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Close to 200 people from Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio gathered on Martin Mountain in Rocky Gap MD for the 10th annual MASHOUT (Mid-Atlantic States Homebrew campOUT) on August 22-24. The site, nicknamed "Popenoe Mountain" for the hosts, Chuck and Helen Popenoe, has been the MASHOUT location three years in a row. The event has grown considerably since the first one at Hagan Farm in Thurmont, MD in 1988 which had about 60 attendees. This gala festival is hosted by one of the largest homebrewing clubs in the world, BURP (Brewers United for Real Potables).
Despite the lack of modern conveniences (the site is just a big open
field), conditions were very amenable given the abundance of food, homebrew,
microbrews and good people. All weekend it was share and share alike as
members of more than ten homebrew clubs, plus friends and family, cooked and
ate together, sampled each other's homemade fermented beverages, talked, sang
and laughed.
Vehicles trickled in and tents popped up all day Friday and part of Saturday, and it became apparent that if attendance grows much more in the future, MASHOUT will need a bigger site. Nearby Rocky Gap State Park has always provided shower facilities, but with a new golf resort under construction, it is questionable whether these facilities will be available in the future. BURP did provide port-a-potties, the one "modern" convenience at the MASHOUT site.
The weather was considerably cooler than it had been at the previous two events. And as usual at Popenoe Mountain, no mosquitoes!
Vehicles lined the perimeter of the field so folks could play horseshoes,
frisbee, bocce ball, volleyball and kickball in the center. And let's not
forget the water balloons! This year we found other targets besides Dave Pyle.
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As the Sun set Friday evening and people gathered 'round the campfire,
several folks brought out their violins, ukeleles, guitars, spoons, and other
instruments and played and sang lots of songs. Let's see, there was Chuck, Lou,
Frank, Rob ... I'm sure a left a few out. Meanwhile, "This Man's Hat", a
band from North Carolina, entertained in the barn as a crowd cheered and
danced. The hills were alive with the sound of music!
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With most campers staying up til the wee hours, you might expect that
Saturday morning would be rather quiet. Not so! Most were up relatively early
and had breakfast together. After a relaxing morning the only difficult thing
was deciding how to spend the day. Some hiked. Others cycled. Some took the
"Mountain Thunder" railroad excursion from Cumberland to Frostburg. And many
spent the day at the MASHOUT site, spending time with old friends and making
new ones.
There was a wide assortment of homemade beer, wine, mead and champagne. "Keg Row" contained many kegs and coolers with various home-engineered designs for keeping liquid chilled for a weekend. In addition to what attendees brought, a keg was donated by Frederick Brewing (Frederick MD). There was also lots of bottled beer. BURP held a homebrew contest in the afternoon (style: India Pale Ale). Congratulations to winner Bill Ridgely.
The food spread Saturday night was to die for. There was barbecued beef
and chicken, corn on the cob, grilled venison, and more pasta dishes, salads
and desserts than you could shake a marshmallow stick at. Various musicians
once again entertained those who warmed themselves by the campfire. In the
barn another band, "Poker Face", played until well after midnight. It was a
clear night and one could see so many stars (billions and...)
Sunday morning greeted everyone with a smorgasbord of eggs, sausage,
coffee, and pancakes with REAL maple syrup. The Sun finally came out to stay
and the day warmed up nicely. Chuck flew over the area a few times in one of
his several small planes. As people packed up to leave it became clear that
this event is just too short. A few dozen remained until the late afternoon to
savor the day together until finally having to leave.
Thanks Chuck and Helen for graciously hosting MASHOUT once again. Where will MASHOUT '98 be? Whether at Popenoe Mountain or elsewhere, we eagerly look forward to another great weekend.