Our Third Guest Whisperer Entry--Pregnant And Craving Beer!

Our third Guest Whisperer entry comes from my wife Heather who has been dealing with the difficult situation of being a fervent (but pregnant) craft beer fan.  She's seen me down a ton of stupendous suds this year and, to her credit, she's kept her cool.  Still, she's had the itch for quite awhile and it was no more powerful than it was this past weekend when we attended the 2012 Analog-A-Go-Go down in Milton, Delaware. 

So, in her own words, Heather provides a cautionary tale for anyone who might be taking beer for granted during these warm days of summer.

Cheers!

Last week was the summer solstice—the official start of summer and the start of a heat wave here in New York. While it is time to go to the beach and watch the boys of summer, it is also time for eating outdoors and relaxing on the patio with a nice cool beverage in hand. However, when I think of the latter, I tend to think of something other than water, which I’m pretty much relegated to at the moment. The reason? I’m pregnant.

Pregnancy brings with it joys and hardships—the joy of knowing that you have created life and that you are responsible for this little human; the joy of feeling the baby move and of seeing the baby for the first time on the ultrasound. The hardships include morning sickness, back pain, and giving up favorite foods and beverages, such as beer. And this weekend I experienced the hardship of not having beer while attending the second annual Dogfish Head Analog-A-Go-Go with my husband. All the samples of yummy cask conditioned beer were calling out to me, while I just had to pretend like I didn’t notice them.

Now, I wasn’t always into beer.  In fact, when I first started drinking alcohol I drank more typically “female” drinks such as apple martinis and cosmopolitans (yes I was coming of age with alcohol during the “Sex in the City” era!). I then moved on to macro brewed beers, which, I admit that I wasn’t a big fan of.  I have since graduated to craft beers, which, in contrast, I am totally in love with. I must confess that I still tend to prefer beers in the lighter spectrum such as pale ales and lagers when compared to stouts and porters but I am still developing my palette.

My favorite beers are the seasonal brews, with autumn beers being my favorite (I can’t help it, I’m biased because I’m an autumn baby) and summer beers being my second favorite. When I was pregnant with my first child, the last trimester of my pregnancy was during winter when all of the heavier beers are in season. I think this helped me feel like I wasn’t missing out on anything. However, now that I haven’t had beer for about six months, and all the Summer beers are coming out, I am craving beer like crazy!

My husband, as part of this blog, is constantly trying new beers. I am watching bottle after bottle of these amazing beers come into our house and mock me as they sit in the fridge waiting to be had. The sound of the cap popping off and the beer flowing into a glass is enough to make me need to leave the room. Seeing the golden colored ale with a nice head of foam and the smell of hops makes me want to melt into the chair I’m sitting in. At the same time, I put myself in these torturous positions by attending beer events with my husband. Even though I can’t have the beer, I still appreciate the creativity and the effort that goes into making each one. And while I can’t have a sip, the aroma of a nice beer still does wonders for my soul!

I’ve tried water, juices, mock-tails. It’s just not the same. Some people suggest having an O’Doul’s but that still has a small amount of alcohol in it and I’d prefer not to take any chances with my baby. It’s the same reason why I won’t have a glass of wine, even though some say it poses no harm to the baby.

Don’t be surprised if you see me in the middle of winter in the house with luau decorations hanging up as I sip a summer beer that I stored away to enjoy once I finish breast feeding. =)

Alas, I guess in the meantime I’ll just have to use my imagination and pretend that this glass of water is an ice cold summer ale.

And for all of you who can drink, drink up! Don’t pass up the opportunity to enjoy a summer beer (and any other good brew you have available to you)!