“If you were to pair this beer with a song what would it be?”

 

 

At the Boonville Beer Festival I recently asked for a musical pairing with each beer sample I received.  Set against the beautiful Anderson Valley, Booneville beer festival brings together the best of Northern California’s population – hippies and hicks. But when the beer is flowing politics are left behind and the surrounding campgrounds are filled with strangers playing cornhole,  jovial campfire stories, and even a few stray bottles of moonshine.

While immersed in this culture-clashing event it seemed quite perfect to get to know this community even better through my favorite form of currency – drunk music recommendations. The link between music and alcohol is as old as civilization itself; serving as therapeutic escapes from the hardest of times. Both of these sensory treats complement each other as they transport one from an imperfect reality to more harmonious state of mind colored by a symphony of sound that also tantalizes the taste buds.

So to cast a true “Cheers!” to this oft overlooked merriment pairing I conducted a rigorous survey of beer and music duos. This expert knowledge was gathered straight from the hop-swiggin’ hooligans themselves, a myriad of west coast breweries presenting at Boonville Beer Festival. The answers to my survey were surprising, enchanting, and even educational (see: LEGO Movie theme song). I went into this melodic journey expecting a bunch of bluegrass and jam bands, but was happy to find music tastes as diverse as the beers being presented.

Music to Your Beers: Booneville Edition  (Link to Spotify Playlist)

Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, Not For Sale Saison with “Take a Chance on Me” ABBA

How a Saison relates to ABBA is still a mystery to me, but the beautiful Aussie pouring could have told me the pairing was “Spice World” and I would have smiled in agreement.

Societe Brewing Company, The Apprentice with “Half Moon Rising” Yonder Mountain String Band

Sweet sunshine-filled tune that pairs beautifully with this light colored, hazy, just-hoppy-enough American IPA.  

Napa Smith Brewing, Golden Gate IPA with “Truckin’” Grateful Dead

The brewers sang me this song choice with the lyric “What a looooong strange trip it has been!”, which helped explain their euphoria from premiering this new and notable hoppy ale last month.

North Coast Brewing, Brother Thelonious with “On the Sunny Side of the Street” Dizzie Gillespie

North coast’s delicious dark belgian ale is paired expertly with up beat saxophone and the soulful, sultry baseline of this Jazz classic. Throw on a smoking jacket and you’ve got yourself an evening.  

Coronado Brewing Company, Sock Knocker with “Twister” by Keith Swift

Enter the surprise 90’s slow jam admission: the brewer at Coronado was so quick with his pairing response that I’ve got to believe he’s throwin’ back this jam while crying into his strong ale. We got you dude, hang in there.

Sudwerk Brewing Company, The Big DIPL with “Wild Thing”  The Troggs

Described as “a bold brew that is a super nova of hop bitterness & aroma” I’d agree that this 9% Pale Ale could easily be compared to the 1960’s hit “Wild Thing” which recounts the singer’s unabashed passion and lust for a formidable temptress.  

Third Street Ale Works, Zero Dark Thirsty  with “Holier Than Thou” Metallica

This ferocious black IPA deserves the bold, head-banging sound of Metallica, so it’s no wonder that my tasting buddy yelled “Rock on!” as we sipped it down.

Eel River Brewing, Acai Berry Wheat with “Everything is awesome” LEGOS MOVIE

While tasting this fruity (and perhaps antioxidant filled) wheat beer I was serenaded by the euphoric tune: “Everything is Awesome!!” by Tegan and Sarah, & Lonely Island. After not recognizing the song on the brewer’s first attempt he was joined by two charlatans in the tasting line to reprise the chorus in unison with big grins. When I still looked on with a blank stare and confessed to not recognizing the song they yelled: “IT’S FROM THE LEGO MOVIE! C’mon!”. Their cumulative insistence of this fact revealed that  all reasonable people should know this and I had been living under a rock. Consider the knowledge bomb dropped.

Uncommon Brewers, Siamese Twin Ale with “We Intertwined” The Hush Sound

Siamese Twin is a sweet and malty Dubble ale that mirrors this lovely piano rock ballad by The Hush Sound, a quartet with Ben Folds Five-esque melodies that recently reunited for the first time in 5 years.  

Grand Teton Brewing Company, Pursuit of hoppiness with “Paranoid” Black Sabbath

Kick ass hops and full flavor make Pursuit of Hoppiness is a killer brew, no matter how aggressive the soundtrack. 

Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Boont Amber Ale with  “Cosmic Girl” Jamiroquai

Since the festival was themed “super hero” my costume was Cosmic Girl and as such this song paired beautifully with the host brewery’s delicious amber ale. Later that night we sipped this Anderson Valley classic while dancing around the grain room during our own private brewery tour.

St. Florian’s Brewing, Flashover Belgian IPA with “Cheeseburger in Paradise” Jimmy Buffet

Left field pick here! To be sure, it struck me as a joke from the brewer or that she was a closet Jimmy Buffet fan eager for a confidant.

Golden Road Brewing, Wolf among Weeds IPA with  “Weekapaug Groove” Phish

Golden Road has stood out amongst a large field of breweries in California (not a small feat) and so it seems fitting to pair this phenomenal brewery with a similarly infamous jam band.  

Dust Bowl Brewing Company, Hops of Wrath with “This land is your land” Woody Guthrie

As the sun dipped low in the sky, the brewers got a bit more sentimental with their song choices. This pairing denotes the folksy community of tipsy new friends that (at this point in the day) were more than happy to share a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th pour together. 

Mendocino Brewing, Rock Point IPA with “Someone saved my life tonight” Elton John

This song was explained to me in a desperate voice, the voice of a man who has poured “180 tasting cups” and is ready to join the festivities himself. So with my sip of Mendocino Brewing’s well balanced session ale I helped the brewer tap his keg and brought him one step closer to an alcohol-infused salvation. Huzzah!