I am a yoga instructor, health coach and beer lover.
Some people hear about the first two and assume that I don’t eat chocolate or meat or dairy or sugar and don’t drink or swear or get angry.  Or they assume that to be healthy and balanced, you can’t do any of those things. But oh, you can. And I do.

Because it’s all about balance, baby.

Let’s get to it: I’m all about energetics, the idea that what you put into your body has an energetic effect on your body. For instance, take two zucchinis: one zucchini in hundreds of acres of zuke plants was sprayed with chemicals all it’s life , was picked before it was ripe by a worker who isn’t paid a living wage, shipped 500 miles in a greenhouse gas-emitting 18-wheeler, then tossed in a fluorescently lit grocery store where it sat for weeks until happy you scooped it up–what’s the energy of that zucchini like? Then take another zucchini grown in your backyard as you watered it while humming Fleet Foxes, getting super pumped as it gets bigger and riper because you’re actually growing and not killing a plant.* Not only is that second zucchini better because of fewer chemicals, but it’s energetically cleaner and more nourishing than the commercially produced zuke.
But we’re not talking about zucchinis, we’re talking about beer.

But the same principle applies. Indulge a few really tasty brews instead of downing High Life for six hours. Do it joyfully with people you love. Sitting on someone’s porch or on a restaurant patio drinking local brews laughing with friends on a hot summer night is good for the soul. So much better than, say, staying in because beer has calories.
Now, I’m blessed to know a lot of people who will wax poetic about booze all day long. I’m also blessed to live in a city where the craft beer scene is thriving, and where $12 is a small price to pay for a revelation of a cocktail. As cheesy as it seems, the love that these brewers and bartenders put into your drink actually have an effect on you. You are partaking in their passion, their craft, and that’s awesome and nourishing. Get it? Good.
So here are a few things I’m drinking this summer, all by local Chicago brewers. I encourage you to discover your own craft beer scene, support those brewers and feel the love.

1. Pipeworks Poivre Rose

Oh, Saisons, how I love thee. This particular one is brewed with pink peppercorn, but it just comes off as a floral, awesomely tasty farmhouse ale.

2. Haymarket Mother Jones Abbey Style Dubbel

Big, flavorful momma: bready toffee and caramel. Best enjoyed in air conditioning instead of hot sun. This would be amazing to enjoy with a chocolatey dessert.

3. Half Acre Pony Pils

Good lemony porch-sipper with a bit of a green note.

4. Solemn Oath Oxford Comma

This Belgian blonde is spiced will all sorts of lovely things, like lavender, rose hips, coriander and ginger. It’s summery and delicious and makes me think of frolicking through a field of wildflowers, or sitting in a lawn chair with my feet in a kiddie pool.
Ready to get healthy but refuse to give up your booze? Good, I don’t want you to. Let’s chat and you’ll learn how your bliss and your beer can coexist peacefully.
*This is actually how I garden. Woot.