Pick 6 Poems: Origins

Why write poems about beer?

Well, like poetry, brewing beer is an art form. And we’re lucky to live in the golden age of good beer. I also personally felt that the way we write about beer (at least with amatuer writers) has gotten stale. There are only so many ways to describe a beer.  After awhile, it all starts to sound the same. Hoppy, Malty, Biscuity, Bready, Citrusy, Floral… You get the idea.

That’s why I wanted a new way to write about my experience with a beer. Because every beer tells a story. From the small descriptions on bottles, to the elaborate label artwork, and of course (most importantly) the ingredients, ideas, and passion put into brewing the beer by each brewer.

So I set about for a way to capture the unique experience with each beer I try. And I came up with the Pick 6 (and occasional 12 pack) poems.

The poems are primarily written as cinquains – a traditional poetry form that’s 5 lines long and follows a 2-4-6-8-2 syllable structure. Although sometimes, whether due to vivid imagery or drunkenness (or both) they could stray from the format. If that’s the case the poems will follow the format of the regular old quintain, which adheres to just a more lax 5 line structure. (Fun fact, a cinquain is technically a quintain, but not all quintains are cinquains.)

Anyway, I chose a 5 lined format to reflect traditional ways we evaluate and describe beer (the beer’s appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and overall impression). But my hope is to inject more personality, creativity, and individualism into each description. And also to honor the art of making good beer with more art.