Lines on Ale

Fill with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chamber of my brain -
Quaintest thoughts–queerist fancies
Come to life and fade away;
What care I how time advances?
I am drinking ale today.

~~Edgar Allan Poe, Lines on Ale

I ran across this poem in Randy Mosher's excellent book Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass, and I really wanted to share it. I mean, Edgar Allen Poe is one of my favorite authors--he's not the cleanest or most rhythmic poets, but damn is he evocative. Who can forget The Raven or Annabel Lee?

For me Lines on Ale struck much the same tone. But where could I share it? Not on Facebook. I work with a youth group, and although I firmly believe there is nothing wrong with brewing beer or consuming it (in moderation), and I do share beer-related things on Facebook occasionally, I have several hundred underage "friends", and constantly discussing alcohol and drinking with them isn't in anybody's best interests. That said, I do intentionally post things on there from time to time--it's also important for them to see an adult modeling a healthy relationship with alcohol.

 In addition, Facebook often makes up a large part of what people see of you. If someone goes to a blog on homebrewing, they expect to see beer-related posts. When that's all they see of you on Facebook, they're likely to draw a much different conclusion.

 I'm active on a few homebrewing forums, but they don't provide quite the platform I'm looking for. They're great for starting discussions or asking questions, but there are things I want to share that don't really fit there. Hence this blog. Things I'm considering for this blog:

• my own journey through homebrewing:
  • Recipes I've tried
  • Progress of various batches
  • Recipes I'm considering, or daydreaming about
• my journey through the world of craft beer
• other beer-related experiences:
  • Brewery tours
  • Beer forums, publications, associations, etc.
  • Beer clubs

If there's anything else you'd like to read about, leave me feedback and I'll do my best to include it. I'm also signed up with Amazon Affiliates, since I'm likely to review or suggest a number of things you can buy there. If something piques your interest or something I say tempts you to buy it, please consider using a link from my page. The links in the text will link to the item on Amazon, and I'll get a small referral fee, but it doesn't cost you anything extra. In addition, I'll put text-and-graphics links at the bottom of the post for products I discuss, so they don't get in the way of the post.