It was hard to imagine that we’d be able to top last year’s Record Store Day. Between our collaboration with The Flaming Lips and a limited edition vinyl featuring two original songs, it was one for the books. Then came 2019…
Now in our fifth year as the Official Beer of Record Store Day, we’re bringing together independent beer and independent record stores by reigniting our collaboration with longtime friends the Grateful Dead, as well as re-releasing the fan-favorite American Beauty pale ale. We’re also turning up the volume with the creation of Sage & Spirit, a limited edition 10-track vinyl album that will release on Record Store Day (Saturday, April 13).
“The enjoyment of a beautiful beer alongside an amazing album is an exponentially awesome experience, and we at Dogfish, take every opportunity we can get to weave together the art of brewing and our love of music,” says Dogfish Head founder & CEO Sam Calagione. “We’ve always been inspired by the Grateful Dead’s creativity, collaborative nature and most of all music, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them again for the re-release of American Beauty and our Record Store Day release.”
Brewed to 6.5% ABV to commemorate the year the Grateful Dead was formed (1965), American Beauty is an all-American pale ale infused with granola and succulent wildflower honey. First concocted back in 2012, American Beauty is now available year round in a 6-pack 12 oz. bottles with red, white and blue packaging featuring the band’s iconic ‘dancing bears.’ If you’re a fan of the design, check out our American Beauty-themed Crosley record player! Available for sale at dogfish.com/shop, it’s the perfect turntable to use when dropping the needle on a copy of Sage & Spirit.
Featuring a handpicked collection of Grateful Dead melodies, Sage & Spirit was curated by the band’s audiovisual archivist and legacy manager, David Lemieux. After combing through the band’s expansive discography, Lemieux selected the following tracks to appear on this collaborative Record Store Day release: “Sugar Magnolia,” “Eyes Of The World,” “Lost Sailor,” “Saint Of Circumstance,” “High Time,” “Unbroken Chain,” “If I Had The World To Give” and “Sage and Spirit.” Also featured on the album are recordings of “Jack Straw” and “Brown-Eyed Women” from the band’s European tour in 1972. The perfect accompaniment to a pint of American Beauty, copies of Sage & Spirit will be sold, starting on Record Store Day, Apr. 13, at independent record stores around the country.
“Choosing the songs for ‘Sage & Spirit’ really didn’t take long, but that’s not to say I didn’t put a lot of work into it. My directive was, ‘You’re sitting on the porch. It’s a summer day. You’re drinking a Dogfish Head American Beauty and listening to the Dead,’ and immediately I thought, ‘I got it,’” says David. “I was so inspired by that directive that the record turned out to be just that; the soundtrack to a summer day – or really any day. It’s mellow and meditative, and every song is a truly beautiful track.”
With the help of friend and 2019 Off-Centered Art Series artist Michael Hacker, not only have we created a psychedelic album cover for Sage & Spirit, we’ve also created the Official Poster of Record Store Day, and in true Hacker fashion you’ll find an intricately woven story of collaboration and celebration … with one very special surprise. Dim the lights and dig out that black light, because this year’s work of art is none other than a blacklight poster! This limited edition poster will be available for free at select stores and bars that sell Dogfish, as well as on Record Store Day at participating music retailers.
But, that’s not all! As self-proclaimed beer geeks with a music problem, we’re also bringing back Dragons & YumYums – our collaboration with The Flaming Lips. Shipping nationwide just in time for Record Store Day, this intensely tropical yet subtly bitter pale ale is brewed with a combination of dragon fruit, yumberry, passion fruit, pear juice and black carrot juice for an explosion of fruit in every sip. Part of the Off-Centered Art Series, Dragons & YumYums (6.5% ABV) is making its comeback in 6-pack 12 oz. bottles with a playful and vibrant new look from artist Michael Hacker.
Rounding out our Record Store Day celebrations is a yet another melodic music collaboration, Wood-Aged Bitches Brew. Available year round in 6-pack 12 oz. bottles, this gustatory tribute was originally brewed to honor the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis’ legendary 1970 jazz-fusion record. Bitches Brew is a blend of three threads of an imperial stout and one thread of Tej, a native African honey beer. Wood-Aged Bitches Brew is the same bold, dark beer you’ve come to know and love, but this time it has been aged in American oak and Palo Santo wood tanks. A 9% ABV brew chock full of roasty aromas of vanilla, licorice and chocolate, this succulent sipper is best enjoyed alongside some classic jazz-fusion tunes.