a long tall cool one, perhaps one hiding in a Pilsner glass. Long and slim,
he would have to be a beer of complex flavor. One with a bite—
not extremely bitter, but balanced with the sweet.
(So we aren’t talking a light beer here.)
Maybe a dark golden wheat. Yeah.
Heavy on the hops—especially in the nose.
You can smell him coming. You drink him
down and finish with a feel of lightness—
or maybe a red ale.
Medium-bodied with just a hint
of hoppy bitterness on the tongue
followed by amber sweetness
one that you don’t want to serve
too cold, just slightly chilled for
full expression of flavor when poured,
and just carbonated enough to
produce a lovely white foam
whose aroma is even stronger –
pungent spice – and which lingers
along the inside of the glass long
after the beer is finished. Maybe
a beer with an added
specialty spice. Cloves?
Sniff the glass and
you are spellbound,
your nose a bit tickled
by the sharp aroma.
You sip, do not gulp,
linger over it, talking
excitedly all the while
about its unique
characteristics.
Take a sip.
Hold it in
your mouth.
Let the liquid
ease over your
taste buds
one by one
sweetness
bitterness
yeastiness
then a
blend. You
swallow
refreshed,
those notes
lingering
in your
mouth.
You look at
the glass in
your hand.
The golden
red liquid
is clear—
no hint of
vagabond
yeast—yet
bubbles
trail up
and down
the glass
and give the
impression
that the
beer is alive
with endless energy.*

—Ellen A. Wilkin

*I created this poem and the collage as a gift for my husband. See the images above and below.