These past few years, the Dogfish Head brewery has been putting out a number of beers in conjunction with musicians, as well as specific works of musicians. Thematically, not all these team-ups make perfect sense. Deltron 3030? Sure, I guess. Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew? Seems like more of a heroin thing, but brew is in the name, so I’ll let it slide. Julianna Barwick? Well, I could see myself relaxing at home with a nice glass of a Dogfish Head beer and Julianna Barwick’s ethereal soundscapes, but otherwise, not feeling a connection. That said: Dogfish Head are soon to put out a beer commemorating the 20th anniversary of Guided by Voices’ Bee Thousand and NOTHING COULD MAKE MORE SENSE IN THE WORLD. To wrap everything up in a perfect bow, the beer is called… Beer Thousand.
Proving that they truly understand what and who they are working with, Dogfish Head chose for Beer Thousand to be an imperial lager, in order to echo the enormous amount of lager that powered Guided by Voices through their garage recording days. This beer has been brewed with 10 grains, 10 hop varieties, and boasts an ABV of 10%. Take a numerical look at this. Multiply the 10 representing the grains with the 10 representing the hop varieties. That’s 100. Take that 100 and multiply it with the 10 representing the ABV percentage. That’s 1000, as in one thousand, as in a thousand, as in BEER THOUSAND. GOOD LORD EVERYTHING IS PERFECT SOMETIMES.
Beer Thousand made its debut at a Guided by Voices show on June 19 in Madison, Wisconsin, and is currently available at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, while supplies last. Those not at that particular show or anywhere close to Rehoboth Beach will have to wait until early fall, when the beer will be distributed through the brewery’s 30-state distribution network, as long as local approval goes through. In keeping with the “10” theme, the beer will be accompanied by a 10-inch record of 10 live tracks recorded on June 25, 1994, during the band’s first tour, dubbed the Insects of Rock tour. That was the past, though, so here’s a thing for the present: Guided by Voices will also be playing a Dogfish Head-sponsored show on August 21 at the Milton Theater in Milton, Delaware.
• Guided by Voices: http://www.gbv.com
• Dogfish Head: http://www.dogfish.com
More about: Guided by Voices
