A very sweet series of imperial stouts, named after the Lost Generation, calls to mind Wilfred Owens’s critique of Horace’s “old Lie” that it is “sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.”
All in Fiction
The Wizard of Oz and 7 Locks' Surrender Dorothy
7 Locks’ RyePA nods to my favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. It also happens to nod to a key difference between the movie and the original book: Dorothy’s ruby slippers.
The Great Gatsby and Right Proper's "Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne"
Nick Carraway’s exuberance for Gatsby echoes the over-the-top ebullience of America’s Jazz Age. The fizzy zippiness of Right Proper’s Berliner Weisse “Diamonds, Fur Coats, Champagne” lives up to both, with just the right sourness to echo the book’s tragedies.
American Gods and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
American Gods personifies gods that were “brought” to America by immigrants, gods whom have since been forgotten. It makes a beer geek think about the forgotten pioneers of American craft beer, especially Ken Grossman and his classic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Pnin and Jackie O's Dark Apparition
Jackie O’s Russian Imperial Stout, Dark Apparition, provides some sweetness to cut through the very sad Pnin, Nabokov’s story of a Russian emigre.
Little Fires Everywhere and Great Lakes' Burning River Pale Ale
Little Fires Everywhere is set in Cleveland, home of the Great Lakes Brewing Company. Great Lakes’ classic pale ale, Burning River, echoes Ng’s “little fires” well.
In the Woods and BrewDog's Jet Black Heart
On my new commute, I’ve listened to Tana French’s In the Woods, a dark crime procedural that goes well with the aptly named Jet Black Heart.
The Power and New Belgium's Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA
Naomi Alderman's The Power imagines a matriarchy many years in the future, so it’s best read with a beer crafted by women.
Annihilation and Rhinegeist's Bubbles Rosé Ale
A beer that defies categorization to go with a delightfully ambiguous work of science fiction.
The Great Gatsby, The Waste Land, and Cinderlands Beer Company
The literature evoked by the name of a new Lawrenceville brewery, Cinderlands.
The Remains of the Day and Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
Happy Valentine's Day! A pairing of a heart-breaking read and a chocolaty stout.
A Wrinkle in Time and Prairie Vous Francais
A sparkling saison for the shimmery trio of Mrs. Who, Which, and Whatsit from Madeleine L'Engle's children's classic.
Swann's Way and Orval
My favorite international beer, the Belgian Orval, suits Proust to a tee.