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.// “IATA predicts that passenger numbers will return to pre-pandemic levels only by 2023, but others in the industry grimly cite 2024 or 2025.” I usually consume my news in small bites on Twitter, but this in-depth long read on the airline industry’s corona problems is full of extraneous information and data that hint at what the world might look like next year, and in the years after that.
LOOK.// Travel writer Nicholas Gill is best known for his words, but his pictures—mostly taken from his regular beat in South America—are gorgeous, too, illuminating the food, drink, and culture of a part of the world most of us never get to visit.
DRINK.// Catoctin Creek’s Roundstone Rye Cask Proof
This week I'm complementing my regular pivo consumption with the occasional back of Virginia rye whiskey. Sure, it’s a little hot and maybe—just maybe—a shade too oaky, but Catoctin Creek’s 116-proof Roundstone Rye goes well with my regular Pale Lager at the end of the writing day.
READ.// “Without his hold to drape around my shoulders, to shore me up, I sank into hot, wordless grief.” This piece by Jesmyn Ward wrecked me. She beautifully captures the events of this year—losing her husband from COVID-19 in January, the grief that followed, and the protests that broke out after George Floyd's murder. It's incredibly heartbreaking and raw, yet written so poetically, it's hard to put down.
LOOK.// I find space travel terrifying, but also wildly fascinating. “Away” combines science fiction, drama, and romance into a frightening voyage to Mars. I cried, I laughed, and I daydreamed about taking a trip into outer space.
DRINK.// Allagash White's Saison Violette
While I've never been to Maine, this blueberry Saison tastes like the dreamy photography on Allagash's Instagram account. The blueberries delicately dance on your palate and make you feel as if you've plucked a few fresh from the bush.
READ.// “How do you adjust to an ever-changing situation where the ‘new normal’ is indefinite uncertainty?” When shelter-in-place started, I was thriving. Now I feel like I’m slowly sinking. This article by Tara Haelle talks about the adaptive systems we have for handling acutely stressful situations, and how this prolonged pandemic is a little different. Reading it reminded me of a great Twitter thread by Dr. Aisha Ahmad—hopefully “the six-month wall” she describes does come down soon. In the meantime, I’ll look for ways to continue to adapt.
LOOK.// My friend Paul started Black Archivist to help provide tools and resources to Black photographers. “Black Archivist believes in the power of the Black narrative and that Black artists are best suited to tell the stories of our community.” You can donate a camera or, if you are a Black photographer, apply for one. I’ve been following the Black Archivist instagram account and have discovered so many amazing photographers to follow, like Ghanaian artist Prince Gyasi, whose photo is featured in the header image for this RLD.
DRINK.// Hopewell Brewing Co.’s Harvest Pale Ale
Is this my favorite beer … ever? I’m not positive, but it feels pretty near perfect. It’s a fall beer without being too fall. It’s not sweet or syrupy, just simple and easy to drink. In a slightly abbreviated form of Hopewell’s own words, it’s a 5.6% American Pale Ale brewed with freshly picked Chinook hops from Michigan. An unfussy malt profile lets the hops shine, exuding a combination of resinous pine, spice, and juicy pineapple notes. It finishes clean with a delicate bitterness.
Curated by The GBH Collective
