Beer Dinners at the Ferry: Crooked Hammock

Friday evening I attended the first in a series of beer dinners at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal. There are 8 dinners in all this winter and they alternate between the Cape May, NJ terminal and Lewes, DE terminal featuring New Jersey and Deleware craft beers.

The space used on the Cape May side is perfect as it overlooks the channel where the ferry come in. As daylight gets longer it will be beautiful watching the sunset as you learn about the craft beer.

The evening began with beer cocktails and passed appetizers.  There was a choice of beer cocktails and I chose the beer and Bloody Mary mix (for the cocktails they were using Blue Moon because they guys from Crooked Hammock hadn't arrived yet on the ferry) and Paul choose the Side Car made with Cognac, lemon juice and beer. The Side Car we felt was the better of the two.  I definitely prefer vodka in my Bloody Mary mix than beer.  I will give them thumbs up on the Side Car beer cocktail.

The Maui Wowie beer is a pineapple Belgian Brown Ale brewed for the new year.  It does make you want to think you are in Hawaii.  It was paired with Grilled Jerked Shrimp with Pinapple Peppercorn Salsa  The beer did have a hint of sweetness to it and it complimented the spice in the shrimp.  A very nice pairing.

Next course was the Hearts of Palm salad with Oranges in a Cilantro Vinaigrette paired with the Shoobie Belgian Blond Ale.  Shoobies are defined by city folks who traveled to the beach by train in the late 1800's.  Their ticket included a shoe box lunch, hence the term Shoobie.  This beer had a touch of bitterness on the finish.  It paired very well with the salad as the citrus notes of the salad complimented the beer.

The main entree was off as I thought we would have a choice but it all came out on one plate.  We had Boneless Beef Short Rib, Broccoli Rabe Sausage, Chicken Breast, Roasted Root Veggies and Grilled Polenta.  We got a little of everything here paired with Mootzy's Treasure IPA.

This beer is named after Richard "Mootzy" Mootz who is a native of Sussex County, Delaware.  He was one of the "Monument Men" that recovered the stolen treasures after WWII.  That was a great movie if you haven't seen it.  Crooked Hammock honors and celebrates Mootzy with their flagship IPA. It is a nice beer, bitter and hoppy.  It paired well with all on the dinner plate.

Now my favorite...dessert!  The more I'm drinking Stout the more I am liking it!  Haulin' Oats Milk Stout was paired with Salted Caramel Cheese Cake.  Yum on all accounts!.  The beer is named after Chris's favorite music artist whom he toured with on summer in college, Hall & Oats.

The beer had a sweetness and creaminess to it, and it was light in weight.  It had aromas of caramel and cocoa which paired very well with the cheese cake.

Overall the dinner was very good.  They kept us entertained with four rounds of trivia.  However, I would have liked to see the people from Crooked Hammock speak about their beer and the Chef talk about why he chose the dishes he prepared to pair with the beer.  The dinner wasn't suppose to be all about Kevin the Terminal Manager and trivia. There was plenty of time for both.

Wine & Dine on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry

Saturday evening I went on my first ferry ride out of Cape May.  I listen to the horns blow every day and watch the 7am ferry leave while on my walk, but have never been a passenger until Saturday. Yes of course it wasn't a trip to Lewes for outlet shopping, but a Sunset Wine-Lovers Cruise.

We had three courses over and the dessert course back, while the ferry transported cars and it's passengers.

It all began with the 2012 Notre Dame Luberon paired with Pate Maison, Cornichons, Grilled Marble Rye with Spicy Mustard. The wine is an organically made wine made in the Luberon region of southern France.  It is unoaked and a blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre.  (SRP $10.99)

Aromas of raspberries and plums filled the glass.  On the palate I tasted cooked raspberries and it finished with licorice and a hint of spice.  It was a tad on the fruity side.

I am not a big Pate person, but Catherine kept telling me to pretend it was liverwurst.  I did, a little mustard and pate.  The pairing was adequate.

The next pairing which I thought was the best pairing of the cruise was Smoked Salmon Pinwheels with Lemon Pepper Creme Fraiche with The Crusher 2011 Wilson Vineyard Chardonnay.

The wine comes from Clarksburg AVA which is located in California's Sacramento Delta. This is a partnership between the Sebastiani family who is a well known winemaking family in California and the Wilson family who are a respected grape growing family.

The Crusher Chardonnay is a blend of 87% Chardonnay, 11% Viognier and 2% Muscat Alexandria. With hints of lemongrass, vanilla and honeydew melon on the nose the wine was very well balanced.  Spending only 3 months aging in French oak, there were soft flavors of pineapple, honeydew melon and lemon on the palate.   (SRP $18)

The lemon flavors in the wine truly complemented the Lemon Pepper Creme Fraiche in the smoked salmon pinewheels.

The last dish before we docked in Lewes, Delaware was Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and a Potato Pancake paired with 2012 William Hill North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon.(SRP $15.99)  The Cabernet Sauvignon blended with a little bit of Merlot was rich in dark fruit.  It had hints of cocoa on the finish. Personally I think the Cabernet was a bit to strong for the Pork, but I rolled with it.

Now we are on our return trip to Cape May and the seas are getting a bit rough and dessert if served. My favorite!  Creme Brule paired with 2012 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling.  (SRP $9.00)

With a residual sugar count coming in at 1.7 I personally think the Riesling wasn't sweet enough for the Creme Brule.  But that is my personal palate opinion.  Was the wine good, yes and the Creme Brule was wonderful!

The Riesling had nice notes of ripe peach and minerality on the nose.  There were even some subtle hints of lime, which all carried through to the palate.

I must commend the ferry for thinking out of the box as it was a nice 3 hour cruise.  Yes we docked in Lewes, they turned the ship around and we sailed back to Cape May listening to music and dancing as the ship was rocking, yes it was a tad rough out there, but made for a great way to meet and converse with everyone at the dinner.