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.// “In many ways you can say that the prison serves as an institution that consolidates the state’s inability and refusal to address the most pressing social problems of this era.” Angela Davis has been a longtime advocate for the abolition of prison systems. In Freedom is a Constant Struggle, a collection of her essays and interviews, Davis succinctly summarizes how prisons reflect and exacerbate societal ills—particularly at the expense of Black people and people of color. Again, buy from a Black-owned bookstore.
LOOK.// I never thought I’d love a reality show that’s all about knife-making, but here we are. “Forged in Fire” is a treat I didn’t deserve, bringing together incredibly talented bladesmiths, really hot and sharp things, and ham slices (you have to watch for yourself). All of this is combined with a civility and kindness between contestants that I’ve only seen elsewhere on “The Great British Baking Show.”
DRINK.// CO Cellars’ Electric Mayhem
This perfect canned drink, a cider/wine hybrid, is a delight. It’s sweet and tart and great for cutting through the humidity and heat I imagine most folks are feeling come mid-July.
READ.// “Every slight movement was tracked, down to the millimeter, but I was adrift from the wider world. I couldn’t even see the sun or the stars. I was in another dimension, one where things hovered, where everything was just about to happen, but it was still unclear, and there was no way to tell, if the thing happening was good or bad.” I’m always fascinated by people’s relationships to astrology—for the record, I think it’s a lot of fun, and my morning updates from Co-Star never fail to amuse, though I don’t take it too seriously—and Kaitlyn Greenidge captures that tension beautifully in her new piece for Romper. In times of great upheaval, turning to the skies can be its own form of assurance.
LOOK.// Speaking of, I cannot tell you how much comfort WindowSwap has brought me since I discovered it last week. If, like me, you’ve grown sick of the view from your own window, a click of a button will invite you to share strangers’ vistas from Brazil, Singapore, Germany, France, Italy, and beyond. It’s about as close as you can get to international travel right now.
DRINK.// Lost and Grounded’s Keller Pils
This week, I was happy to join a few other beer writers to celebrate a virtual fourth birthday party for Lost and Grounded. We embarked on an increasingly boozy, eight-beer tasting led by co-founders Alex Troncoso and Annie Clements, which began and ended with their flagship Keller Pils. Made exclusively with pilsner malt, plus Magnum, Perle, and Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops, Keller Pils is a paragon of elegance, balance, and nuanced complexity. It’s been a recurring staple of lockdown for me, and it delights each and every time I come back to it—even twice in one night.
READ.// “The [A.F.L.-C.I.O] union estimates that nearly thirty thousand of its workers in the food and health-care sectors have contracted covid-19, and that two hundred and thirty-eight of those have died [...] Government statistics indicate that poultry and meat-processing companies report more severe injuries than other industries commonly assumed to be more hazardous, including coal mining and sawmilling.” I eat meat, even though deep down I know it’s incongruent with my stances on issues like sustainability, workers’ rights, climate change—hell, just liking animals in general. I’ve long excused it away with arguments like “it’s corporations, not individuals, that are actually contributing to society’s decline.” But like my parents always told me, I can’t be responsible for the actions of anyone besides myself. This piece in The New Yorker outlining the exploitative and dangerous conditions within the American poultry industry finally convinced me it’s time to dramatically re-think my relationship with meat consumption.
LOOK.// Look, I know “Glee” has had its fair share of problematic moments. (Really, Rachel? “Krunk club”?) But lemme tell ya—revisiting some musical moments like the pre-Regionals Lady Gaga montage and ahead-of-their-time situations like Kurt coming out to his father are small, but blessed respites from the relentless purgatory I’m currently languishing in. If music heals the soul, I may have a fighting chance of retaining my pandemic parenting sanity. R.I.P. Naya Rivera.
DRINK.// Chula Vista Brewery’s Papa’s Pils
As of June 2020, Chula Vista Brewery is the sole Black-owned brewery in San Diego County. Even considering the fact that only 6% of our 3.3 million residents are Black, that’s an embarrassingly low number. But since opening three years ago in the heart of South Bay, the five-barrel brewhouse has nabbed medals in competitions like the San Diego International Beer Competition and the Great American Beer Festival, one of which went to Papa’s Pils. This 5.2% Czech-style Pilsner hits all the high notes: a little bready, just enough hop personality to engage with the malt, and medium carbonation for maximum drinkability.
Curated by The GBH Collective
