Quarantine Diaries XXXIII
Thursday April 30th 2020
I’m not feeling great at the moment. Tbh I have, at least temporarily, forgotten what Covid-19 is. No, this rather spectacular fall off my precarious mental-health perch was triggered by a rude awakening to the prospect of the world beyond Covid, being snapped out of my cycle of just moving from one minute to the next, and taking a look at the bigger picture of what will eventually come next. The (albeit inadvertent) humiliation of being slapped round the face with what I perceive as my utter failure to live up to my potential has me in bits and pieces. I had, almost unbelievably, forgotten quite what a disaster I’ve made of my life in the midst of all this. Covid, it would seem, has at the very least provided a distraction, an insulation from the pounding weight of living with my own inadequacy. Isolation has been an insulation from being a nobody in a world of somebodies. Of course, the bubble had to burst eventually, and I was reminded how I’ve watched my contemporaries grow and blossom into successful, functioning adults while I remain the stymied, stunted bonsai, the runt of the litter, unable to carve out a trailblazing path in, well, anything. Imposter syndrome maybe, but being 40 and unemployed with no clear career path to fall back on does not feel like a good look. I hope y’all will permit me my pity-party today. Normal service will resume tomorrow.
Independence Space Case Highboy DIPA
I’ve discovered a new reason to get excited about this beer. But before I get on to that, I just want to extoll its virtues as one of the most drinkable DIPAs around. The Space Case is kind of like the DIPA equivalent of natural-look make up – it appears so simple and straightforward, but when you get up close you can see how much work has actually gone into getting it that way. The hops are juicy and bold with tropical lilt, but there’s a firm mellow backbone that steers it away from juicebomb territory. I know we’re not supposed to describe 9% beers as crushable, but this really is – the first time I had it I could not resist drinking two 16oz cans back to back as I just wanted more of the taste so badly! Naughty but oh so nice. Austin is a city of fine af DIPAs (Pinthouse What Do Now, Austin Beerworks Lazar Salad and Oddwood Symphony of Night spring immediately to mind), and this beer sits high among them. The interesting news about it is that, for reasons that weren’t anyone’s fault, we ended up with a slightly old and flat crowler of which actually tasted surprisingly good, mellow and bitter – a bit like an English IPA on cask. We happily drank the whole thing. This clearly is the mark of a winner.
Craft Beer Amethyst 