From Ocelot:
Why do you have to put a date on everything? So Mac McCaughan memorably wondered on Superchunk’s classic fourth LP Foolish. Thirty years later, an answer may not be any more readily apparent, but we’ll say this: A meaningful milestone is a hell of an excuse for a party.
To wit, next week, Merge Records – the legendary and ever-vital independent music label co-founded by McCaughan and Laura Balance – celebrates its 35th anniversary over four nights at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina. And on Wednesday, the festival’s kickoff, Raleigh’s Funguys Brewing and Virginia’s Ocelot Brewing will proudly unveil two collaborations with Merge for the occasion: I’ll Come Crushing, a 5.1% dry-hopped pilsner, and Today Is Gonna Be Mine, a citrusy sparkling hop water. Both will be available during the sold-out Merge 35 and directly from Funguys’ Paula Street taproom.
In many ways, the beer’s style could be considered a fait accompli. Late July humidity and long evenings call for crisp, approachable, refreshing beers – crushers, if you will. And McCaughan has long been an avowed pilsner enthusiast. Thus, I’ll Come Crushing (a play on A Giant Dog’s 2016 anthem “I’ll Come Crashing”) was conceived as a pale lager. As it had to be.
I’ll Come Crushing’s grist is traditional in construction: 100% Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner Malt, floor malted in Czechia with Bohemian-grown heirloom barleys. The pilsner’s two hops, meanwhile, represent the bookends of the label’s timeline. From Bricks’ Winterspring cassette to Previous Industries’ Service Merchandise, MRG001 through MRG844, Merge’s 35 years bridge five decades. In tribute to the earliest days, we bittered I’ll Come Crushing with the noble-esque Mt. Hood, an American varietal that debuted commercially, like Merge, in 1989. For a delicate dry hop – and as a nod to the present decade – we were fortunate to utilize the 2024 harvest of New Zealand Peacharine, generously provided courtesy of Freestyle Hops. Bred and introduced by the Nelson-based hop grower only a few years ago, Peacharine abounds with expressions of tangerine zest, white grapefruit, and ripe nectarine. Also, a Kiwi cultivar felt only fitting given Merge’s rich history distributing the music of The Clean and Tall Dwarfs, among other New Zealand gems.
Our hop water, Today Is Gonna Be Mine, borrows its optimistic name from an irresistible track on The Clean frontman David Kilgour’s 2002 solo album: the soon-to-be-reissued A Feather in the Engine. Infused with the Pacific Northwest’s almighty Citra, this spritzy thirst-quencher radiates juicy hop flavor and fragrance – mango, passion fruit, sweet orange – without any alcohol or gluten. It was made with Merge employees and musicians who don’t drink beer in mind… but the appeal of tasty hydration is universal, especially this time of year. Notably, the release marks Funguys’ first canned hop water following some lengthy taproom R&D.
That can, along with I’ll Come Crushing, depicts a scene of the oceanic depths. In olden times, long before 1989, coral plucked from the seafloor was customarily given for 35th wedding anniversaries – a symbol of steady growth and perseverance. Merge Art Director Daniel Murphy riffed on that convention in designing Merge 35’s visuals and merchandise. Think giant octopuses, flounder, anglers, and, of course, plenty of coral. In turn, Funguys resident illustrator Allie Daigle used Murphy’s aquatic renderings as inspiration for the collaborations’ lush, colorful labels.
It's impossible to encapsulate the impact that Merge has had on independent music over the past 35 years – and in our own lives as listeners. Even the label’s previous anniversary compilations, subscription series, and festivities are seminal. Funguys and Ocelot are humbled to be a part of this one.
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Nick and Carly Brango opened Funguys Brewing during the spring of 2018. The self-described “mom-and-pop” operation was named the country’s best new brewery in a 2022 USA Today poll. All Funguys beer, including I’ll Come Crushing, is made entirely by Nick and Carly.
Located in Dulles, Virginia, Ocelot Brewing celebrated its 9th anniversary in April. The brewery is owned and operated by Adrien and Laura Widman. I’ll Come Crushing and Today Is Gonna Be Mine follow previous collaborations with Merge artists Mary Timony, The Clientele, Fucked Up, and Superchunk, in addition to Sheer Mag, Protomartyr, Palehound, and of Montreal.
I'll Come Crushing was brewed with the help of the Merge team on May 16.
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