Tastes change. In my younger years I preferred sweeter brown ales, eschewed hoppier, bitter beverages, and seldom branched out. Nowadays, I lean heavily towards the bitter, and when the opportunity presents itself, feel compelled to sample the unknown. Thus when I spied Alaskan Brewing Company’s Alaskan Jalapeño Imperial IPA on tap, I had no choice but to order a pint. We may not normally place the words Alaska and jalapeño alongside each other, but if this Imperial IPA is any indication, perhaps we should. With an odor of hops and capsicum, it felt smooth on the tongue, a little malty, even earthy. Not complex at the outset, but subtle, defying definition and developing over time, in the way a good poem develops. My only complaint would be the lack of heat. But hey, I’m from Texas, and we do jalapeños. This is a beer of multiple cultures, a blend of distinct identities. I think of Joan Naviyuk Kane, and her first book, The Cormorant Hunter’s Wife, in which she writes in “Antistrophic”
Instead of out, I am in,
Trying at the old habit of imperfect definition
As well as the less familiar,
Between falling gold
Kane’s narrative, her mythology and landscape, are not mine, yet they invite me in and envelop my senses, allowing synthesis, acceptance, to occur.
But sometimes I crave the unadorned. The Lone Pint Brewery’s Yellowrose IPA, a single malt, single hop concoction, startled me. Surprisingly mellow in the mouth, it imparts grapefruit and perhaps pineapple with a hint of something I can’t readily identify. Strong yet delicate, infinitely interesting, Yellowrose is most definitely a celebration of simplicity and craft – a few ingredients combined to create magic. Which may also describe Christina Davis’s book An Ethic. Spare in nature, her work transcends the limits of language, the borders of the page. Her poems blossom anew with each reading, and the farther away I move from them, the more I long to return:
”All Those That Wander,” in its entirety:
After the ark survived the Flood,
it was taken apart
to be made into cages.
This is the nature of religion.
Of course my curiosity leads me down other paths, too. Infamous Brewing Company’s Sweep the Leg peanut butter stout pours with a small head, and tastes of rich malts and coffee, with a little cocoa and, of course, subtle peanut tones. An opaque, dark brown or black, with minimal carbonation, exuding stillness, it isn’t quite what I anticipated, with the peanut butter flavor a tad muted. But the mouthfeel is spot on, and the aftertaste lingers, leaving me requesting more of this unlikely combination, and reminding me of Charles Simic’s Dime-Store Alchemy: The Art of Joseph Cornell, in which he imparts, through prose poems, the experience of viewing Cornell’s enigmatic art. Nothing is quite as you expect it should or could be, yet you go on, somehow understanding. He writes in “Secret Toy”:
In a secret room in a secret house his secret toy sits
listening to its own stillness.
Simic offers openings into Cornell’s art, explains the unexplainable without explanation. I stare into the pint of Sweep the Leg, and find my own stillness. I read Simic and find another. This is what I seek in poetry, what I want in good beer. I have found it.
“Which Poets, Which Beer (2)” has appeared here several times. You will be relieved to hear that I am still conducting research in these matters.
I’m not a beer drinker but I gotta say the writing is heady and intriguing.
Much enjoyed!!
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Thank you! Poetry and beer mix well!
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Intrigued by that peanut butter stout. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. And by all means, let this worthy research continue! 😁
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I don’t conduct as much research as I used to, but still managed to dabble a bit. 🙂
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This is critical research, Bob. Keep raising that glass.
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It is indeed, Ken!
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I’ll certainly try them. I really want the Alaskan one!
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I’ve tried various chile beers, and found most of them interesting.
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I would expect nothing less!
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Ha! Thank you, Leslie.
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Even your reviews are poetry! Beer and verse go well together.
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Thanks, Craig. They do seem to mesh at times!
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Thank goodness!! (K)
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The research has waned in recent years, but the poetry continues!
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More selective now.
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That, and it fills me up! I just can’t drink much without feeling bloated. I suppose that could be a good thing.
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I fall asleep after 2 beers these days myself…
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Yeah, there’s that problem as well. LOL.
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Poety and beer do indeed mix well, I wish I could see you down at my local. If you ever do get to Wellington NZ, please get in touch for a pint.
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If I ever get to Wellington, I’ll be sure to let you know. A pint would be super!
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Great post!!. Funnily enough I haven’t been a beer drinker much since college. But lately in DC it has been so hot. I have had beers 3 different times in 3 week!
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Hot weather often inspires me, too.
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My tastes have totally changed over the years, too. Looking forward to trying the jalapeno IPA. I enjoyed your writing thoroughly, thanks!
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My tastes are constantly evolving. Who knows what I’ll like tomorrow!
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