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| Muck Elbow Varsity Team 2016 |
What is craft beer in
2016? Most of us can remember the exciting feeling of the spanking new taphouse opening down the road from your
house, offering a plethora of fresh beer you could now finally sip. Each week, news of
a new local brewery, started by weekend homebrew warriors
popped up in my news feed. The excitement was pure bliss! These days, it's
still a fun game to be in, but those memories give me nostalgia similar to
watching The Cleveland Indians at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium with my
dad. Oddly enough, those memories are separated by 25 years, showing how
quickly craft beer has rapidly changed its face. For myself, the beer is a
driving force, but the experiences, projects, and relationships are the
foundation of this craft house. How can craft be an art without seeking a
deeper meaning? That being said, music has also drastically changed over a
similar time span, where we used to be deprived of a bands current happenings
and their brand's identity. Even in the 90's, if we didn't read it in Rolling
Stones Magazine, or stand in line to buy the new CD, you didn't know much. Now,
with social media we all can see what each individual band member’s breakfast
was. I don't want to go into too many details of comparison, but I'll just say
it's obvious that music and craft beer belong in the same realm.
Let's take a step back
and explain the relationship we have with Jimmy Eat World and the reason we toured with them: The AZ natives all
grew up a few miles from our Gilbert location. They have memories of the corner
that our building is based on when it was farmers and fields. We as a company
have invoked the self-sustaining, locality-loving mentality, we are proud to
know a band that has gone gold and platinum right in our backyard. It’s part of
the root system we are trying to cultivate. They also happen to love all things
craft, and especially beer. As we discussed another charity beer collaboration,
we chose the Dirty Hop Water Series seemed a perfect fit. The basis of the DHW series of beers was rock 'n' roll
themed juicy beers, with haze from locally grown unmalted grains. The beer was dubbed 'Integrity Brews'
named after the band's recently released 'Integrity Blues' album, which incredibly
is their 9th studio album. After the first spin of this deeply nuanced album,
we are thrilled how the beer and the music pairs like an artist’s rendition of
liquid art. So now you have the deets,
let's talk the insanity that was the U.K. tour:
We knew that we had to
document the trip. We also had to get a badass person
behind that camera, so we called our talented Brooklyn based Matt Coats. Dude
is legit and he obliged. As we planed the incredibly complicated and chaotic
trip, I started to sense how beautifully this trip was coming together. Check
the schedule:
-Sun Nov 6th, The King's
Arms, Bethnal Green East
London: Due to an issue with U.K. customs, the beer sat at port in Edinburgh
for an extra day. So we brought bottles! The joint is named The King's Arms
which in London is equivalent to the last name 'Smith'. This particular one is
an oasis of culture, blending old guard and new school craft beer under one
roof. Throw in some whisky and meat, and well you might as well put a bed in
the back for The Wilderness Boys. Rick, the bassist of Jimmy Eat World joined
us and we acted as if we had never had an English cask ale in our lives,
consuming amounts that go undocumented and untold. One thing I love about
London, is the vast cultures that have enveloped the English city. Don't worry,
there are still English blokes slurring stories about the old England. We
enjoyed a meal at our amigo Logan Plant's BBQ joint, Dukes Brew and Q, which is
the original home to Beavertown Brewing
Co. Great night. 
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
-Monday Nov 7th, Dublin,
Ireland: The flight from England to Ireland was as beautiful as it gets. The
River Thames which runs through London was caught by the setting sun, which was
quite a sight. Unfortunately, the craft beer scene in Dublin is similar to good
food in England (all apologies!). It's just not there. So, we decided to pass
on sending beer over to Ireland as it was too much trouble. Not to worry! We
imbibed on Guinness and Jameson while enjoying the Jimmy Eat World show at the
gorgeous venue, The Olympia Theater. During the show, the band's headman Jim
Adkins even mentioned this venue was one of his favorite across the world. The
night in Dublin involved wanderings through felt like the Irish version of Disney Land. We ate a
meal at a classic Irish Pub and when we sat at the bar, we come to find out the
gents next to us were from Arizona. So, maybe we were the ultimate tourists
that evening, so much so I bought an 'Ireland' green beanie. So what??!?!
-Tuesday Nov 8th,
Belfast, Northern Ireland: We took the early (11 am) train to Belfast and got
to thoroughly enjoy the Eastern Irish coast. A hearty first class breakfast and
a few shakes of the noggin got the day moving. As we arrived to Belfast, we
immediately rented a car and headed north to Bushmills.
The drive was a classic grey U.K. scene. Muted green grass dotted with dirty
white sheep, with hay bales scattered through the farmland. Matt drove and
intently hydroplaned through every puddle he possibly could. As we reached Bushmills, I think we all thanked our lucky
stars we made it!
After enjoying some of the best Whisky on earth, we headed
north to the Giants Causeway,  |
| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
which lies on the coast. The hexagonal rocks line
the beach in a gallery meant for another world. This truly is one of Earth's
masterpieces. The rock show was awesome as always and afterward we let Belfast
know who we were. We found an amazing place, Rita's, to enjoy libations of the
night. We didn't sleep that night, as we found out that somehow we voted in
President Camacho and soon we would be putting Gatorade on the plants. Because
electrolytes is what we crave. The rest of the trip had at least 100,
"What the bloody hell America?" questions. Anyways....
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
That evening's show was at the famous Barrowlands
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
venue
well known for its springboard dance floor. You could tell Jimmy Eat was on
that night. The rest of the night, well, fell a part in a beautiful way as they
always see to do. A morning breakfast of black puddin' and mushrooms set us off
for the next adventure by train to Manchester.
-Thursday Nov 10th,
Manchester, England. The expedition by train from Glasgow to England might be
some of the most beautiful land in the U.K. The lakes district was dotted with
snow-capped hills and small villages with quintessential English farmhouses
dotting the hillsides. We made a "tour bus" stop in Preston in the
name of cask ale. Along our walk, we passed through a famous historic hotel
that Queen Victoria favored in her time. We reached our destination, where a
man asked, "What are you lads doin' here?" We told him of our travels
and he handed us a 10£ bill and said to go get a beer on him. Hell
yes! What a gesture! So, we did! We completed the journey to Manchester,
where the event was held at one of our friend's spot, The Beer Moth Cafe. What
a spot! We enjoyed it so much, we kind of forgot to attend the Jimmy Eat World
show, as alcohol apparently created a perfect storm of fun. As it does. Beer
Moth is one of the great craft beer establishments around the world. What
a great turnout and fun night in Manchester!
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
Friday Nov 11th, Buxton England: This little town in the
Peaks District of Northern England has a special spot in our hearts. Since our
first visit to brew a collaboration with Buxton Brewery,
we have found the energy of this town to be just what the doctor ordered.
in listened to the new Tribe Called Quest Album as the train rumbled up
into the peaks, watching the old urban decay regress into the most lovely of
country towns. Upon arrival we immediately bought an old plastic stringed
guitar
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
at a thrift shop, knowing that this would come in handy. The Buxton Tap had 8 of our beers on tap, and
there was a buzz in the place. When the Wilderness boys walk in, they know what
is to come! After a few cask ales and conversations with the locals, we headed
to Solomon's Temple, a Victorian era hill marker. This was the scene of the
epic "Muck Elbow" battle that was about to take place. Without going
into to much detail, because it will be in to documentary, you've got to hit or
"muck" the other person's elbow before they muck yours. Enough of
that, as the film will highlight all those hilarious details.
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
Speaking of Muck
Elbow, we were ecstatic to see the reaction of the skeptics in Buxton. Jake, the heady head brewer at Buxton Brewery was surprised that we
NAILED the English Mild. The Brits enjoyed our Mild! As the night forged on,
I'll just say this: Damn I love that town and those people! The documentary
will showcase all the fun that was had.
Saturday Nov 12th, The
King's Arm Bethnal Green, East
London:
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
Back to London. It can
be a really shitty town to get around in. Trains, planes, and automobiles can't
make that city any easier! We arrived the King's Arms to a packed house and a
lot of happy beer drinkers. I have to tell you, it's SO rewarding to have 8
solid beers that traveled so well. A few of the local brewers showed up from
Kernel and Beavertown Brewing
and we had an amazing night. Unfortunately, we will not be invited to the RE
Hotel in Shoreditch :(
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| Photo Credit: @MattCoats |
Sunday the 13th: Find a
plane, and say goodbye.
Projects like these keep
the passion alive. Serving our beer, humbly, from Gilbert Arizona in another
part of the world is a feeling I'll never take for granted. Thank you to the
fine gentlemen in Jimmy Eat World for the collaborative effort. Those boys and
their talents are endless. The road is a serious grind, and they put on
packed-out shows every night. The beer raised 4k in charity, which will go to
The Phoenix Children's Hospital and MS Society. This project will be filed
under success!
P.S. The documentary
will be released in a few weeks, and will be surely a rip-roarin' good time. It
will be ridiculous!
Photo Credit: @MattCoats:
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