Beer and Pavement

January rolls around. We recover from our holiday hangovers and prepare to cleanse and write resolutions for the year. Typically, the same sort of reset happens with craft beer and indie rock. Both industries take a moment to breath in preparation for the new year, even if it’s our last.

I look at January as the “Dead Season”. There are no or very few major releases from either craft breweries or indie labels. Someone will point out that there are a few noteworthy releases, but this pales in comparison to the plethora of releases in November/December. Nope, this is the time of year little comes out as we collect our…er…collective breaths and prepare for what the year has in store for us.

Two notable releases will be my only respites during this Dead Season.

The first is the Guided By Voices album, Let’s Go Eat the Factory which features the band’s classic (and somewhat geriatric) lineup. And from what I can tell from listening to the stream on NPR, it’s an album that would have fit well among Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, and Under the Bushes Under the Stars. Now, it’s not as good as those albums, but Let’s Go… is a swell piece of nostalgia reunions alone could never completely fulfill. I look forward to my copy arriving in a few weeks and giving you all a complete review then.

The other release is Bells Hopslam. Hopslam season has been well-documented here by the coalition and probably will receive some attention when this year’s version hits store shelves. I’ve put in an order for my family to obtain a minikeg again. After months of imperial stouts and oak-aged barley wines weighing down my palate, that shining light that is Hopslam will burst into my mouth, most likely featuring loads of grapefruit and honeyed sweetness. Can’t wait!

So, the Dead Season will end joyously with the nectar of the gods rolling down my throat as the dulcet tones of Bob Pollard and his boys rattle my eardrums. The Dead Season will end soon enough.