Quarantine Diaries XXXXX
Sunday May 18th 2020
The fiftieth edition of the Craft Beer Amethyst Quarantine Diaries!! I really can’t believe I’ve plugged away at this lil project for fifty whole days. Yes, I’m sure most of it is silly repetitive drivel, but the fact that I have written about 50 days and 50 unique beers is still making me proud and happy. And there was a lot to be happy about on Sunday, as, after nearly 2 months solely in each other’s company, we had our first distanced meet-up with friends. Sunday was beautiful – hot but not scorching, and we picked a pretty creekside park new to all of us to hang out in. First, we picked up crowlers and growler fills from the fab folks at Nomadic Beerworks where we were spoiled for choice with their tasty new brews. A short drive later and we were relaxing by the water at a safe distance and chatting away about everything under the sun except Covid-19 – the pressure and inclination to discuss the pandemic agreeably absent in a real-world environment. The ebb and flow of normal conversation felt utterly luxurious after months of stilted video chats with awkward out-of-synch reactions from feed delays and careful attempts to speak clearly and in turn. Natural chatter is a joyous thing, especially for someone like me who talks 19-to-the-dozen and really struggles to force my habitual patter into a pace suitable for group Zooming. It’s amazing how much it is possible to miss something as simple as regular social cues and nuances, and there was a lovely lightness in being able to hold two conversations among four people – something I’d almost forgotten was possible! We ended the day in the best possible way, with take-away deep dish from Conan’s – a treat which never gets old, and came home smiling and rejuvenated. Yes, there’s still a long way to go, but each baby-step back towards normality is earning its fanfare of appreciation as we realise the value of the people and things that we took for granted back in the real world.
Nomadic Experiment 2 Hazy Kviek IPA
One of my favourite things about Nomadic Beerworks is how experimental they are, the way that they funnel the energy and experience of their international travels into their beers, something that resonates especially deeply right now when we’ve all been stuck at home for so long. Nomadic’s take on the Kveik IPAis brighter and sweeter than most the ones I’ve tried so far, with a warm honeyed flavour that brings out the depth of the yeast, leaving it hazy-hopped with just a hint of funk – a winning combination of flavours, at once complex and supremely drinkable. Our growler of this most successful experiment disappeared with contented swiftness as we relaxed by the creek.
Craft Beer Amethyst 