Buoyant Beers & Light Limericks: A Summer Sip-Along
- By Marsha Bryant
The incredible lightness of beering,
So refreshing with summertime nearing!
O they’ll flow flavorfully
With their low ABVs
When the afternoon heatwaves start searing.
#1
Take an Air Bath when temperatures rise.
Finely bubbled, its bite will surprise
You with tongue-tingling zip
To enliven each sip
Of this Session so brightly devised.
#2
A drinkable language that’s clear-
ly straw-colored, delightful Kölsch beer
Is so crushable, fruity,
and lightly hopped: we
Can keep cool in this time of the year.
#3
Do you like your beer juicy with haze,
Seek some lightness amidst NEIPA craze?
Just a kiss of the hops
Brings some zest to these drops
of Life Pale Ale—its flavors you’ll praise.
#4
Where a beer and a cider might meet,
You’ll find lovely Rosetta: replete
With cherries so fine,
Its mouthfeel light like wine.
Beat the heat where the tart meets the sweet.
Tasting Notes
Air Bath Session IPA, Wiseacre, Memphis TN. 5% ABV.
Here’s a go-to Summer beer that bubbles like champagne and pours pale yellow with a white, fizzy head. This beer tingles your tongue with its dry crispness and bright hoppy bite. A perfect recovery drink from outdoor chores, Air Bath also enhances your patio pursuits. Quaffable, but well worth savoring.
Life Hazy Pale Ale, Lord Hobo, Woburn, MA. 4% ABV.
If you were imbibing a previous Life, that one was a Session IPA and this new version is a Hazy Pale Ale. Its topaz color resembles unfiltered apple juice; the white head dissipates quickly. There’s a light, hoppy fizziness and some pineapple notes. More juicy than beery, this Life aims for the sweeter side of citrusy with an orangey finish.
Kölsch, Gaffel, Cologne, Germany. 4.8% ABV.
A hybrid beer style mixing ale yeasts and lager conditioning, true Kölsch comes from its source in Cologne. With a slightly floral aroma, this transparently straw-colored beer balances crispness with a mild fruitiness, cooling your tongue on the hottest of days. A deliciously crushable beer style that rewards those who don’t rush it.
Rosetta Sour Ale (aged on cherries), Ommegang, Cooperstown NY. 5.6% ABV.
With a lovely color between ruby and tawny port, this beer pours without much head and has the mouthfeel of a lightly carbonated rosé. Its smooth cherry tang finishes with a dry and refreshing zippiness. Pairs well with cheeses, nuts, and savory appetizers.
MARSHA BRYANT writes about literature, teaching, and craft beer. Her recent essays appear in The Bloomsbury Handbook to Sylvia Plath, the online journal Humanities, and the textbook Impact of Materials on Society. Marsha teaches in the English Department at the University of Florida. Her Untappd profile is LimerickLady.
