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.// “Our concepts of ‘cool’ and ‘iconic’ are forged in the intimacy of our own taste communities. At the same time, the taste space has never been flatter.” How, in this moment, is society obsessed with originality and niche appeal, yet all our hip restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, and clothing brands begin to look the same? Ana Andjelic's essay—“The end of cultural icons: Why there will never be another Air Jordans”—offers some explanations. I came upon it through my friend Ernest Wilkins’ newsletter, Office Hours, which you should subscribe to if you like reading this kind of stuff.
LOOK.// Etienne Krähenbühl's “Big Bang” is a sound sculpture now installed in the Château de Vullierens in Switzerland. It's soothing and slightly ominous at the same time, true to the sculptor's intent to “create pieces in which sound, movement, and the contrast between monumentality and fragility acquire primordial importance.”
DRINK.// Wayfinder Brewery’s CZAF Decocted Pilsner
Portland-based Wayfinder Brewery's Czech Pilsner, CZAF, is indeed Czech as fuck. A generous friend shared a can of it with me, and I was impressed at the level of attention to detail in such a drinkable beer. Decoction mashing yields layers of brioche-like malt flavors, countered by assertive, earthy-resinous hop bitterness. Even the water profile reads, to me, dead-on.
READ.// “‘My supermarket is safer than the one you’re going to,’ Mr. Cooley told me. In terms of the coronavirus, he was right, of course.” I grew up fishing with my Papa (grandfather) who taught me everything I needed to know about pulling in a largemouth bass and how to properly fry up your catfish catch-of-the-day (cornmeal, accept no substitutes). I still fish regularly, and in this time of keeping our distance, bought a kayak so I could get out to deeper waters. I feel safe out in open water, but this recent New York Times article about the explosion of spearfishing in Australia has me inspired to take the next step in aquatic social distancing and dive all the way in.
LOOK.// I've been doing a good amount of Insta scrolling these days. I never thought an Oklahoma City liquor store's page would suck me in, but then I found @stopbygeorgesokc and my life has never been the same. There's drama, torrid love affairs, some pretty banging original songs, and of course adverts for liquor. I don't want to spoil too much, but just imagine if “Pawn Stars” and “Community” had a baby. Did that sell you on it?
DRINK.// Old Schoolhouse Brewery’s Ruud Awakening Double IPA
I'm a creature of habit, and one of my habits lately has been taking my trusty pup Benny on a two-mile-plus walk whose midway point conveniently falls at a fantastic local bottle shop. There I grab a single can of something refreshing or dank and continue on my way. I've been trying to have a new-to-me beer every time, but damn if that creature-of-habit tendency doesn't rear its head when I see OSH's Ruud Awakening sitting on the shelf. Crisp with all those West Coast hop flavors you thought had left the modern American brewing lexicon, it's a consistent winner that warms my little habitual heart.
READ.// “Critics, Westerberg explains, taught him that Top Forty singles and album-oriented-rock tracks were corny and hackneyed, and that punk rock—Johnny Thunders and the New York Dolls especially—was the way to go.” Critics of all kinds have been taking heat for years, but this article from 2016 shows how essential music criticism was to the creation of one of rock ’n’ roll’s greatest bands. Now someone needs to write a similar piece about beer critics.
LOOK.// From Neo Rauch to Adrian Ghenie, there is so much cool art coming out of the former Eastern Bloc nowadays. One of the best new Czech artists, Daniel Pitín, makes highly evocative, dreamlike mixed-media pieces, capturing what would otherwise be fairly banal settings and subjects. In this slideshow, keep an eye out for “White Ribbon,” “Beekeeper,” and “Christmas Party.” Weirdness.
DRINK.// Pivovary Staropramen’s Cool Grep Radler
Yeah, I know everyone prefers a different brand's grapefruit Radler, but to me, Staropramen’s version tastes better—fruity, sour-sweet and absolutely perfect on a hot summer afternoon. Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re exported outside of the Czech Republic, which happily leaves more for us. There’s a 2% version and a non-alcohol version. Alternate between the two as needed. I doubt you’ll feel like you’re missing the booze.
Curated by The GBH Collective
