These are the words, images, and beers that inspired the GBH Collective this week. Drinking alone just got better, because now you're drinking with all of us.
READ.// “'You want to know about the warehouses? They ruined my life,' she said." Contrary to popular portrayals, California is much more industrial wasteland than sun-kissed coastline. In places like the Inland Empire, as this LA Times piece documents, an increasing number of communities are falling victim to our national obsession with online shopping, leading to entire cities getting swallowed by multi-million square-foot warehouses spewing toxic fumes and other pollutants on longtime residents. It's a sobering reminder that free, two-day delivery really does come at a price.
LOOK.// Art is universal and spans a range of quality. (Good: Venus de Milo; bad: my teenage poetry.) But nothing challenges society's preconceptions of "what is art?" like Megasaurus, a robot dinosaur who delicately nibbles on cars while spewing fire and belching its compliments to the chef. From the sheer mastery of its sculptural form to its ability to stir up a primal response in all who witness its power, Megasaurus is an inspiration.
DRINK.// Samuel Adams’ Utopias
The first sip of this bucket-list beer engulfs my senses, a salient reminder of why I decided to dive into this wonderful, terrible, controversial, problematic, inspiring, and all-around amazing industry in the first place. In these dystopian times, a promise of the paradise we’re working to build is most welcome, and worth the wait.
READ.// "And that’s where I think humanity is. I’m not very interested in manufacture and the righteous grin of normality. But if you give me something idiosyncratic, then I’m interested." It's goddess Gwendoline Christie's birthday (October 28th) so I revisited this goofy interview with Beth Ditto from earlier this year. If I'm being honest, though, my "READ" is always just another entry in an endless string of Brienne/Jaime fanfiction. HMU if you need recommendations.
LOOK.// Maurice Harris is an LA-based floral artist who does bold, moody, and modern arrangements. His LA shop has an attached coffee shop (@bloomandplumecoffee) and he's set to be a judge and mentor on an upcoming HBO Max floristry competition show, “Full Bloom” (alongside the Chicago-based founder of Asrai Garden). Maurice's work, especially his Shades of Blackness series, is unique and magnetic.
DRINK.// Oliver's Cider and Perry - Gold Rush #4
Getting me through the transition of seasons (it snowed on Halloween) and the CPS teachers’ strike (which ended the day after Halloween), is Gold Rush #4. A collab between Tom Oliver, Greg Hall (Virtue Cider) and Ryan Burk (Angry Orchard), this sparkling cider is dry and crisp. It's made from bittersweet and bittersharp apples from Herefordshire and is fermented with wild yeasts through the winter in old oak barrels. Then, it's pitched with fruit sugar and Lambic yeasts in secondary fermentation. A dry, apple-skin quality and barely-there sweetness make it the perfect drink to pair with cozy sweaters, rich autumn colors, and falling leaves.
READ.// "I gingerly pointed out to Wintour that she had been editing Vogue for longer than that. Wintour laughed, looked back out the window of One World Trade, and said, 'I’m a really good bus driver.'" It's a real nightmare horror show out there in the media world, and this profile of sorts of Condé Nast's past, present, and future just has so much to give. Come for the $100,000 breakfasts, stay for the jaw-dropping tennis documentary review fee.
LOOK.// I sure didn't expect the first episode of HBO's “Watchmen” series to teach me about the Tulsa race massacre, but that gives you an idea of how deep and how heavy this show is aiming for right out the gate. Count me in for the whole season after that impressive debut.
DRINK.// Line Creek Brewing Co.'s Stouts For Staying Alive: Cookies And Cream
I've been impressed by this Peachtree City—a town of 35,000 or so people about 45 minutes south of ATL proper—beer maker in its first year. Line Creek specializes in humble, classic styles, which means it's either surprising or fully predictable that they've managed to make a restrained, delicious Pastry Stout. Despite the unwieldy name, the 8.3% ABV, and the goddamn zombie on the can, I can imagine myself revisiting this beer in the near future.
Curated by The GBH Collective
