You might know that Ocelot Brewing Company enjoys music, and the occasional collaboration. They’ve got two of note. “Many of us in the Ocelot family go to several shows at DC venues throughout any given year, and every time there’s one at 9:30 Club, the Shaw/V St. Andy’s Pizza location is our go-to pregame spot. It’s basically tradition at this point, so we want to honor that as best we can,” Ocelot head brewer Jack Snyder tells us. Look for a Franconian-style Kellerbier with Emily Brown, beverage director for Andy’s Pizza, in late October.
We’ve been dancing around a collab for over a year now, Brown says. “This beer is going to pair great with any pizza, and it’s going to be one that you can easily have several of back to back.” The beer–with a musically inspired name to be announced later–features Saphir and Tettnanger hops and a touch of rye in the grain bill.
“Something crisp — yet also satisfyingly doughy, malty, & textured — seemed like an ideal pairing for a putting in a session with some Andy’s pizza. Only moderate carbonation should help folks take on that extra slice without becoming uncomfortably full,” says Snyder. Be on the lookout for a late October release party at Andy’s, and cans will be available wherever Ocelot is sold.
The second collaboration is with DC band Bad Moves, and is already available. “Outta My Head (the beer) was designed to mirror the band’s distinctive power pop. It’s a power hop IPA, if you will. The body is luxe and polished, rendered silky smooth with copious additions of malted oats and flaked wheat. The hop character is bright, bold, and immediately engaging. But lest you think we’re descending into cloying sweetness, this IPA is balanced with a refreshing dryness and ever-so-slightly prickly bitterness. And just as Bad Moves can pack an album’s worth of hooks into less than four minutes, Outta My Head lands at a tight 6.3%,” notes a press release.
You can taste the beer and listen to the album at Parkview bar No Kisses on Wednesday, September 11, and local music shop Smash Records will also attend. Prefer live music? Bad Moves is playing the Black Cat on September 27, and Ocelot will be there as well. Ekko Astral, who collaborated on a beer with Right Proper in June, will open.
As a bonus, Ocelot’s annual double IPA collaboration with The Veil, Big Cat, releases at the brewery on Wednesday as well. Maybe they’ll bring a can or two to No Kisses if we ask nicely.
We also asked Snyder about Ocelot’s Snallygaster 2024 plans. “As far as Ocelot beers at Snally… we intend to bring 4 different beers again — something we did for the first time last year, & we were all happy with how that variety played out,” he writes. “Folks can certainly expect some hops & some lagers — & very likely an as-of-yet unannounced/unnamed barrel aged stout.”
