Barley

Body and backbone of your beer

Comes from barley, far and near

Hardily grown from north to south

Grain to glass all the way to your mouth

Sprouted kernels and magic malting

Brings forth the sugars for yeasty vaulting

Gently roasted from pale to black

Cooled and shoveled into the sack

Such lovely names malted barley retains:

Golden Promise, Maris Otter, Crystal, Chocolate,

Munich, Vienna, Caramel, Biscuit, Black Patent, Carafa, Melanoidin on and on

The brewing apparatus and the lingo

Mashing in is the beginning jingo

Step infusion no illusion

Double decoction to sweet concoction

Laughter and lauter soon become one

In the hot and steamy mash tun

Stirring mash is to be lost in thought

And who doesn't like to sparge their wort

The lovibond scale signifies color

The word itself can be much fuller

The bond of love that binds together

Belongs to malt making forever

The soul of beer, dancing with hops

Such a merry-go-round of crops

Sweet and slow or wild and intense

A love affair with no pretense

So, when next you sip your hard-earned brew

And wax eloquent on the hops you chew

Spare a thought for beer's body and soul

The barley malt that makes you whole

11-20