Beer Inspired By ‘The Planets’ Will Soon Be Released By Spacey Michigan Brewery
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Booze! Booze! Booze! We’re used to alcohol artists creating interesting potables for fictional properties like Star Trek, and we’ve seen some other pretty nifty space-based alcohol in the past few years. But I think I’m most interested in the upcoming promotion from the Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery, which will be rolling out a line of varied beers inspired by the orchestral suite “The Planets,” from English composer Gustav Holst. Doing a keg stand for Jupiter just feels natural, doesn’t it?
Here’s how brewery founder Larry Bell is rolling the products out, and what we can expect from each beer. Starting in August, Bell’s will put out one beer every two months, ending in July 2015. You’ll be able to find the goods in both six-packs and on draft, but only if you live within the 20-state distribution zone that Bell’s works with. (That means almost the entire east coast, D.C. included, plus some northern states and Arizona and parts of Southern California.) And if you’re wondering why there isn’t an Earth beer, that’s because our own planet wasn’t included in the suite; besides, almost every beer on Earth is inspired by Earth.
First up is the strong double IPA for Mars, followed by the lighter Blonde Ale for Venus, which has hints of honey, apricot, cardamom, and vanilla. Then expect a Belgian single for mini-Mercury, while Jupiter gets a Malt forward Brown Ale and Saturn will be a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Barleywine. I’d put a ring on that. Uranus flips it up on Mars with a Black Double IPA, and Neptune’s relative mysteriousness inspired a Mystical Stout. Check out the promotional poster.
Bell’s connection to “The Planets” goes back to his high school days, where he played percussion for the “Mars” and “Jupiter” sections of the composition. He later bought a vinyl copy of the suite from composer Leopold Stokowski, which he told Space.com is “just about worn out.” Anyone looking to hear the suite in its entirety need not look anywhere but just below.
Bell’s also puts out an Oberon brew based on the character from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as an Ernest Hemingway-inspired Two-Hearted Ale, based on the short story “Big Two-Hearted River,’ which just so happens to run through some of Bell’s property. I wonder if he owns any real estate on Saturn.
I think we at GFR need to round up the moon dust beer, the beer made aboard the ISS, and any other space-based suds out there, and we need to throw a big drunken party. But not at my house. What about your house?
