SeasonALEs

Cloudy and clear, bitter and sweet, dark and light, subdued and bright, descriptions of feelings or the five day forecast? While these adjectives could be for either of the two, they’re actually descriptions for beer. I want to look more closely at the correlation between seasonal surroundings, our emotional output and liquid input.

As the earth comes out of hibernation so does our skin. Shorts and skirts expose our pale legs to the sun as we dawn tinted glasses to ease our eyes transition to the longer days.  Couples get married and birds sing, moms make pie and bees make honey. People’s overall feelings are lifted, they blossom like spring flowers; they smile big and often, bright as a summer day. To accompany these days, these feelings… light, clean, crisp Kolsch and Pilsners are brewed. They are gentle like the morning dew, clear like the night sky and smooth like a gentle breeze. As summer comes to an end and fall draws near, the craving for a more full bodied beer grows with the coat of the family dog.

As the sun dips below the equator and casts a long shadow over the Northern Hemisphere, the grass stops growing and the leaves start falling. A thirst is no longer derived from swimming in the river or frisbee in the park. It’s from splitting wood to stay warm during the coming months, then mountain biking till dark. We get caught in a stalemate between the summer that was and winter that will surely be. All the while, beauty and serenity surround us with every shedding maple tree and every golden larch. We are reminded to be thankful for a roof over our head and hot soup. We grow to appreciate the beauty of mud on our rubber boots and football. With autumn comes the harvest. With the harvest come fresh hopped pales and amber ales. Their colors mirror that of the changing leaves, a kaleidoscope of flavors cascading through the mountain valleys, past our tongues and down our throats. Often sweet like the air after the first snow and rich like a Thanksgiving dinner table. They prepare our palate for winter ales as we prepare ourselves for winter hails.

                There are two different types of people in the winter, storm troopers and storm poopers. Some see a cold wet winter as a reason to hibernate and others see a cold wet winter as a reason to celebrate. Some run from the storm, resenting what it brings, while others run towards it, ready and willing to reap its abundant bounty. It’s their response to this sort of adversity that determines their emotional outlook. It’s either ‘La NinYeah!’ or “La NiNO!’ Either way, there’s no denying the days are dark and the nights are darker. Darkest yet are the porters and stouts that litter the shelves of the local market like skier and snowboarders litter the lifts of the local ski area. They are robust like the cascade snowpack and smooth like a pow day. They are usually higher in alcohol content and give off a wonderful ‘warming sensation’ that can be appreciated by both the tired from winter and the tired of winter.

.From down coats and dunkels, skis and stouts, to tank tops and flip flops, bike racks and six-packs; a good beer is derived from its surroundings and best enjoyed within its season and appreciated for a plethora of reasons as diverse as our feelings. So, as winter approaches on the heels of autumn in a conga line of seasons, be thankful for the changes in the weather, the changes in yourself, and the variety of beers inspired by change!