New verses from America's beer poets

October 28, 10:44 AMBeer ExaminerCharlie Papazian

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Will Hamill, owner/brewer Unita Brewing Co., Park
City, Utah serves up 15th Anniversary Barleywine at
Slow Food's Salone del Gusto, Turin, Italy

I’m in Italy and immersed in a meeting of two beer worlds.  Pouring American craft beer while discovering the poetic justice in which Italian small brewers are engaged.   Slow Food’s workshop program asked me to present “New Verses from America’s Beer Poets.”   The other day I obliged.

    With a sold out audience of 80+ international beer enthusiasts I presented these versus: 

• Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
• Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock
• Left Hand Brewing’s Smokejumper Smoked Imperial Porter (2006)
• Maui Brewing’s Black Pearl”  CoCoNut PorTeR aged in da Braddah Kimos Rum Barrel
• Great Divide Brewing’s Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
• Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

    With only one hour to conduct each of these symphonies, it was a sprint to the finish.  These 6 beers represented hundreds of creations brewed from the heart of America’s brewers. 

     Poetic beers are not intended to be stylistic perfection.  They speak to the soul and heart of expression.  Their sole intent is to evoke the bond between brewer and beer drinker.  A hearty thank you.  A reminder of love of life and discovery.   

    These beers are not cast out by the brewers frivolously.  They are not extreme beers.  They are not stylistic twists.  They are what they are, verses.  

     A creations wrought from a marriage of Paraguayan Palo Santo wood.   An expression of a cocoa respect with depth and complexities born of fermentation.  A blend of several woods, smothered to envelope a living barley suggesting the comfort of fire, wind, earth, water.  Indigenous Hawaiian made cane rum wooden barrels, with a twist of coconut, fruitiness of banana and the strength of Pele, Hawaiian god of volcano.  A simple statement of oak and rich roasted malt in an imperial gift to beer drinkers.  A 1,000th batch thank you undertaken with a big bold stout aged in bourbon barrels and a “particular” nuances of the amazing.

    These are but a half dozen poems among many in a book filled with thousand of verses scribed by America’s beer poets.

    Despite kneek wees at the end of the session there seemed to be a standing ovation.

Next:  Brew in the New