Ninkasi!

This blog is supposedly about foods and beverages, but so far I have been lazy in the beverages department. Seattle has been bitterly cold and rainy of late (surprised?), so I have mostly been drinking wine and, of course, coffee. Though I love wine and drink it frequently (as previously noted), I would  embarrass myself if I tried to write about wine. Other people know way more and do it better. As for coffee, I generally drink it black, so there's not much to say, unless you want to hear one of my well-known rants about the inavailability of decent, fresh drip coffee (trust me, you don't).

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However, I will take a moment to sing the praises of my new favorite beer, specifically Ninkasi's IPA and their seasonal Spring Reign. I have surprised several of my friends (and indeed myself) with my love for the IPA, as I have previously been a drinker of what less couth types (my husband) have termed swampwater (whatever, Raineer is delicious). I always sneered at drinkers of microbrews and complained that IPAs in particular were overly bitter, even going so far as to venture the theory that gravitating toward bitter beers was macho bullshit. Ninkasi IPA took me by surprise (author pauses to go crack beer in order to better describe it) with its heady mix of sweet and bitter. The bitterness is not overwhelming. It has, dare I say, complexity. Even better, the IPA brings to mind the phrase 'beer sandwich'. Not because it's overly filling, but because it allows you to actually imagine that it might contain nutrients. Which brings me to another thing I appreciate about the brewery: their copy. As a beer lover (yes, people who drink PBR can call themselves beer lovers too), a connoisseur of copy, and a history nerd, I can't help but love the following passages (found on Ninkasi bottle):

• 'Multiple hops collide in balanced perfection, dominating the senses, achieving total satisfaction. From the Pacific Northwest, birthplace of the modern IPA, comes a beer whose name says it all'

and....

• 'The ancient Sumerians worshiped the beer they made, and praised the Goddess Ninkasi for the miracle of fermentation. Beer is the staple of civilization. Worship the Goddess.'
  

As a child of hippies, the phrase 'worship the Goddess' would normally prompt me to roll my eyes, but somehow it works in this context.