Beer Haiku Daily

Sheer jubilation.
If only the hangover
Could be as fleeting.

Written by Captain Hops.

Thing of the day: The Hangover (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray]

I will need more beer
If I have to assemble
All these toys today

Written by Captain Hops.

Kids toys today are ridiculous. But I can’t complain. Santa left me a barley crusher and 50 lbs. of Pale Ale Malt under the tree. I guess he wants to encourage my recent all grain home brewing experiments.

What was your favorite beery present this year either given or received? Leave a comment and let us know.

Is it possible
To achieve serenity
Without a few beers?

Written by Captain Hops.

Thing of the day: I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence

Sipping the good stuff
As holiday cookies bake.
Was that the timer?

Written by Captain Hops.

Thing of the day: Beer Mug cookie cutter

Pulling the fat man
Russian Imperial Stout
Soothes my rooftop nerves

Written by T. Wallbank.

References: The reindeer are still trying to recover two days later…
Thing of the Day: LE German Beer Stein – Santa + Reindeer

Seasonal beers make
Christmas and New Year’s parties
Even more festive.

Written by Dave Undis.

Thing of the Day: Pub Style Beer Tap Handle with Oval Shield

Before the sun rose
I snuck down to the tree and
Drank all my presents.

Written by Captain Hops.

References:
Thing of the Day: Set of 2, Decorative Deer Antler Wine Glasses with Distinctive Styles and Great Detail 7.5″

Sitting by the fire,
sipping a coffee porter,
thinking Christmas thoughts.

Written by Dave Undis.

Thing of the Day: Groovy Stuff Furniture – Pueblo Bar

A week still to go
There’s visions of barleywine
Dancing in my head.

Written by Captain Hops.

Thing of the Day: Beer Styles of the World Wheel

A long night’s journey
All Santa really wants is
A glass of milk stout

Written by MidnightTenderloin.

Thing of the Day: Christmas Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, and Most Unusual Holiday Brews

Throughout the workshop,
Overworked elves grow cranky.
Where’s our winter ale?

Written by MidnightSushi.

Thing of the Day: Unisex Adult 5-Piece Christmas Elegant Elf Costume Set – One Size Fits Most

Below Decks

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

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

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