Another week of social distancing, another pack of pick 6 beers and shitty poems.
Thank god we still have beer. And since the weather in Wisconsin has been mostly rain, and we’re locked inside and sheltering in place, why not have a beer?
I once again raided my local liquors store’s pick 6 section to try an assortment of new beers and drink to the world’s end. Here was the result.
Founders Brewing – Unraveled IPA – 6.6%
“Dry hopped with traditional hop pellets along with lupulin powder, an innovative hop product that separates lupulin from the hop flower, Unraveled IPA is incredibly flavorful and aromatic. Wheat and oats form a smooth backdrop to carry all those wonderful hop characteristics, while the pour is beautifully clear.”
Bready cereal malts play second fiddle to this titanic boatload of juicy grapefruit with just the right amount of bitterness. It’s about as easy-drinking an IPA can get, with refreshing citrus notes dominating your palette. This is exactly the kind of beer I want on draft when we’re allowed back into the world.
Untitled Art – New Zealand Pilsner – 5.0%
“An Italian Style Pilsner made with all New Zealand Hops (Dr. Rudy, Southern Cross & Nelson Sauvin to be precise).”
Coming off the juicy IPA, this feels extra extra dry. Like champagne dry. It’s a pilsner alright, with grainy corn notes as the dominant flavor in play, and then subtle floral, grassy hops, and that hint of hoppy spice. It’s like a pislner2, In that it just packs so much flavor in a tiny can. And It tastes like a fresh cut lawn.
Whiner Beer Company – Bleu Tub (Seasonal) – 5.6% – American Wild Ale
“Kettle sour blueberry wild ale.”
Here’s a beer that doesn’t really taste like a beer at all. But it does set out what it was meant to do. That being a tart (but not too tart) blueberry zinger. Once you get over the juicy blueberry flavor, there are some hints of beer. Like breakfast cereal sweet malts, and maybe a little hint of floral hops to call it saison. But that’s after all the thirst-quenching blueberry.
Oddside Ales – Shadynasty’s – 7.5% – IPA
“An American IPA with a ton of juicy American hops that include Denali, Citra, and Mosaic. A mouthful of resiny goodness and light malt with a semi dry body that hosts a well rounded bitterness.”
Man. If I miss anything about going out. It’s sitting down at a brewery and trying an IPA like this. It has all the right notes of juicy, tropical flavor – pineapple mango and papaya – along with resiny pine hop bitterness, and simple crackery malt to offset just a bit of the bitterness to make this incredibly drinkable.
Saugatuck Brewing Company – Peanut Butter Porter – 5.7%
“A classic Porter rich with the delicious harmony of peanut butter. Open the top on this flavorful beer for a silky smooth drinking experience.”
This is no beer. This is a decadent dessert. It’s diabetes. It’s exactly like a peanut butter cup pie. Definitely one of those beers where one in a sitting is enough. You get creamy smooth peanut butter and rich cocoa sweetness, with roasted dark malts for an incredibly delicious porter.
The Brewing Projekt – Hawaiian Shirt Party – 9.0% – American Wild Ale
“Tiki Sour ale brewed with pineapple, tangerine, mandarin, and toasted coconut.”
This is it. This is the holy grail of beers. It’s a sweet and sour masterpiece that tastes exactly like fruit punch, with notes of coconut, and a tart refreshing pineapple juicy finish. Man. It almost makes up for the fact I was supposed to be in Hawaii this week. Almost. But seriously. It’s like a pina colada had a baby with Hawaiin fruit punch. It’s fruit punch spiked with coconut rum. It’s tastes like the setting sun on a beach in the pacific. And at 9.0%, it’s incredible. It’s everything I could have asked for in a quarantine. I’ll take six more please.
Summer Can’t Come Soon Enough
I watch behind a window pane
Life dwells on
but not the same
I see cornfields and Sandhill cranes
cut through soft blue sky
as I watch behind a window pane
The world halts, as April rains
Will may flowers bloom
but not the same?
Recall the taste of hops n’ grains
on a beach or pier, instead
I sip behind my window pane
All in all the world remains
summer will come
but not the same
We’ll enjoy what we can
barefoot grass, holding hands
we’ll break through that window pain
life goes on, but not the same.