Beachside Beers
There will never be an end
To this droning of the surf.
-Wallace Stevens, “Fabliau of Florida”
Where the pelicans glide overhead
And the whitecaps foam up like beer heads,
There’s a cold one for you.
Try a Florida brew
By the shore with your beach blanket spread.
1
Keep this Fish Camp Pils chilled within reach
For your revelries down on the beach.
Crisp and light-hopped hydration
Pair well with vacation
(And seagulls that quibble and screech).
2
Here’s a Dragon Point waiting for you
That’s hop-forward with citrus notes, too.
It’s a West Coast gone East
Made with hop-boosting yeast
For a tasty and tongue tingling brew.
3
Do Beach Blondes have more fun where there’s sand?
That depends on the Brown Ales at hand.
Try this Duke’s: smoothly malty
For days when the salty
Sea air and the sun leave you tanned.
TASTING NOTES:
Fish Camp Pils Pilsner Lager. Veterans United Craft Brewery. Jacksonville, FL. 4.8% ABV.
This beer pours pale gold with a light white head and mild carbonation. Its crisp cleanness skims easily across your tongue, with a refreshing hoppy finish and just a hint of cereals. Pairs well with Florida afternoons.
Dragon Point IPA. Intracoastal Brewing Co. Melbourne, FL. 6.5% ABV.
Pours with a translucent lemony glow and a foamy white head. This IPA’s mouthfeel is on the light side, but the spunky hop profile parks delish bittery flavors in the middle of your tongue. There are hints of piney and grapefruit in the finish. Leaves a trace of lace in your glass.
Duke’s Cold Nose Brown Ale. Bold City Brewery. Jacksonville, FL. 5% ABV.
Pours mahogany brown with a creamy beige head and medium-malty aroma. The mouthfeel tilts toward thin for a smooth ride as this ale conveys a mild, flavorful maltiness that doesn’t go roasty or nutty. A near-crushable Brown, but why not let the malts linger between sips?
Marsha Bryant writes about literature, culture, and craft beer. Her recent essays appear in The Poetry of Bob Dylan, Creativity in the Classroom, and The Bloomsbury Handbook to Sylvia Plath. Marsha taught for many years at the University of Florida. Her Untappd handle is LimerickLady.
