Beer is still food, no?

With a full list of blog postings and an extraordinarily long list of academic challenges ahead of me, I decided to post on something fun this time around: beer. Really, who doesn't love beer? Okay, probably a lot of people, including me until a few years ago.

The first time I ever tasted beer, I thought it was the most horribly vile concoction brewed by humankind. It was the sixth grade, and I was spending the night at my best friend Tammy's house. Her mother and stepfather tended to put back the sauce quite a bit, so the ice cold cans of Coors Light in the salad crisper were always present in case of a sauce shortage. We each drank a can slowly....for four hours. I don't even think we finished them. The next day I woke up early, took an extra long shower, washed my clothes, brushed my teeth, flossed and gargled Listerine. Upon returning home to my mother, her first words to me after a quick sniff were "have you been drinking?" Yeah. My mother was (and probably still is) psychic. It was enough to scare me off beer until high school.

Years later, I adore trying new brews but I often tend to favor the sexy ones and shun those that remind me of the worst joke I heard repeated at least ten times when I lived in Oxford. My second night in Oxford, an older British gentleman recited this joke: what's the difference between American beer and having sex in a canoe? They're both fucking close to water.

It was funny the first time I heard it.

Ian and I are big fans of the beer selection at the Moscow Food Co-Op, and we have been trying new beers every Sunday (yes, Sunday for those already objecting) for sometime now.

First up is Ommegang Abbey Ale. Ian and I both agreed it's pleasant and light enough for a dinner, but it's a bit too fruity for many palates. It would go well with a pork dish, Ian insisted, so I'm willing to try it again. Not sure I'd order this in a pub, but I liked the classic packaging.




Next up is Ale to the Chief! After one of the most extraordinary election seasons in the history of this country, this is my favorite. I'm not biased at all... Ian and I have been following the election faithfully and obsessively, and when my friends called from Grant Park on November 4th screaming messages of hope, joy and victory, I felt it was finally time to celebrate American (I don't do this much in my profession). I would recommend Ale to the Chief in a pub, but I can't say I would recommend drinking it with dinner. It's very heavy and very hoppy but completely worth the pucker face.



By the way, for all you Pullmanites, those glasses are in fact Pullman Lentil Festival pint glasses. Yes, for those of you not in Pullman, we "boast" a Lentil Festival. Not a joke, but I wish it was.