January 2017
A collective story carefully curated by Nick Toole
We often choose music to fit our mood, situation, or environment. The right song can illuminate a moment, while the wrong one can ruin it all. We believe that what we drink can do the same. A well-made pilsner makes warm weather warmer, and a good cortado can turn around a tired afternoon. We wanted to write this series to explore how music and drink work in tandem, at the right times and in the right circumstances, to make life more beautiful. Please read with a good drink in hand and the right tune in the background.
The wanton ways of Winter have us pining for the Fall again, where change was a predictable constant. Compared to Winter's indecisive cold-warm, snow-rain weather, Fall's reliable and slow decent into colder weather feels like a more welcome kind of change. Here are two Liquid Lyric submissions inspired by that time of year. Consider this our "sweater weather" Liquid Lyrics.
Words by Emily Bowie
Ska Brewing's Euphoria. Each October, Ska Brewing hosts a release party for Euphoria. It's a beer that straddles the seasons; not quite a summer beer, not quite a winter brew. The event has music, beer (of course), food, and festivities.
You grab Euphoria from the crowed bar - It's been half a year since you had it last. The bartender mouths at you over the voices, each competing with the others from room in the echoey bar. You squeeze through the crowd with anticipation and step outside onto the grassy hill. A folk music band dances on the platform, producing melodies akin to the recently released Lumineers album, Cleopatra. Children run around your feet, dogs bark.
You settle at a picnic table. The air is crisp, the mountain view is beautiful; a canvas of yellows and oranges. You sip Euphoria for the first time in months - It instantly carries you on a deep golden, malty, caramel ride into winter memories. Euphoria is a familiar fall comfort; and a stark reminder of the changing seasons. One sip has you eyeing the mountains. The light, comforting, and hauntingly familiar, Lumineer's Sleep on the Floor jumps to your mind...
"Pack yourself a toothbrush dear / Pack yourself a favorite blouse / Take a withdrawal slip / Take all of your savings out / 'Cause if we don't leave this town / We might never make it out..."
Like the song, Euphoria encourages escape. One sip provokes anxiety to take advantage of the short-lived golden, high-country bliss that is fall. You dream of running to the mountains and immersing yourself in autumn, amongst the apples, sweaters, aspens, and the Lumineer's Sleep on the Floor as your soundtrack - before winter blankets it all for months.
Words by Justin McCarty
Much like how the calendar shifts from summer to fall in an instant, so too does the weather in Bend, Oregon. We have gone from 80 degrees and sunny to freezing nights and snowy mountains. So for my first October night I thought that I might open something that would warm my heart a bit and listen to a little Marty O'Reilly & the Old Soul Orchestra (Chris Lynch on violin, Matt Goff percussion, and Ben Berry on bass). Bottled in June of this year Block 15's Golden Canary is an oak-aged Wild Ale featuring a mixture of aged barrels ranging from 18 months to 36 months, as well as the trifecta of yeast in my life: Brettanomyces, Pediococcus, and Lactobacillus. Leading with fruity notes that remind me of a summer so recently gone and continuing into a complex and hearty acidic finish that warms the heart. I am happy to have this ale by my side on a cold evening. Pairing very well with Cold Canary Gaslight, a tune meant for a cold fall night. Rich strings and a steady melody it is a perfect background for sharing a glass of Golden Canary with some friends.