Have you ever dreamed of grabbing a beer with your favorite band? Maybe you’ve imagined yourself taking your favorite artists to your favorite dive bar or brewery and charming them with your wit, unbeatable music taste, and insightful takes, proving to them that you’re not a groupie but perhaps someone who could actually become a friend. Or maybe you’ve never indulged the thought of para-social relationships and this is an entirely foreign line of thinking, but you still enjoy quality local beer and rock music. Whichever camp you fall in, I have great news for you. Tomorrow, Oct. 18, Loudoun County craft brewery Ocelot Brewing is releasing a brand new beer, U Want It U Got It, in collaboration with the El Kempner-led rock project Palehound ahead of the band’s Union Stage gig this Saturday, Oct. 21. It’s not quite grabbing a pint with the band, but it’s pretty damn close.
U Want It U Got It, named for a song off Palehound’s latest album, Eye On the Bat, draws inspiration from the Mexican paloma cocktail and was brewed with dried limes before being fermented with grapefruit, agave nectar, and—in a departure from the classic recipe—strawberry. The result is a fruity and tangy beer tailored to Kempner’s preference of cocktails and sour ales. Ocelot describes it as leading “with notes of muddled strawberry jam, underpinned by vibrant citrus fruit and the essence of agave.” At 6 percent ABV, the beer is approachable and appealing even to those not familiar with Ocelot or Palehound, though after this beer and concert, you will be well acquainted with the epicness of both.
The can’s label design is as playful as the beer itself. Ocelot’s creative director, David Kammerdeiner, drew a southwest saloon populated with characters and imagery inspired by various tracks off Eye On the Bat. U Want It U Got It’s execution makes it evident that this isn’t the brewery’s first time making music-inspired beers. This brew follows Ocelot’s collaborations with the Clientele, Protomartyr, and Fucked Up earlier this year.
City Paper previewed Palehound’s upcoming show for our 2023 Fall Arts Guide because, in our opinion, their newest album is one of the most triumphant projects to come out this year. Kempner shreds so hard on the record that Rolling Stone recently named them one of the 250 greatest guitarists of all time. Kempner has mastered many trades and Ocelot’s new sour ale is a reflection of that mastery.
If the Arts Guide write-up wasn’t enough to get you to the gig this Saturday, perhaps the promise of an exclusive and delicious new local sour will get you there. Pick up U Want It U Got It from Ocelot’s Dulles location ahead of Palehound’s local show. Or wait until Saturday and snag it at Union Stage as you listen to its namesake being played live. Either way, you want it, you got it.
U Want It U Got It is available starting Wednesday, Oct. 18, at Ocelot Brewing. ocelotbrewing.com. Palehound play at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 at Union Stage. unionstage.com. $20–$40.