As Time Goes By: Part Two
December 29th, 2011 by Gloria
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| 2011 Beer in Review |
So where was I? Oh yes, intention. You always have to have it, whatever your endeavor may be, and take action — scour the web, go to networking events, volunteer, etc. With your efforts and patience, some wonderful things may develop for you. What matters is having the intent. While I intended to create more opportunities this year, the ability to make them so was never a guarantee, regardless of my efforts.
In 2011 I wasn’t able to travel as much as I would have liked to. A true nomadic spirit, I can never stay in one place for a whole year straight. I am constantly on the hunt for new adventures and stories to tell. I really really wanted to go to Vermont this summer and hit some yummy breweries while eating some cheese and Ben & Jerry’s. No such luck. So while my year in beer was primarily local, I was able to create new situations, meet new people and repeat volunteer as always. When festival goers start to recognize me — whether it’s from pouring for them the year before or reading my blog — I know that there is merit in the consistency of repetition. Staying local means strengthening relationships with industry folk; supporting the local craft breweries and economy while helping my own budget. So while I could easily complain that I didn’t get too many miles on my (useless) frequent flier cards this year, I’m not. I am truly grateful for the travel and events I was able to make (e.g. Mondial in Montreal three years in a row; Quebec City; Toronto; New York). Canada and New York will always be old and new since there is so much to see, do, and taste. Brooklyn is numero uno on my list!
As I look forward to 2012, I would like to make it the year of travel. I want to visit unexplored beer territory for me — the Midwest and Northwest, Vermont, or maybe even to England for a beer bloggers conference. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Trust me the intent is there. As long as there are wheels or wings, it’s safe to say that The Hoppy Nomad will be going somewhere. I have to stay true to my name, and not just the ‘Hoppy’ part!
Back to where it all started, reflections and resolutions: they should at least remind you of how much can take place and change in just 365 days. You never know what setbacks (which are really just opportunities) will come your way. So take a snapshot of your year, your life, and what you dream of for yourself. While the quick fix resolutions may grab your attention if only for a moment, the intention to set yourself straight or improve upon something in your life is where the real effort takes place.
I tried to sum up 2011 for me in words, and I leave you a pictorial of The Hoppy Nomad’s year of beer. Just click on Santa’s beard. Resolutions? To continue my love of writing, travel, beer and to share more stories and knowledge with you. I hope that you have enjoyed this blog and will continue with me on this wonderfully hoppy and unpredictable journey. Cheers to you!
Posted in beer, beer festival, blogging, Brooklyn, Canada, Mondial de la Biere, Montreal, New York, Quebec, travel, writing | Comments (0)
As Time Goes By: Part One
December 27th, 2011 by Gloria
Resolution: a resolve or determination. Reflection: careful or long consideration of thought.
One year ends, so we rub our chins and review our year, our lives, our ups, our downs. A new one begins and we scratch our heads and (with the help of advertisers) come up with at least one thing we want to change for the next year or perhaps even permanently.
Overheard: “So what are your new year’s resolutions, dude?” “I think I’m gonna start to go on a beer diet.” The things we want to change may be self-imposed or conjured up because everyone else is coming up with a shiny new resolution. Who doesn’t want to lose weight, exercise more, or visit home more often? You don’t have to answer that.
Since I can only speak for myself about 2011 and take 2012 a day at a time, if I could sum the year up in one word it would be this: OPPORTUNITY. Some hidden, some in my face, some disguised as punishment. Nonetheless, as opportunities appeared (or if I created them) in 2011, I learned quite a bit about myself and the situations around me.
As a citizen beer blogger, I have had to literally knock on doors since I started The Hoppy Nomad in 2009 — network; convince others that this woman does know a thing or two about beer; pour it to the masses on a sweltering September day; wait in line for almost two hours for a waste of a festival, etc. I’m not playing for anyone’s sympathy nor am I complaining (ok well a little bit). Every occurrence is an experience not to be taken for granted.
In my travels, I have met many interesting people from many places. Take Steve for instance, the affable Manxman who I met an Irish pub in Toronto before heading to a U2 concert. Then there’s the 19 year old metal head in Montreal who looked like he came from 1984. Nice guy. Even in my local life, I have met some cool ladies of beer who appreciate the craft and have a thing or two to teach me (yes, I’m talking to you, O)! Meeting Garrett Oliver, head brew master at Brooklyn Brewery, was an embarrassing treat. At a book signing, I was armed with my pimped out camera but forgot the memory card — doh! Good thing for friends and iPhones.
While the most obvious beer places are great for meeting new people and getting the word out, it’s those other times and events where the unexpected becomes a great opportunity. Take for instance, the expansion of my beer blog to writing for a local newspaper. While I was out one night at a hipster bar in Syracuse for an 80s night party, the bartender handed out free baseball game tickets to everyone like candy at Halloween. I examined the ticket and saw that they were courtesy of the paper Table Hopping. I didn’t think much of it at that time. I was too busy dancing to Culture Club and singing to Bon Jovi. A few days later I figured that if this newspaper was giving out free tickets, perhaps they would be so kind as to donate a few to me for my university job. I wanted to take about 15 students to the ball game. With no intention of trying to get a writing gig or market my blog, all it took was a friendly conversation with the newspaper’s owner and it naturally went in that direction. I wasn’t prepared with my Hoppy Nomad business cards since I was in university mode but I wrote down my information on a ripped piece of paper.
I am now a regular columnist for the paper, one that reaches a broader audience. And that, my friends, is how opportunity turns into something tangible.
Ready for more before the year ends? Part Two coming right up!!
Posted in beer, beer festival, blogging, Canada, memories, Montreal, travel, writing | Comments (0)
Tis the Season (for Beer)…
December 19th, 2011 by Gloria
There’s a reason that every season brewers crank out limited supplies of specialty beer, and this year is no exception. As the fall selection varies from pumpkin sweet to spicier, heavier ales, the winter varieties continue to linger with some of the spices of the previous season. Mix in a holiday chocolate or vanilla stout, or a strong Belgian ale, and you have all the makings of a wonderful winter of beer. December 22nd marks the official beginning of winter and is a month chockfull of celebrations, be it Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, or even Festivus (for the rest of us). With so many local and craft brews to choose from, how it all started might help you decide.
Beer is one of the oldest drinks in the world, approximately 6,000 years old and said to have its beginnings in Mesopotamia, where women were primarily brewing this ancient libation. Revered in Egyptian society 5,000 years ago, beer was a magical drink that treated illnesses and was given as a gift to the pharaohs. Bishop Nikolaos of Myra, a Greek bishop in the fourth century in what is now Turkey, is one of the patron saints of beer and brewing, along with Saint Wenceslas, Saint Brigid, and Gambrinus, King of Flanders. Gambrinus was reputed to have introduced the toast (of the clinking glasses kind, not the bread) and who invented hopped malt beer. Not a true patron saint, Gambrinus is regarded as one by many a brewer and beer lover.
It wasn’t until the rise of Christianity in Europe where the production of beer picked up. Beer was brewed by monks in monasteries, hence the creation of the trappist beer. Believe it or not, this Middle Ages tradition still lives on in the Trappist abbeys. There are only seven Trappist breweries in the world that are recognized by the International Trappist Association. How do you know if you are drinking a true Trappist beer? While a bottle of beer may have a rendering of a monk on its label, the only way to know is to look for the Authentic Trappist Product logo. Otherwise you’re drinking a trappist-style beer, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s always good to know what is authentic and what is not. Who wouldn’t love beers from breweries whose profits go to assisting others? Not one Euro is made to pocket — only for the continuation of brewing ingredients, supplies and to charities.
Remember good old Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, or St. Nick? Well, the very same Saint Nikolaos of Myra was the inspiration for what would morph into the tradition of Santa Claus whose evolution took shape in the 19th century. Saint Nicholas, St. Nick for short, was known for secretly giving gifts back in the 4th century. He is revered by the Catholic and Orthodox Christian faiths and honored in some Anglican and Lutheran Churches. Saint Nicholas Day occurs every December 6th, a day still celebrated in European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In other cultures he is frequently depicted as having a beer in hand, a concept that might seem contradictory and blasphemous to Americans. Imagine the idea of a jolly white bearded man, dressed in red, riding on a sleigh, sliding down a chimney and giving gifts to the good children of the world — with a glass beer in his hand! In this day and age, would he be cited for drinking and flying on a sleigh? Is that belly really a beer belly and not because he eats so many cookies left for him in one evening? Who’s to know?
While the monks keep brewing in Europe and Santa is now kiddie-friendly, a Jewish craft brewery from California, He’Brew, started out as a Chanukah ‘experiment’ in 1996 is now gaining notoriety by winning awards and rated as a top 100 brewer by beer magazines and websites. They give their beers witty names like “Messiah Bold,” “Genesis Ale,” “Jewbelation” to name a few. Their beers are kosher and include ingredients such as figs, dates, and pomegranate, fruits drenched in Jewish symbolism. The seasonal beers change based on the barley and hop harvests in the fall, and the new year’s of Jewish tradition.
As we look at the history of beer and its connections to faith, you don’t have to ascribe to any religion to enjoy a delicious glass of a Belgian dubbel, tripel or a an imperial amber ale made with pomegranate juice. You don’t have to believe in anything except the wonderful concoction right in front of your very eyes. If you aren’t sure which kind to choose, go to one of the many local beer stores and you will be guided to the right taste for you.
Alas, another year draws to an end. The month of December tends to be one not only of celebration and tradition, but one of reflection of the past 364 days. So in the historic tradition from the King of Beer himself, Gambrinus, let’s raise a glass of beer and toast to health, wealth, and hoppiness! Cheers!
–Adapted from the December issue of Table Hopping
Posted in beer, Gambrinus, He'Brew, St. Nick, Trappist | Comments (1)
Thank You, Beer!
November 23rd, 2011 by Gloria
As the leaves have already changed color and we rake like crazy, November is a month in Central New York when winter unofficially begins. We watch football and basketball with passion. We put on the electric blankets and eat more soup. While for some people it’s the beginning of a long, cold dreary season, for others it’s a nice change. This is also the month that we Americans annually celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. Without sounding like your 5th grade textbook, the quick recap is that Thanksgiving celebrates the bounty of the harvest and in 1621 Native Americans and Europeans shared their bounties — the first Thanksgiving.
While I can’t say for sure, it would be most probable that the pilgrims drank ale instead of wine back in the day. As generations passed, somehow wine has become the libation of choice for your traditional turkey and cranberry meal. So this year I would suggest that you make beer (which is usually overlooked on turkey day) a legitimate choice of drink. After much research, there are so many websites that suggest particular styles of beer with your turkey, Tofurky, or your turducken. My head spun from one website alone!
Taste is subjective, and I know plenty of people who stick to the light lager because it’s an easy choice. Why not try a zesty ale this year? Wine and food pairing is pretty simple — red for meat, white for chicken and fish. Which you choose is up to you. The same thing goes for beer. Take the turkey for instance, a bird with light and juicy meat if cooked correctly. I wouldn’t have something heavy with it such as an oatmeal stout or a porter. Also, let us not forget that turkey naturally has tryptophan, an essential amino acid that is known for its sleep inducing properties. Go light — have a lager or an amber ale with your turkey. Go slow with everything, including the beer. The tendency is to go all day without eating just so we can gobble (!) up as much turkey, bread rolls, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie to expand our bellies.
Believe it or not, beer and desserts do mix well. A chocolate stout with a bowl of raspberries is delicious. What about pumpkin pie, which in and of itself has a complex variety of spices and isn’t extremely sweet? I wouldn’t recommend a pumpkin flavored beer with your slice since it has essentially the same ingredients that flavor a pie, so it would probably taste flat or redundant. Some light spice or zest of orange in your beer would work well. Also, around this time the holiday ales arrive, which tend to have more zing than the summer and autumn batches of brew.
It’s so easy to order the same thing every time at happy hour, like you’re on automatic pilot. There are so many wonderful craft beers made and available locally that are waiting for you. If you don’t want to commit to buying something you might not like, why not go to a local brewery and sample their offerings? It’s a great way to experience how beer can take on so many forms and how different brewers interpret a particular style of beer.
After all is said, done and eaten, the purpose of Thanksgiving in part is to share and to be thankful for our bounty and what is important in our lives. Holidays are wonderful things, reminders that are easily forgotten the other 364 days of the year. So don’t wait for New Year’s to make a resolution — start one now! I know that I am thankful for many things and people, but sometimes it’s so easy to forget that my taste buds still work, that I can still smell. Because without these senses, there would be no taste nor enjoyment in what we eat or drink. So resolve to get those taste buds of yours on a beer adventure and be thankful for the brew masters who put their hearts and souls into the craft of creating that delicious pint in front of you.
Originally printed in the November issue of Table Hopping —Click here to read it on their website (pg. 36)!
Posted in beer, November, Thanksgiving | Comments (0)
Love, Death, and Beer
October 25th, 2011 by Gloria
This past week has been a whopper, and not of the fast food kind. I recently mourned two losses on the same day — the fourth year anniversary of my father’s passing, and to be without a beloved friend who I met over 20 years ago. There are so many forms of grieving, and one in particular is to drink one’s self silly to numb the pain. It’s so easy to go to the local pub and get a powerful double IPA or something stronger. And repeatedly.
If you haven’t figured already,I am a big hophead and a lover of all things beer — not just the drinking of it but more the fascination of the science behind making it to the seemingly mundane bottling process. I don’t even have to drink it (blasphemy!) to enjoy pouring at brewfests and meeting brewmasters, distributors, volunteers and festival goers alike.
However, on this day last week whatever I ate had no taste. I chose not to drown my sorrows in one of my favorite things. Could I have had my beloved Ithaca Flower Power? Yes. Would it have taken the edge off? Yes. Would anything change? No. Weddings and funerals tend to be events where drinks are aplenty and the flow of the beer down the throat is sublime. This was not one of those times. If taste had a color, it would have been gray.
In Mexican tradition, there is a celebration called “Day of the Dead” (Día de los Muertos) on November 1st where the deceased are honored in a very unique way. Loved ones create an altar with a picture of the dead, decorate it with candles and marigolds. Later, they go to the cemetery, bringing the favorite foods of abuelo (grandpa) José whose spirit is in the sky. His family also brings tequila and beer to his grave site and eat, drink, talk, laugh and remember. While some may think it morbid or disrespectful to eat and drink on one’s grave site, I think, “how cool!” If you are ever in Mexico during this time of the year, you will see hundreds if not thousands of sugar skulls at the markets.
So as I mourn the loss of my father every year in a different way, and now the exit of my best friend, I appreciate being alive, able to taste the rich complexities and varieties of beers I have had and have yet to explore. To feel the first sip, to enjoy the last drop is to be thankful to be. So for dear old dad*, an Old Vienna is in order (if I can find one), and for my best friend one of his favorites, a hearty stout. Cheers to you my loved ones here, there and everywhere.
* Click here to read my very first blog entry, about my father and beer.
Posted in beer, memories, Mexico, Old Vienna | Comments (0)
Hoptober All Over
October 12th, 2011 by Gloria
Ahhh. October — the month of Halloween, harvests and hops. As the air quickly chills in Upstate New York, beer stores are just as swiftly getting rid of summer ales to make room for the spicier and slightly heavier autumn beers. Before they all run out, I made a mad dash recently to the beer store near my house that’s selling summer beers for 20% off. I still cling on to summer for as long as I can, even if it is already the tenth month of the year. Grilling the last of the Hoffman’s and making salt potatoes*, I also realize that we don’t have eternal summers up here and look forward to the changes that October brings.
Go to any store — grocery, corner, or beer, and your head will spin with the variety of autumn beers that have already hit the shelves. Apart from the regular selections of beer from your favorite brewers, most of them brew special batches of seasonal beers, available for a limited time only. Fall is not only a wonderful and welcomed change, it’s also a season of spicy, zesty and interesting beers. Each season has its own distinguished qualities, and breweries who pump out the pumpkin ales are no exception. Oktoberfest looms and Halloween spooks, but this time of year for beer is no trick. It’s a treat.
As I research the seasonal beers crafted by brewers throughout the country, the main themes tend to stick to pumpkin and Oktoberfest varieties. Names like “Punkin,” “Pumking,” “Pumpkinhead,” “Smashing Pumpkin,” “Harvest Ale,” “Broo Doo,” “Big Hoppy Monster,” “Hoptime Harvest,” “Dark o The Moon Pumpkin Stout,” and “Pecan Porter” are but a few clever names to lure us to try these hearty, malty, dark and heavier beers. Historically speaking, brewers have matched flavors and the density of their beers to the season at hand. Of course you will always be able to find your standard favorite IPA, stout, Pale Ale, lager or red beer. Those will always be on the shelves. So why not try some of these tasty seasonal concoctions while you can? They are available for a limited time, so be adventurous and treat yourself to something new. If you don’t care to buy a six pack of the same pumpkin ale, there are brewers that make variety packs under names such as “Harvest Collection,” or “12 Beers a Fallin.” This way you can sample four fall varieties in one 12-pack.
After having recently poured at the Madison County Hop Festival, I noticed the festival goers returning many times for the pumpkin ale which was sublime. I must admit that there are some pumpkin ales that have a nice smooth hint of cloves and nutmeg, while others taste like a heavy pumpkin pie. Taste is subjective, so while you may think that pumpkin flavored beer sounds odd, there are plenty of beers that also just don’t sound right but are downright delicious (such as chocolate stouts, banana bread beer and jasmine flavored IPA’s to name a few).
We are also in the midst of hop harvest beers and hence hop festivals throughout the country. What is a hop harvest beer? Basically they are beers that are brewed with the freshest hops — so fresh that they have to be brewed within hours of picking to not lose the intensity of their oils and resins at their peak. What results is a beer that truly captures the essence and complex flavors of the particular hops used in the beer making process.
If you still aren’t convinced that seasonal beers are for you and you’d rather stick with your good old favorite, enlist some friends, have them each buy different fall flavored beers, and have a beer tasting party while watching some football. Take note of the flavors on your tongue, and write down which beers appeal to you the most. Not only are beer tasting parties fun, they are a good way to get friends together and you all will learn something new about the wonderful complexities of beer. Cheers!
Originally printed in the October issue of Table Hopping — click here to check out my first article in PRINT!!
*Hoffman’s and salt potatoes are a Central New York summer thang…basically the best hot dogs and little potatoes you boil in tons of salt and add too much butter.
Posted in beer, beer festival, Hops | Comments (0)
A Midsummer’s Day Dream
August 3rd, 2011 by Gloria
Aahhh. Midsummer: the time when Northern Americans (i.e. those with four distinct seasons) cherish every 80 plus degree day as each one swiftly goes buh-bye. The masses blindly ignore the impending doom of colder weather on the horizon. With fading tans, they wear sandals until they can no longer and their toes turn blue. Midsummer: a time when Southern residents hunker down, put the shutters up, and pray that the next hurricane isn’t named after them. November couldn’t come any sooner to give some relief to the miserable people who complain that the weather stays warm and gets hotter. These are the same folks who in February stick their tongues out and sadistically call their relatives up north when they see subzero temperatures in Wisconsin on the Weather Channel.
Wherever you live, midsummer can be bitter, sweet, or a little of both. For me, it’s a time to enjoy as many outdoor festivals as possible, and prepare myself for the chill in the air and ponder how to procrastinate switching my wardrobe closet. While it’s still hot, after a hard day’s work (often resulting in arriving home in the evening), I change from my ‘business casual’ attire and put on a pair of shorts, slip on the flip flops, and grab a cold one. Nothing satisfies better than a summer ale. I admit, I am a hophead and my faithful friend is a fellow by the name of (first name) India (middle name) Pale (last name) Ale, also known as I.P.A.
As much as I adore I.P.A., sometimes he takes a backseat to the lighter summer ale. I must admit, I haven’t been a big fan of seasonal beers (e.g. Pumpkin spice overkill!). However, there are exceptions. Take for example Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Christmas Ale (especially in cask form if you can get it). Sublime. Another seasonal favorite I have recently discovered is Brooklyn Summer Ale by Brooklyn Brewery. Described on its website as an “English Style Light Dinner Ale,” Brooklyn’s seasonal is light enough to enjoy at the beach on its own, or with a nice summer salad, fish or Pad Thai. The German and American Hops they use for this beer have just the right bite to satisfy my insatiable hoppetite.
I have yet to visit Brooklyn’s finest for some T & T (Touring & Tasting) which I hope to do on my next visit downstate. However, on a pilgrimage (and T & T ) to the F.X. Matt Brewery in Utica, New York, it was interesting to find out that Brooklyn’s 12 ounce bottles are brewed and packaged in Upstate Utica, at the country’s second oldest brewery. Take a look at the label of your next bottle and read the fine print. While some may not be pleased to know that Brooklyn’s bottles aren’t bottled in Brooklyn (say that five times fast!), it doesn’t take away from its’ interesting history about two guys who had a vision to revive Brooklyn brewing, but whose resources limited them to contract brew in upstate New York. If necessity is the mother of invention, then F.X. Matt is the surrogate for Brooklyn. No matter how you slice it, imbibe it, peel off the label, Brooklyn is a true New York beer, and its summer ale has a new fan. I love New York!
Tags: Brooklyn Brewery, New York, Summer Ale, Utica
Posted in beer, brewery tour, Brooklyn, New York | Comments (0)
Bad Results: How NOT to Throw a Brewfest (or How to Throw Away a Perfectly Good One in the Toilet)
July 22nd, 2011 by Gloria
Buzzkill. Picture this: a hot, sunny July day in Upstate New York. Perfect conditions for an outdoor brewfest. Cold beer in the summer time and unlimited amounts of hoppy madness for four and a half hours. What a dream to be had! STOP. Hear the screech of the needle on the record, or the fingernails on the chalkboard?
Rewind: A sweltering Friday in July. It’s 5:30 p.m. and I’m ready to drink some good craft beer after a hard day’s work. I follow my own advice and take a taxi with my friends, loaded with pretzel necklaces and a quenching thirst. I worry that we’re late by ten minutes, 600 precious seconds of at least two-two ounce samples. Now imagine a collective horror at the sight of a line wrapped around the block like the latest Harry Potter movie/Justin Bieber tickets/iPad 2s/insert whatever crazy thing you would wait for no matter what. Gates still closed at 5:30.
I had been bragging to my friends who drove eight hours from Ohio for what was to be a spectacular event. Instead, we arrived to an hour long line, parched, nibbling on dry pretzels listening to everyone moan (yours truly included). I had talked up the Empire Brewfest as if it were a festival for the taste buds, located in a beautiful setting. A sweaty mess, I was reduced to apologizing to the brewfest neophytes whose dreams were temporarily crushed. They cursed this place, and I would have too.
The location was not cursed by the underground occult; the event itself was cursed by the blessed people who oversaw the event. I’ll call them “Bad Results Group,” or “BRG.” A hot mess of “event planning services” as listed on their website from 1999 designed (with Clip Art!) by a ten-year old, BRG is bad news, at least in the beer world. I’m not one to bash a “company,” and I am a firm believer in supporting the local economy. But when push comes to shove, if I’m going to throw a kick ass brewfest for the thirsty masses, I’d hire Crispin & Porter over these schmucks.
Instead of giving you the gory details if you weren’t there (because who wants to read my complaints and imagine the sounds of Charlie Brown’s teacher?), I write the following to you, BRG:
To Whom It May Concern:
GET OUT OF THE EVENT PLANNING BUSINESS!
Yours Truly,
The Hoppy Nomad
At the end of the day, after unnecessary line after line, after seeing ⅓ of the amount of brewers from years past, after noticing the absence of some fine New York brewers, most of the crowd just wanted anything. Were we happy? No. Were we getting drunk? Yes. Did we end up happy because we were drunk? Yes. Way to go BRG, what a clever marketing strategy! It worked! Shmucks.
Posted in beer | Comments (0)
I Have to Write a What??
July 11th, 2011 by Gloria
For the past three months I’ve had so many ideas in my head about what to post next, my brain was converted to scrambled eggs. Luckily I jot down my blog ideas in my trusty notebook that I got for free at a lame conference. I’m just now starting to gather my thoughts, and organize them like a crazed worker bee so that I may share with you, my dear readers.
Recently I decided to take an online course at Syracuse University (free for me!), and I’m currently in the middle of “Advanced Poetry Workshop.” Besides story telling, I love poetry. For the most part my poetry is free verse and tackles many a subject. Taking this class has been an eye opener for me — I am forced to know and write sonnets, ballads, odes and the like. One of my assignments was to write a sestina. Say what? I had never heard of such a thing! When the professor posted the description, my body tensed up in fear. Sestinas are no joke! Without getting into the technicality of the structure (just Google or Wikipedia it if it interests you), I was deathly afraid of writing what was to be the hardest thing for me to write — not because I couldn’t come up with words or a subject, but because it had to be formulaic. This poem is mathematical and my head could not wrap around it. I avoided writing it until the last moment.
I was stuck. I didn’t want to be a bad student and give up, but I really didn’t know where to start. Luckily, a friend of mine said to me, “Why don’t you write about beer? Write something light.” And then it hit me! With his mad Excel skills that saved me, I followed the formula, and the words just flowed (no pun intended)! Now that my sestina is finished and has my professor’s stamp of approval, I share with you my very first poem about beer:
“Beer”
After the winter’s freeze, it’s time for spring.
The harvest begins her bounty of hops.
Once fully grown, they will soon become a treasure.
I’m getting impatient; I have a great thirst.
After waiting and waiting, the brew finally flows.
My mouth waters as I pour it to drink.
This liquid gold is not just any drink.
It is so special when it touches my lips, I spring.
Just like a creek that flows,
just like a rabbit that hops,
just like a nomad in the desert with an unquenchable thirst,
wandering aimlessly in search of the treasure.
This aqueous concoction, ‘tis my greatest treasure.
In appreciation to Gambrinus, I drink.
One, two, three, four — my mouth is dry, but it still has a thirst.
Just like the plants and flowers need water to spring,
I am an addict to these narcotic hops.
In my blood and veins, the brew flows.
I am the mortal nymph, whose 28 day cycle flows,
beloved earthly life and the sense of taste is such a treasure.
In the wild outback, I’m a kangaroo that hops.
An innocent animal looking for food and drink.
In the presence of the nectar, I am Tigger and I spring.
Wander, swim, and on the hunt, insatiable is my thirst.
Solitary and convivial, no satisfaction, there’s always thirst
that resides from within, and naturally flows.
In my body, my shell, my summer, my spring.
What fills up my holy Grail is a treasure.
I lift it up as if it were a newborn baby, and I drink.
I am a child in Wonderland who skips and hops.
It is this magnificent humulus we know as hops.
Its magical properties bring many a thirst.
I travel endlessly, tirelessly just for this drink.
My imagined heaven is one with a golden river that flows.
Endlessly, bottomless infinity to always treasure.
From childhood to adulthood, there is that special something that makes us spring.
Ireland’s greatest treasure wells from the spring.
I thirst for a Guinness from the Emerald Isle and begin to drink.
I am the Celtic creature who hops to heaven’s liquid that flows.
Tags: beer, writing
Posted in beer, Gambrinus, poetry, writing | Comments (0)
Too Long to tweet “Tweet”
March 26th, 2011 by Gloria
While I never intended for this to be a blog post, some of my recent observations of human interaction have had me thinking “WTF?” 140 characters was just not enough to post my viewpoint. So while this isn’t a typical Hoppy Nomad post, I found it appropriate enough to publish now.
While at work yesterday, I had didn’t have time to get lunch. I really wanted to get my favorite iced tea at a popular mom and pop eatery. The line was long. I knew I wouldn’t have time for my tea if I were to get in line. So as I’ve done in the past at airport security lines where I might miss my flight, I kindly asked someone — a female college student who was up next — if I could jump in, that all I was going to order was a drink. It would have been a 20 second transaction. I told her I was pressed for time. Her reaction to me was if I asked her to cut off her arm for me. In a snotty way, she basically rejected me. I don’t remember the words, just the attitude.
I’m always looking for crafty solutions or alternatives to get what I want or need, be it a professional or personal pursuit. So I simply went to the dude who made the juices, told him my predicament, he gave me a cup, I paid him even though he wasn’t sure how much the tea cost, and he told me he’d cover the rest if he was wrong. And just like that, I was in and out of there and thanked him very much.
Situations like these can really piss me off and remind me that not everyone is nice. Again, such was the case at a local grocery store the day before that. Similarly, all I needed to do was run in, grab a gift card, go to the “under 15 items or less” line and buy it. I figured three minutes tops. Usually if I have one or a few items, most people with a full cart will give me the courtesy to get ahead of them and vice versa. It’s called humanity and common courtesy. In front of me were two early twenty-something local yokels buying up a few cases of Bud and Bud Light (I won’t even comment yet on their choice of beer). Again, here I was with one tiny item and waited like what seemed an eternity to buy it. Perhaps because I’m a Gen X’er and these kids grew up in a different time, disregarding me was nothing. Or maybe these ‘Git Er Done’ kids just wanted their cases of Bud and start a-drinkin in the parking lot. Who knows. Who cares.
While I am in no position to judge anyone’s choice of beer, I do admit I am a beer snob and would much rather buy a local craft beer not only because it tastes better, but it supports the local economy. While I’m not crazy about where I live, I do care about it. These two greedy events reminded me of why I drink what I drink and why I buy what I buy. First, I always try to buy local, whether it’s cheese, beer, or iced tea. Second, I try as much as I can to be informed of what’s behind the scenes of that Coors Light you’re drinking or that American Apparel sexy underwear you’re buying.
I am in no way preaching to anyone. Buy what you want. Drink what you want. Eat what you want. While some may crave the thrill to debate back and forth over a drink, usually it turns into a decibel-rising pseudo-melee. I am the last person who wants to talk about what you think about Libya or the Pope. Especially over a beer. Buzzkill. I lived in D.C. Been there, done that. For you younguns who don’t give a shit about anything but yourselves, go ahead and enjoy your experiences. I was probably like that too. But if you do care just a little bit about your beer choices, young, old, or in between, support your local economy and try something from your area. Try the smaller guys if even they’re not local too. As I’ve recommended before, watch the documentary “Beer Wars.” If you have Netflix, it’s on Instant Play. Make your own conclusions.
One last recommendation: be nice to people and they will be nice to you. Hey, they might even buy you a beer!
Tags: beer, blog, local, tweets
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