Pick 6 Poems: Quarantined III

6 delicious beers to keep me sane while social distancing.

Whelp. Here we go again. If my kids ever ask how I made it through quarantine, I’m going to be honest, it was with copious amounts of liquid cheer. This was one of the best of my quarantine pick 6’s yet we had everything from white creamy stouts to blueberry basil beers. And so I popped them all open and got drunk and wrote poems about the only free thing left in this world the swoop, siege, sedge, or dance of Sandhill Cranes that flock to the field from my apartment. What I wouldn’t give to be one of them. Anyway, here’s some slurred words.

Brewing Projekt – WisCoast – 4.9% – Wheat Ale

“This here is our signature hybrid pale ale brewed with wheat. Crafted to be wickedly crisp and totally refreshing.”

This tastes like summer in wisconsin. And if you don’t know what that means, it’s sitting at Union Terrace watching the boats and sunset with some pitchers of beer, cracking a cold one as you float down the river, or enjoying the rare sunny day as you sit on the shore of a glacier lake.

It also kind of tastes like Moonman. Which is the beer of choice I’ve had in the event described above, sooooo, that could also be a reason. But I stand by what I said. The beer, this Moonman’s cousin, captures the flavors and feelings that make a Wisconsin summer so magical. It has light, sweet bread malts, just a hint of grapefruit zest, a wheat grain bite, and culminates with a succulent juicy citrus fruit finish.

Hacienda Beer Co. – Does Anybody Work Around Here? – 5.3% – Lager

“Unfiltered lagerbier dry hopped w Centennial”

Nothing beats a crisp cold lager. Except maybe something like this, which has all the characteristics of a classic lager, but with some nuance to it. There’s a creaminess to it, but also a crisp kick that has the semblance of pilsner-y grain bite, along with a burst of citrus hops that give it an almost orange juice flavor. It’s the perfect pale lager to come home to after a long day.

New Holland – Dragon’s Milk White – 6.0% – Stout

“Dragon’s Milk White is a nod to New Holland Brewing’s 20 years of barrel-aging expertise and commitment to innovation in the name of flavor. The next legend to unfold in the Dragon’s Milk family, Dragon’s Milk White creates a full flavored, yet lighter stout drinking experience that presents familiar flavors in a completely unexpected way.”

This beer is one of my favorites in the winter. It has such dessert like qualities, with a thick creaminess, strong notes of vanilla, milky lactose, and a woody, bourbon-y oakiness. It’s like a white chocolate hot chocolate, with hints of caramel and holiday spice.

MobCraft – Low pHunk – 4.0% – American Wild Ale

“Low pHunk is a Sour Ale fermented with lactobacillus using a solera blending technique, refreshingly tart with hints of lemon and Belgian esters. Allow your tastebuds to boogie down with this pHunky pleasure.”

And now for something completely different than what we just had. Low pHunk tastes like electric lemonade. Have you ever put a battery in your mouth and felt it tingle? Now imagine adding some lemonade. And this is that. It has such a sharp, cheek stinging, tartness that mellows out at the end with a deliciously refreshing lemonade sweetness.

Drekker – People Eater – 5.5% – Wild Ale

“People Eater is a bright purple flavor monster! It’s kettle soured then loaded up with a ridiculous amount of blueberry puree. Then it’s conditioned on just enough Thai basil to give it a perfect tart, fruity and slightly herbal flavor! It almost looks as good as it tastes!”

This has been a roller coaster of flavor in this six pack. And we are at another drop. People Eater is like nothing I’ve had in a beer before and it’s primarily because of the basil. Bold choice. It all comes together though, as it ends up tasting like a refreshing blueberry lemonade, topped with notes of herbal basil. Refreshing right?

Karben4 – Poco Loco – 5.7% – Stout

“We’re all a little crazy, some of us are simply better at camouflaging it. Cinnamon and vanilla beans make this special brew crazy good! It’s time to get a little crazy with K4!”

And here we are at the end of the ride. Poco Loco is the perfect mix between a hot chocolate and horchata. There are notes of creamy vanilla, rich roasted, almost charred malts, a cinnamon spice kick and cocoa. It’s almost like some sort of fancy coffee you’d order at a café, but with alcohol, so you know, even better.

The Yearning For Flight

Dead leaves, dead dreams, a desolate spring
dying cornfields are no home
take flight, spread your longing wings.

For the dead, church bells sing
Yet zombies walk among gray streets
It’s the season, a desolate spring

But not for you, your dance is soaring
a song I wish I knew to sing
take flight, spread my longing wings.

Do birds dream among the sky when soaring?
Is despair a lasting feeling or is it fleeting?
I dream of dead leaves, desolate spring.

But also, of hope and joyous things
Ebb and flow, a drumming
You can take flight, spread your longing wings.

A seedling planted in a field, new crops come, a new promise will yield
now dead leaves, dead dreams, and dawning spring
Just believe, take flight, spread your longing wings.

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