Derecho Beer

Around two weeks ago it rained sideways in the D.C. area.  The rain was totally horizontal, due to 80 mile an hour winds.  The storm shook our window doors around two sides of our apartment so much that at one point I thought the building was shaking and wondered if we were having another earthquake. 

It was not an earthquake, it was a derecho (day-RAY-cho), a trendy new weather term for the area, just like "snowpacalpyse" two years ago.  A derecho is a warm weather straight-line squall that typically exceeds hurricane force.

Tom and I flew the next day to cool, clear Colorado (the not-on-fire part.  Sorry for your fires, Colorado!) escaping the massive loss of power over 1 million places in the area experienced for 2-7 days, including Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria.  Because of the power outage, the brewery feared it would lose 13,000 gallons of beer (104,000 pints).

Five of the six tanks ended up fine, but the sixth fermented at a higher temperature than intended.  Port City turned it into a "steam beer" and produced a limited edition "Derecho Common" beer. 

Beer from a storm, an innovative idea!