Beer Haiku Daily

Prohibition

an experiment
shockingly ineffective
sensibly repealed

Aftermath

With the damage done
It takes decades to restore
Our lost treasure

Neo-Prohibition

“Do not drink and drive”
Is an excellent message.
“Do not drink” is not.

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly beer-themed group writing project for bloggers. This month’s theme is The Repeal of Prohibition and it is hosted by the 21st Amendment Brewery.

You can read all about Prohibition in the United States in Wikipedia. Luckily for us it ended 75 years ago today when Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st amendment to the constitution. It was a spectacular failure. We should learn from the experience.

I’m going to have a beer today to celebrate. And perhaps some nice whiskey too. Cheers!

Thing of the Day: Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America

My favorite beer
Depends on the day, place, and
Cash in my pocket

The best part of beer
Is trying the untried and
Seeking something new

Living in the now
And savoring what’s at hand
Really can’t be beat

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly beer-themed group writing project for bloggers. This month’s theme is Favorite Beer and it is hosted by A World of Brews.

What is my favorite beer? Frankly, it’s the one I’m drinking. Of course there are some beers that I like more than others. But I wouldn’t say that my “go to” beer is necessarily my favorite. I wouldn’t even say that there is a “go to” beer. If you did a fridge analysis over the course of the past year, you’d be hard pressed to come up with a lead occupant. If you compared an analysis of this year versus last year, you’d also see big changes.

I love to drink local beers. When I lived in Portland, Oregon, I frequently drank Bridgeport, Deschutes, and Rogue at home. When I went out, I’d go to Lucky Lab, McMenamins, Laurelhurst, or any of the many brewpubs.

Now that I live in Baltimore, Maryland, I frequently drink Clipper City, Wild Goose, Flying Dog, Troeg, Victory, Dogfish Head, and Brewer’s Alley. I don’t get out as much anymore because I am old and Baltimore just isn’t as family friendly as Portland, but the Brewer’s Art offers a fantastic beer and food experience.

When times are good, I will reach higher up the shelf to try something new and exotic. When times are tougher, I work hard to find quality and value for my hard earned beer buying buck.

I’m breaking the rules of this Session, but I will not name a favorite beer. The reason I like beer is because it is impossible to keep a favorite for longer than 15 minutes.

I am dying to see how others respond to this question.

Thing of the Day: Ultimate Beer

Youth

Feeling kind of old
I grab a pack of cheap beer
and relive my youth

Indiscretion

Remember that time
We drank all that Beast and then
Skinny dipped? Er… No.

Fuji-san

That can of Kirin
We carried up Mount Fuji
And drank at sunrise

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly beer-themed group writing project for bloggers. This month’s theme is Beer and Memories and it is hosted by Bathtub Brewery.

Beer is all about creating new memories or reminiscing about old ones. Memories are funny things. Some are crystal clear, some are hazy. Memories are often inextricably linked to the senses with long forgotten scraps suddenly floating to the surface with the exposure to a sound, a smell, a sight, or a flavor. Here are a couple of beer memories as they were or may have been.

Cheers!

Thing of the Day: York Cherry Pub Table Set with 2 Leather Chairback Swivel Bar Stools

It looks innocent
But this house keeps stealing my
precious beer money

Written by Captain Hops

References: Ah, the joys of home ownership. I’ve just replaced/repaired the third major appliance in three months. I would love to be participating in The Session this month, but I’ve got no special bottles of beer sitting around and no way to justify buying some. Don’t you feel sorry for me?
Thing of the Day: The Money Pit (1986)

Decisions

How to make choices
With so much of a good thing
Laid out before me.

Oregon Brewer’s Festival

With a plastic cup
And a dozen wood tokens
I enter the fray

Maryland Brewer’s Oktoberfest

Oom Pah Pah echoes
For the kids and the old folks
Young men wait for beer

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly beer-themed group writing project for bloggers. This month’s theme is Beer Festivals and it is hosted by Geistbear Brewing Blog.

Beer festivals can be fun, they can be overwhelming, and they can be utter chaos. I am a fairweather beer festival goer. I like to attend on nice days, when the beers are plentiful, the lines quick, the food tasty, and the music fun.

Cheers!

Check out the full round-up of Beer Festival posts.

Thing of the Day: Ultimate Beer

Skar

“Hey! Wake up and drink!”
Abrupt yelling and shaking
Face to face with Skar

Jalapeño

twelve thousand miles
a taste of America
in thirty short days

Garlic

Date with a six pack
Ten thousand miles from home
Wherever that is

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly beer-themed group writing project for bloggers. This month’s theme is Beer People and it is hosted by Stonch.

I think these three snapshots of my friends, brothers, and drinking buddies stand on their own.

Cheers!

Check out the ongoing round-up of Beer People posts and the final round up at Stonch’s Beer Blog.

Thing of the Day: Ultimate Beer

The Source

To make a great beer
You must start with pure water
Help protect the source

Saving the World

It didn’t take much
To help save the world a bit
I just drank a beer

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly beer-themed group writing project for bloggers. This month’s theme is Organic Beer and it is hosted by Chris O’Brien the Beer Activist.

I tried Wolavers Brown Ale and Samuel Smith’ Organic Ale in the spirit of this assignment. Both are certified organic by the USDA. Both were very good easy-to-drink beers with a great deal of balance and flavor. The prices were comparable to the non-organic beers of the same quality level.

I am very excited for next month when Clipper City Brewing Company releases the first beers from its newly certified Oxford Organic Ales brand. Organic is good, but Organic and Local is better.

Check out the full round up of Organic Beer posts for this Session.

Thing of the Day: Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer And Save the World

toasting mother earth
pure sustainable brewing
now and tomorrow

Written by Captain Hops.

References: On March 7, 2008, the Beer Activist will kick off year two of The Session by hosting number 13. Perhaps as a nod to the sustainability of this little group writing project, perhaps in reference to recent trends in the craft brew industry, or more likely as a result of his long standing passion and dedication, Chris O’Brien has chosen Organic Beer as the theme for next month’s event.

Coincidentally, Hugh Sisson, the managing partner of Clipper City Brewing, announced that his Oxford brand of beers is going organic. This has obviously been in the works for a while and I am pretty excited to see the results. Hopefully, I will be able to get a hold of these new beers before March 7 so I can profile them for The Session.
Thing of the Day: Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer And Save the World

Below Decks

Riding out the storm
Below Decks with my crew mates
Fearing Davy Jones

Old Horizontal

After a couple
I enter a dream-like state
Or maybe passed out

Criminally Bad Elf

Long past Christmas day
I find myself harassed by
Gangs of scofflaw elves

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly beer-themed group writing project for bloggers. This month’s theme is Barleywine or as they are known in the US: Barley Wine Style Ales. This month, the Session is hosted by the Brew Site.

To be honest, barleywines always seemed rather exotic and intimidating to me so I don’t have a lot of experience with them. (Feel free to read that as too expensive for me.) However, this session gave me the excuse and the gumption to finally take the plunge.

I went down to the Wine Source, and picked up Below Decks from Clipper City’s Heavy Seas label (Baltimore), Old Horizontal from Victory Brewing Company (Pennsylvania), and Criminally Bad Elf from Ridgeway Brewing (England).

All of them were different, but they were all good and they were certainly potent. The Below Decks was the hoppiest of the bunch, but all of them had a strong malt profile, almost fruity.

Barley Wine is beer not wine. It got it’s nomenclature because it is brewed to be as strong as wine. The alcohol content is probably the defining characteristic of this style because the flavor profiles can vary a great deal.

I chose to share my barley wines with friends in wine glasses and found it very pleasant. It was almost startling to see how quickly you could feel the punch so I wouldn’t recommend sitting around downing pints of this stuff.

All in all it was a good experience. I’m not about to put barley wine on my regular list, but they certainly make the grade for special occasions.

Cheers!

Check out the full round-up of barleywine posts, now up at the Brew Site.

Thing of the Day: Ultimate Beer

Troegenator

A beer of substance
With brash malty attitude
Local boys done good

Celebrator

A Celebrator
On my twenty first birthday
That’s what friends are for

Further down the road
What was once overwhelming
Now sustains my soul

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly group writing project for beer bloggers. This month’s theme is Doppelbock and is hosted by Brewvana.

Doppelbock is a rich malty bottom fermented beer. It was originally brewed by monks and was sometimes called “Liquid Bread” because it was used to provide sustenance during Lenten fasts. From what I could gather, today’s doppelbocks have more alcohol than the original brew (though that was still strong for its time). Because of their connection with Lent, doppelbocks are often associated with the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. Often brewers release doppelbocks as seasonal beers around that time. However, the two I reference in the haiku above are brewed year round.

For the record, I was actually given a six pack of Celebrator for my 21st birthday. I have to admit that it was way more than I was ready for at the time. However, I did appreciate that it was a beer to appreciate. When I revisited the Celebrator for this post, I was happy to see that my taste had caught up with my appreciation. Wow. Good stuff.

Check out the full roundup of Doppelbock Session posts.

Technorati Tags: beer, haiku, The Session, doppelbock
Thing of the Day: Ultimate Beer

Winter Storm “Category 5″ Ale

the ice storm outside
mighty adversary to
the storm in my glass

Snow Goose

warm hoppy reward
for the temporary path
I dug through the snow

Santa’s Private Reserve

After breaking in
to Santa’s Private Reserve
I’m now jolly too

Written by Captain Hops.

References: This post is part of The Session. The Session is a monthly group writing project for beer bloggers. This month’s theme is Winter Beers and is hosted by Barley Vine.

You gotta love winter time when brewers turn up the cheer and release their seasonal Winter Warmers. It’s like a little reward for beer lovers simply for living through Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the first frost, and a general increase in stress as the end of the year holidays approach.

Some brewers feature beers with spices, others offer beers with heftier malt and hop profiles, nearly all increase the alcohol content a smidge… or more. In any case it’s special and fun and the variety is astonishing.

In the haiku above, I’ve highlighted some local brewers from Maryland as well as the Rogue Brewery from Newport, Oregon. I think these three beers are outstanding examples of the Winter seasonal. I could go all Winter with these three beers alone, but I am very glad that I have an incredible assortment of other Winter Warmers to choose from as well.

Wishing you a warm and wonderful Winter filled with cheers!

Checkout the complete round up of The Session: Winter Beers.

Technorati Tags: beer, haiku, The Session, Winter Warmer
Thing of the Day: Wondrous Cold: An Antarctic Journey

Yeah, I’m a Parrot Head

that first sip of beer
takes me to the same place as
Jimmy Buffett’s songs

Dance a Little Jig

with whiskey and stout
and some fast Irish music
to chase it all down

Ah… Youth

out after midnight
my brother on the guitar
sipping stolen beers

Written by Captain Hops.

References: It’s time for The Session. This month it’s hosted by Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey. The theme is Beer and Music. The instructions are to share how you experience beer and music together.

As you can probably see from my haiku today, it was my brother that got all the musical talent in the family.

Here are some past haiku that touch on the beer and music theme:

• Friends Don’t Let Friends Karaoke
• Break Out the Accordion
• Street Festival
• The Pipes are Calling
• The only one singing along…
• Welcome to Hampden, Hon!”
• Boom Boom Boom
• Steel Drums
• Sad
• Anybody got a quarter?
• Fall
• Underground Pub
• Get Down!
• Brilliant
• Get Moving
• Fun
• Oops
• Land Locked

The full round up of Beer and Music Session posts is now up.

Thing of the Day: Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads