Hopicity
Roland Barthes, in his exploration of the rhetoric of the image, drew attention to what he called “italianicity,” an indicator of Italian-ness in pasta advertising. Here we find, what we might call, hopicity:
Hop Devil, Hop Juice, Hop Slam. The world as hops. Hops are rhizomes. In early hypertext studies, the rhizome metaphor became romanticized to the point of hyperbole. Still, the ways bodies interact (or don’t) remains important. As do the various ways we structure (or don’t) meaning. American IPAs want to be hoppy. Their rhetorical bodies are connected via intense flavor. “Is the beer hoppy,” I might ask when visiting a brew pub for the first time. Mild tastes cling to their pilsners. English IPAs never are as strong as the Americans. 1776 revised.
All this is to say that I am moving around with some hop-imagery. Hop is a keyword which generates its own sensations: purchase power (more hops - higher price), a belief in being aficionado (I have taste, one might say, so I buy this “better” beer), interpellation (”I’m a devil,” “I have juice,” “I’m slammed”). There is a rhetoric of hops. Obvious, yes. But worth blogging about nevertheless. Image as connective device. Connotation as a chain. Hops, too, play into this network.
And there is Schlitz, “the kiss of the hops.”
In other (bad) news, Bells has pulled out/been run out of Illinois. We bought out out local shop’s supply of the stout and porter. So I know what I’ll ask you to bring to the draft party…
Comment by cbd — November 6, 2006 @ 2:32 pm
Damn. What a loss.
Hopslam, the new one, is awesome, but pricey at 15 a six.
I’ll have to load up on Two Hearted, Java Stout, Amber, and if money allows, Third Coast.
Comment by jrice — November 6, 2006 @ 6:18 pm
I make good barley wine. But I will take all the 2HA you can provide.
Comment by cbd — November 8, 2006 @ 12:22 am
very humorous
Comment by Deanna — November 8, 2006 @ 10:12 pm
I’d really like to try that Hopslam, but it looks to be an October “batch release.” Not sure if that means I’ll get a “Sorry, we just sold the last six pack” when I get to Kalamazoo for Thanksgiving. Then again, it may still be on tap. I better make some phone calls.
Comment by Rick — November 11, 2006 @ 10:02 am
[…] Jeff wrote about hops and beer (hopicity) a while back, including Bell’s Hopslam, and since the brewery is in Kalamazoo, MI—my home for the holidays—I figured I try to get some straight from the brewery because Hopslam is a seasonal release, came out in October, and the chance of getting it in the store was, well, chancy. […]
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