polkadotsandpints

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Belgian Blonde w/ Lavender.

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'The Garden's Gift' - my entry for the 2023 Dark & Stormy Story Writing Contest

Recently I entered Stormcloud Brewing Company’s Dark & Stormy Story Writing Contest, and I came in 4th! I was one of four contestants who had the opportunity to read their story out loud at the public reading. I was a stress-mess, but I’m proud I did it! You can read the story below: The Garden’s Gift It was a dark and stormy night, but Tabitha barely noticed as she used her tiny fingernails to…

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First Trip to the Psych Hospital

First Trip to the Psych Hospital

by Amy Martin (A story I wrote for ‘Stories That Heal’, a music, storytelling and community wellbeing project focused on mental health, trauma and recovery through lifting local stories and musical expressions in Benzie County.) The first time I was in the psych hospital, I learned a handful of things: 1.) If you steal a plastic spoon during breakfast, you can wedge it into the shower button…

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My Favorite Songs Released in 2021

My Favorite Songs Released in 2021

I can’t decide if 2021 flew by or lasted forever – regardless, here we are at its end. As a now annual tradition (two years in a row, woohoo!) Chris, myself, and some of our friends do a roundup of our favorite songs released that year. There are three rules: •The songs must have come out in 2021. •You can only choose 25 songs. •Only 2 songs per artist. Here’s my final list, with some…

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Beer Education: Porter

(Note: This is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the Stormcloud Brewing Co. Cloudspotter members.)  Here at Stormcloud Brewing Company, we currently have an exciting new beer on tap – our Londonesque Porter. This beer is styled after the historical British-Style Brown Porter, but with a tasty Stormcloud twist: Belgian yeast and Michigan hops. The Oxford Companion to Beer describes porter…

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My Life with Bipolar

My Life with Bipolar

As many of you know, I am an individual with bipolar. A lot of people ask me what it’s like, and I end up fumbling to give some sort of generic answer. I’ve decided to sit down and share with you a more thought out, intimate perspective of what it’s like. I’m sharing not because I want you to feel bad for me, but because I want to normalize mental illness and #EndTheStigma.

HIGHS (also known…

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Beer Education: Oktoberfest

(Note: This is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the Stormcloud Brewing Co. Cloudspotter members.) 

Time to pull out your beer steins and dust off your lederhosen – it’s time for Oktoberfest! As seasoned beer drinkers, I’m sure you’re all familiar with Oktoberfest, but I wanted to give you a more in-depth lowdown.

Oktoberfest is a two-week long celebration that takes place in…

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Beer Education: Belgian Witbier

Beer Education: Belgian Witbier

(Note: This is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the Stormcloud Brewing Co. mug club members.) 

I want to share with you about another traditional, Belgian-style beer – the Witbier. Witbiers are described as refreshing, elegant, tasty, moderate-strength wheat-based ales.¹ Cheers!

The Witbier is a 400-year-old Belgian Beer Style.¹ In Flemish, the word “wit” means “white”, and…

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Beer Education: Dubbel & Tripel

Beer Education: Dubbel & Tripel

(Note: This is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the Stormcloud Brewing Co. mug club members.)

To quote the Oxford Companion to Beer, “Belgium is to beer what Cuba is to cigars and France is to wine.”¹ On that note, I wanted to share with you some information about two traditional Belgian-inspired brews – the Dubbel and the Tripel.

The Belgian monastic brewing tradition started long…

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Beer Education: Sahti

Right before our temporary closure due to COVID-19, we at Stormcloud Brewing Company had just put on tap an incredibly unique beer called a Sahti. I would love to share with you what I learned about this style!

According to The Oxford Companion to Beer, the Sahti is “a farmhouse beer style indigenous to Finland” and “is one of the oldest beer types still brewed today.”¹ It is traditionally…

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Vote for Amy, American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee Candidate.

Vote for Amy, American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee Candidate.

Greetings!

As many of you know, I am running for election to the American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee. Please consider voting for me! If you’d like to get to know me a little better, check out the video below, followed by my Candidate Statement. The election ends March 31st, so go vote now!

In the video below I answer 4 questions: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve ever…

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Beer Education: Foeders and Sour Beer

Beer Education: Foeders and Sour Beer

(Note: This is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the Stormcloud Brewing Co. mug club members.)

A foeder, (pronounced FOOD-er) is a really, really large barrel, typically oak, used to age wine and beer.¹ Not only are they for imparting strong oak flavors into the beer, they also allow a slow addition of oxygen into the barrel over time; which changes the profile and flavor of the beer.…

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Beer Education: Maltster

(Note: This is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the Stormcloud Brewing Co. mug club members.)

“Malz ist die Seele des Bieres” – translated from German as “Malt is the soul of beer.” Without malted barley, which provides fermentable sugars that lead to the production of alcohol, we would have no beer. To take it a step farther – without maltsters, we’d have no malt! In this post, I’d…

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Beer Art: Women of Craft Beer

Beer Art: Women of Craft Beer

Digital Art by Amy Martin, on display at the Oliver Art Center’s exhiBEERtion II during Frankfort Beer Week. Artist Statement:

Women of Craft Beer – Amy Martin

Did you know that the history of beer began with women, and females have played a significant role in the brewing scene ever since? In fact, The Oxford Companion to Beerstates that “for most of recorded human history, women…

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Beer Education: Ice Cream and Beer Pairing

Beer Education: Ice Cream and Beer Pairing

(Note: This is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the Stormcloud Brewing Co. mug club members.)

Back in December, I talked with you all about pairing beer and holiday cookies. It only seems appropriate that now, at the tale end of summer, I talk about pairing beer – and ICE CREAM!

Unfortunately I didn’t have the time (or tummy space) to go around to every ice cream shop in the area…

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Beer Eduction: Hops!

(Note: This is a modified version of a piece I wrote for the Stormcloud Brewing Co. mug club members.)

As someone who has found themselves on a beer blog, I’m sure you have heard of hops. You probably know what they look like, and might even know that we have a few varieties of hops growing in the Stormcloud Brewing CompanyStormGarden. I’m hoping this article touches on a few things you might…

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5 Space Beers to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing

5 Space Beers to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing

(And no, Blue Moon didn’t make the list)

This Friday, July 20th, is the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Whether you believe we actually landed there or that it was all shot on a Hollywood set, it’s a great excuse to celebrate with a cold craft beer.

Did you know the first fermentation in space happened in 1998, and it was beer?! According to NASA, It was part of Kirsten…