malt and bitter hop notes combined for an extremely flavorful beer.

There were menus for a visiting food vendor, Good Dog, on the bar and many patrons were eagerly awaiting our chance to order the "gourmet hot dogs." The vendor was late setting up, which led to much good natured "harassment" of the bartenders. It was all in good fun, and when the food was finally available it was well worth the wait.

During our visit there were a lot of folks coming in to get growler fills. We observed that after rinsing the growlers, they were were purged with CO2 to help preserve the freshness of the beer. This was another example of the attention to detail at Maltese Brewing. I don't see this extra step taken at a lot of breweries.

We had plans to visit a couple other local craft beer stops on this day, as there were a number of new beer releases available. However, we ended up enjoying ourselves so much at Maltese that we opted to forgo the other stops and extended our stay. The atmosphere at the brewery is casual and very friendly. The bartenders were attentive and engaging. That seemed to spread to the patrons as well, and we enjoyed a lot of friendly conversation with others. We had a very enjoyable afternoon and look forward to going back to Maltese Brewing very soon.

Observations

A few hours on the range and I find myself in need of a nap.

A few hours in the pub and I find myself in need of a nap.

Perhaps it's just my body paying me back for the all the naps I refused as a child.

And then there's this...

Socks with sandals?

Maybe I'm just getting old.

Spencer Devon Katina Black IPA

An unplanned dinner out found us at Spencer Devon Brewing on Thursday evening. Unbeknownst to Colleen and I, the brewery was releasing a new beer that evening. I spotted Katina Black IPA on the beer menu and had made my decision even before owner Shawn stopped by to inform us that this was the beer's debut evening.

Keeping with the brewery's local attraction naming convention, Katina Black IPA is named for the ghost of a Sioux Princess whose ghost is said to roam Fall Hill Mansion where she served as a nanny to the family before her death in 1777. Ghost tales aside, the beer is alive with flavor. The light flavor of roasted malt is mixed with tropical citrus hop notes. The finish is slightly bitter and the 6.5% ABV beer is surprisingly light bodied and refreshing. I found it quite enjoyable and gave it a rare 4-star rating in Untappd. 

Also popular at the brewery this evening was a dish prepared specifically to pair with the Katina Black IPA. I was planning to try some items from the new Spring food menu, but Shawn suggested insisted I try the Rabbit Confit & Queso Manchego Nachos with chipotle aioli and spring onions with the Black IPA. Since my glass was empty when my dinner arrived, I naturally ordered another to do the pairing justice. The spicy nachos did indeed go well with the beer. 

We also noted that Spencer Devon has a number of new beer releases coming up. Since we've never been disappointed with any of the brewery's beers, and we still need to fully explore the new menu, I suspect we'll be back sooner rather than later.