"It tastes and smells just like Go Gurt"

"I sound like I'm talking about Avatar the Airbenders"

Beer: Fallen Down Gose from Ferus Artisan Ales (Trussville, AL)

Poetry: "In Praise of Fragments" by Meena Alexander

Girl crush: Yaa Gyasu, author of "Homegoing"

In Episode 27, Alyx and Eric talk about the "trick in your mouth" that is lactose in beer, specifically in one of the Fallen Down Goses by Ferus Artisan Ales. Then they talk about translocational fragments in poetry by reading the posthumous book called "In Praise of Fragments" recently out by Nightboat Books, by Meena Alexander. Cheers!

“PBR was established here in 1844, and I got here in 1843, so …”

“The spoons? Yeah, I was like, ‘Where is this going to go?’”

Beer: Pabst Blue Ribbon (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Poems: Sun in Days by Meghan O’Rourke

Girl Crushes: Judge Jill Karofsky (Wisconsin); Ashley Monroe (@brewedblackgirl on Insta); and Fiona Apple

This week, we’ve got a long one but we promise it’s a good one. As we celebrate a whole year (!!!) of No Rhyme or Refill, we decide to switch things up. Alyx talks about her favorite trash beer (aka the best beer) — PBR — and Erica talks about Sun in Days by Meghan O’Rourke. Both Alyx and Erica own the book, but Erica 100 percent forgot that she was with Alyx when Alyx bought the book. What are you gonna do?

The 26th episode stays shallow with a light beer, and goes deep in a discussion about autoimmune disease, hopelessness, and a body’s betrayal. Special thanks to our special guest, Sam Roberts, who loves PBR and reading poetry out loud when he thinks Alyx is in the room.

Cheers!

Are you a local hipster?

I think the way we confirm what we believe is by pushing back at what we were told and seeking our own understanding in this world.

Beer: Genesis Blonde Sour Ale from Wicked Weed Brewing

Poem: portions of "Nature Poem" by Tommy Pico (Tin House, 2017)

In Episode 25, we talk from our isolation spots about some of Alyx's favorite recent poetry (ugh, so great, get ready everyone to smile) from Tommy Pico, about local breweries "selling out" and Erica gives us details about the beer Genesis from Wicked Weed Brewing. Cheers!

"This is just gonna be our understanding of this poem while dealing with coronavirus."

Beer: Natural Habitat Imperial Sour with Strawberry and Key Line by TrimTab Brewing (Birmingham, AL)

Poetry: Forest Primeval by Vievee Francis (Northwestern University Press,2015)

Girl Crush: Anyone and everyone on the front lines handling the COVID19 pandemic

Guys, things are weird right now. We're trapped in our houses, anxious about ... everything? ... and just trying to stay sane and connected while social distancing or self isolating or quarantining. This week, we drink another TrimTab beer and Erica talks about the importance of supporting local, and Alyx brings us a poem about the end times that somehow brings a silver lining to difficult situations, maybe? We'll let you be the judge.

Thanks for putting up with a slightly uneven/ weird audio quality (we're working on making it better!). Stay home. Wash your hands. We love you <3

"[The book] becomes a very visceral reminder of the way grief changes."

Beer: Hoppy Blonde (Ferus Artisan Ales, Birmingham)

Poetry: Diana Khoi Nguyen from her book "Ghost Of"(Omnidawn, 2018)

Girl Crush: Princess Nokia

Wash your hands and stay safe! In this week's episode we talk about Erica's favorite Ferus Artisan Ales beer and discuss the "holes" that grief leaves in our lives through Diana Khoi Nguyen's book, "Ghost Of" written about the suicide of her brother.

"The downside is I can't read anything else on this bottle"

Beer: Oude Kriek 3 Fonteinen (Belgium)

Poetry: Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar

Girl Crush: Rett Madison

Another episode, another struggle to get our outro just right. But you're going to have to listen to the whole thing to hear that for yourself.

This week, we enjoy as Erica struggles to properly pronounce Belgian words, interpret non-American date notation, and find a synonym for "earthy" as she enjoys the Oude Kriek Belgian Lambic from 3 Fonteinen. We also read poems that are both beautiful and unsettling from Kaveh Akbar's Calling a Wolf a Wolf - a book of poems that are about recovery from addiction without being too voyeristic.

We hope you enjoy this week's episode and make sure to give girl crush Rett Madison a listen (or a thousand) on Spotify. Cheers!

"If you're drinking a low-calorie IPA, it's literally a session IPA. The brewery just slapped a calorie count unto it."

"Yeah...that's the amount of love poem I'm willing to read for Valentine's Day."

"For the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." (Lorde)

Poetry: The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde by Audre Lorde (W.W. Norton and Company, 1997)

Beer: Beach Body Session IPA - Yellowhammer Brewing Co. (Huntsville, AL)

Girl Crush: Zadie Smith (a kick-ass bestselling fiction author)

In this episode, we talk all about of low calorie beers (how very trendy of us!), what we think of them and specifically look at Beach Body Session IPA from Yellowhammer Brewing Co. Then we talk survival, social justice, the bubble of white feminism, and how the poet, lesbian, woman and warrior Audre Lorde fought for intersectionality, civil rights and snaps back with a southern senator criticized her poetry demanding a better world. RIP, Audre Lorde, thanks for your body of work. Cheers!

"It's kind of like the Disney vault of beers"

"I've never seen a poem that dealt with tentacle porn"

Beer: Hopslam from Bell's Brewery (Kalamazoo, Michigan)

Poetry: Soft Science by Franny Choi

Girl Crush: Lily Waite, creator of the Queer Brewing Project

This week, we bring you a well-known and apparently much sought after beer, Hopslam, and discuss beer economics. Beer-conomics? Yeah, we'll go with the second one. We also discuss the thought-provoking and at times hard to read out loud poetry by Franny Choi, which blends technology, feminism and some NSFW topics as well.

See if you can hear Erica's neighbor's dog in the background, or determine at which points our Skype connection froze! Cheers!

"I feel (as a woman) like in the late 2000s and early teens, trauma is what made you interesting."

"Most cats just walk around without testicles every day." (Boyle)

"It feels more like the crisis of not mattering."

Beer: Cold Smoke Scotch Ale by KettleHouse Brewing Co (Missoula, MT)

Poetry: unpublished blog posts from a mexican panda express employee by Meagan Boyle (Muumuu House, 2011)

Girl Crush: Thank You Books (independent book store in Birmingham, AL)

In our first episode of 2020, Erica and Alyx get back from the break and drink their very first beer from Missoula, MT, from one of the many popular breweries in the town, KettleHouse Brewing, as well as learn what the heck the term "cold smoke" actually means. They also spend some time talking about the alt lit movement of the early 2010s, what it means to be writing in "technology's grasp" and what makes a poem feel like a poem with Meagan Boyle's first poetry collection. At one point, Alyx reads Doritos instead of Oreos and the phrase "it comes with age" is said a ridiculous amount of times. Good to be back--and cheers!

Beer: Emergency Broadcast by Public Access Liquids

Poetry: "Ode to the onion" and "Ode to laziness" by Pablo Neruda

Girl Crush: Pamela Colman Smith

This week, we focus on something really important, especially around the holidays — self care. And even though we both love craft beer, we also talk about "sober curiosity" and how to not drink or drink less, even if it feels like everyone else is drinking. We also read translations of two odes by Pablo Neruda and hone in on some of life's best, and simplest, aspects.

Just as an FYI, we’re going to take an abbreviated break to enjoy some time off around the holidays and in between semesters. Episode 19 is set to release in January, and we’ll resume our bi-weekly release schedule from there.