I'm getting pumped for a New England events/vacation roadtrip at the end of this week. Mariah, Sammy, Grier and I will be heading north in the family truckster this Friday. Trip highlights include hanging with my folks at their home on Pratt's Island near Dogfish Head Maine. Eating lobster rolls and drinking Maine beers with our friends Win and Laurie and their great beer-centric resort (check out the pic on the top right of their homepage - that is the lighthouse that faces my parents home... the cove behind it is Dogfish Head - the name sake of our brewery!). I hope to teach my daughter Grier to ride her bike while up there as that is where I learned to ride mine thirty-odd years ago. I'm looking forward to a beer dinner/meet the brewers event with my buds Peter E and Todd M at Portsmouth Brewery on July 28th. The following week on Aug 4th we will have an amazing-encyclopedic selection of dogfish beers on tap for our event at Novare Res - the great Portland gastro-pub - with our friends Julie and Eric. I think my dad will be on hand to do that event with me which will be cool. I plan to have lunch with Rob Tod that day too.

It was on a jog with my dad past the lighthouse in the photo I mentioned above when I told him of my dream of opening a brewery about 16 summers ago. He loved the idea, suggested Dogfish Head would be a cool name, and has been supportive every moment since then. I love going back to New England in the summer visiting old friends and drinking the native beers that got the east coast craft brewing movement started a couple of decades ago. Who says you can never go home?

From New England I fly to Madison for the famous Taste of The Midwest beer fest and I hope to serve and drink may pints of PopSkull with the fellah we made that beer with - Nick Floyd - and his co-pirates from 3 Floyds Brewery.

I might need a vacation after this vacation.