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.// “As the day goes on and the sun goes down, cortisol levels are supposed to drop so that you can relax and recover, but for many people these days, this doesn’t happen to the extent that it should. Interacting with electronics, such as the TV and cell phone, cause us to produce more cortisol, and that keeps us in a stressed state throughout the day and into the night. All day long-stress is unhealthy, and can really tax your adrenal glands.” I feel I can pat myself on the back because I’ve been pretty strict about putting my phone away in the evenings. Stress levels are high for lots of people these days, and I’ve been looking at different ways to alleviate stress in the body.
LOOK.// The CDC recommends no large gatherings during the holidays. Which means I’ll miss seeing family and eating food in my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Missing out on the simplest things in life can be a good kick in the ass—a reminder to cherish your family and your origins. Lord knows, I sure miss “crackin’ teet” with my Low Country family and friends.
DRINK.// Anchor Brewing’s Christmas Ale
My wife has repeatedly requested we have a steady supply of Anchor’s Christmas Ale on hand for our holiday dinners. It’ll definitely pair well with all the smoked meats and hearty Guyanese and Low Country dishes we plan to prepare.
READ.// “If you’re just an everyday American who casually enjoys eating nice and sometimes new foods and drinking refreshing and sometimes alcoholic beverages outside your home in an effort to delay the existential dread of an examined life, you may not have registered changes taking place, even as you enjoyed the benefits of the transformation. Like a fishing trawler sitting out at sea when a tsunami rolls by seismically deep below, almost entirely undetected, we are all capable of living through something remarkable without quite realizing it, until it’s over and suddenly people start asking each other where they were.” Kevin Alexander’s fascinating history of the most recent culinary revolution in the U.S. covers the past 15 years of What Just Happened in terms of restaurants, bars, food, and drink. “Burn the Ice” is excellent, dense, long, and occasionally over-the-top in terms of name-dropping, but there are a *lot* of great people to mention, and a ton of great stories to tell. You’ll get a small thrill every time you turn a page and see someone or someplace you know mentioned.
If you’re interested in understanding where we are in terms of food culture, put this at the top of your TBR list.
LOOK.// Scott Frank’s “The Queen’s Gambit” is a worthwhile miniseries with a compelling story, but much of its fun is purely visual: a rich and focused color palette, exceptional cinematography by Steven Meizler, and rather incredible period costumes by Gabriele Binder, to say nothing of its easy-to-watch star, Anya Taylor-Joy. Most museums are currently closed due to the pandemic, but the cool clothes from the show are currently check-out-able at the Brooklyn Museum’s online exhibition, The Queen and the Crown.
DRINK.// Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg’s Samichlaus
Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg’s Samichlaus is brewed every year around St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6 and released as a yearly vintage about 10 months later. I pretty much only drink it during December, after which I force myself to wait another year to sample this strong, complex and utterly drinkable world classic once again.
READ.// “Where there is mystery, humans will look for answers. Victorians had tea leaves, the early 20th century had the Ouija board, hippies had the Tarot deck, Gen Z has social media. For many of Spears’s fans, the answers to her truth can be found within the neat grid of her Instagram account, if you look hard enough. What appears to the uninitiated as a random assortment of selfies, inspirational quotes, and dance videos is, according to supporters of the so-called #FreeBritney movement, a desperate plea for help.” The #FreeBritney movement is fascinating to me (and I’m sure to many others whose early adolescence was defined by “Hit Me Baby One More Time”). This Vanity Fair piece addresses the bizarre, hush-hush nature of Spears’ ongoing conservatorship fight, as well as the protestors looking to liberate her.
LOOK.// Julieta Romina (@julietaeta)’s photography is dark and fantastical—her portraits intimate and uncanny, her recreations of classical artworks funny and surreal.
DRINK.// Weltenburger Kloster’s Asam Bock
Finally, I’m craving dark beers again. Brewed at the Weltenburg Abbey in Bavaria, this 7.3% ABV Doppelbock is lusciously creamy, full-bodied, roasty, and potent. Though it’s a little strong to be a classic cooking beer, I nevertheless cracked it and enjoyed while preparing my two-person Thanksgiving feast.
Curated by The GBH Collective
