The Poetry of Beer

Back when I was studying for my Cicerone exam my now-friend Chris at Ex Novo Brewing would pour me taster trays and have me guess which beers I had. This poem came about on one of those days, when I wrote down the guesses I had and noticed the order almost made a sentence. I kept the piece of paper, because it amused me. I realized there was no reason not to share it with you guys! First draft, and the bulk of the poem comes from Ex Novo beer names. Still, I hope you enjoy!

In your head
I’m peaching to the choir about
Alternative medicine
And friends with benefits.

I’m not.
She’s just
A casual ex.
Though the most interesting lager in the world,

She’s just Eliot.… Continue reading →

Not My Father’s Beer Adventure in PDX!

When Leslie of Not My Father’s Beer asked me to, effectively, write a guide for beer tourists in Portland, Oregon (PDX) I nearly laughed right out loud. First, it has to have been done before. Probably a bazillion times. And second, I had just barely moved here! What’d I know about the Portland beer scene, other than it’s reputed to be fantastic?

Then I “well actually”ed myself. I just moved here and I do know a thing or two about beer. I am basically a beer tourist in my own town right now, but I’ve been here long enough to lay down a few roots and get to know a few people, and I’m starting to get it moving. That makes me the perfect person to write such a guide!… Continue reading →

Science to Start Your Week!

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  • Monday, January 18, 2016
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Walking trees. In all serious, trees that can move a couple centimeters a day ON THEIR OWN. That is all.

As a beer geek, I almost exclusively think of barley in terms of what it takes to brew beer. I rarely consider that it is and has been a staple food for a number of people. That, however, is a big part of the impact of finding ways to breed drought-resistant barley. While this is kind of the opposite of what U.S. barley growers needed last year, I am confident it will matter in the long term.

A tealight candle nestled into a jar half-filled with barley, for stability.

Ever heard of zonulin? I hadn’t, until I’d read this NPR “The Salt” piece about it and gluten sensitivity. I also didn’t know that “no human being completely digests gluten” according to gastroenterologist Alessio Fasano (quote from the story).… Continue reading →

Soured on the Kitchen

Somehow, I had two lemon halves, plus a wedge, in the fridge. I knew about one of the halves, but when I went digging for it, I suddenly realized I had a second. That was kind of embarrassing, because it meant I’d cut open a whole new lemon when I needed a half and had a half ready to go.

A close up of two half lemons and a lemon wedge in a plastic container. To their left is a baggie of carrots.

This is kind of the story of my kitchen functioning right now. It’s low. Very low. Some of it is the recuperating I’ve previously mentioned and some is the fact that occasionally I sleep for more than 10 hours in a night. Unfortunately, some is just a complete lack of want to do things in the kitchen.

Bill and I both get this way sometimes.… Continue reading →

Eight Things I’ve Learned at My New Job

I think it was the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, but it might have been as late as during my senior year of high school that my then-best friend had the idea that we should spend the summer before college in Santa Monica, California waiting tables and hanging out on the beach. I thought this was a great idea, and then she told my mom about this idea.

Yes, my mom shot the idea down. No, she didn’t do it the way you think she did. There were no words like “absolutely not!” No, my mother simply laughed.

She might have been crying she laughed so hard.

When she finally caught her breath, my mother (MY OWN MOTHER) told my friend that she thought it sounded fun and was totally sure that my friend could do this thing and do it well.… Continue reading →