AltBrau Goes to Olly Olly (GBH)
Once a year the folks from GoodBeerHunting.com host a group of friends at Camp Wandawega in Elkhorn, WI. This year we were invited.
Photo by Melissa Jones (Instagram: @beautyofthebeer)
We’re a few hours late on our schedule, but I suspect that was a rather loose guideline from the start. Andrew Thilboldeaux has been warming up, preparing for his performance inside a dimly lit room full of mostly strangers, taxidermied animals, and vintage furniture in front of a crackling fire. There are no instruments to hide behind. Nothing separating himself from his audience. Andrew creates abstract soundscapes on a laptop and uses his voice as a live layer… minimally lyrical and intensely emotive. This is not the type of music I’m normally into, and I suspect others in the room are in the same boat. To be honest…Andrew doesn’t look the part, either. His large build, shaved head, long beard, and casual-country attire conjure images of indie rock frontmen or rambling blue grass performers. This is not that. His music is abstract, his voice and motion of his body are part of his greater performance art. In this intimate setting amongst industry colleagues, where you can sense we all want to make a good impression, his vulnerability is not only appreciated but indicative of how I imagine we all feel. I know that to be true in my case.
I joined Good Beer Hunting’s membership group The Fervent Few several months ago. I have always appreciated the editorial GBH provides and I was intrigued by their branding/marketing/consulting side, so I decided to put a little money towards supporting their efforts. I had previously met their founder, Michael Kiser, at an event they were involved in and we’d hung out a couple times since (once here in Oakland, once in Chicago where GBH is based). I’ve really enjoyed the community over at the FF and my conversations with Kiser so I started posting more often, specifically in the photography section of the FF group. Unfortunately… I don’t actually know a god damn thing about f-stops or aperture settings. It’s amazing what you can do with a DSLR camera and an editing program. You can imagine how surprised I was, then, when Kiser suggested I submit some photos and a few paragraphs over on the B-Roll section of the GBH site. This section was reserved for intimate and personal moments captured in and around beer. Apparently my lack of skill was made up for by putting myself in interesting situations like brewing on farms in Belgium or going to dive bars in Amsterdam and taking photos of these experiences.
Olly Olly had been on my radar for a while, and when Kiser mentioned it in the Fervent Few I knew I was going to be sitting at home jealously clicking through photographs soon enough. Olly Olly is GBH’s annual event for friends, contributors, and industry professionals where they take over the beautiful Camp Wandawega in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. The list of attendees from the food and beverage world that have attended Olly over the last 8 years is impressive. Once again I was shocked, perhaps more so than when I was asked to submit photos to GBH, when a spot was made available for me should I be able to attend.
Needless to say I purchased my red-eye flight and arranged a ride to Wandawega (many thanks to fellow GBH contributor Brandon Morreale). Of course… I’d prefer to be known for my beer over my photos, so I was sure to pack some bottles to share.
Upon stepping out of the car I quickly remembered my California city-boy lifestyle. The crisp cold wind off Lake Wandawega ripped through my thin hoodie and into my bones. I was greeted by one or two familiar faces (the only folks I had previously met) but I was immediately welcomed into the fold by the various brewers, restauranteurs, and journalist who had already started the party. I had arrived with a few beers in my belly from walking around Milwaukee all day… perhaps an attempt to loosen my nerves… and decided to continue on with the consumption. Night one was incredible, but the alcohol that had at once been my ally… allowing me to befriend every new acquaintance… would soon betray me. The lack of sleep (30+ hours), free flowing beverages, and my eagerness to impress proved to be a volatile combination. As I awoke, head pounding, I felt as if any headway I had made had been lost. It quickly became apparent, however, that anybody who may have been off-put by my inebriation the night before had already forgiven me. My gratitude persists.
Day two began cautiously with a clean slate, a few new friends wondering why I was preferring water for most of the day. I was happy to focus on shooting video of the (in)famous Olly Olly kickball game. In this iteration of the classic school yard game you are challenged to play with the use of only one hand. The other hand should be firmly grasping a cold beverage at all times. A few great catches and exploding cans later and the game was over. It was time to relax before dinner.
The meals at Olly Olly are far beyond your typical camp food. Although I must say I missed seeing marshmallows roasting over the fire, I fell in love with the chicken tacos cooked by Jake Maddux from The Brewer’s Table (Austin TX) and the entire suckling pig beer dinner hosted by the crew at Cinderlands Beer Co (Pittsburg). If only my head hadn’t still been swimming on the morning of day 2 I could have enjoyed the breakfast brisket by Chicago chef Jesse Valenciana aka “ManBQue”. Luckily the coffee from Metric (Chicago) was there when I got up and moving.
Photo by Melissa Jones (Instagram: @beautyofthebeer)
As night fell and temperatures dropped we all gathered around the fire. I shared some early test batches of the beers I have coming out in the next couple months as well as vintage bottles of Secret Army and New Lexicon. Other brewers, professional and amateur alike, opened their beers and ciders. As Andrew Thiboldeaux finished his pre-performance ritual, we crowded into one of the camp’s old buildings. We sat quietly and Andrew began to speak. Last year he asked attendees to look inward and find a version of themselves they could fall in love with. Thiboldeaux’s performance is naturally heady. Psychedelic. America’s best known psychonaut, Timothy Leary, often spoke of arranging “set and setting” before going on a trip. Andrew’s request seems to play into that. This year he asked us to set our intention on putting aside our work and professional concerns and to focus on our creative selves and the times we have had to be brave.
I allowed myself to relax. As the music rose I put aside my insecurities. As Andrew’s vocals swelled and collapsed, notes shifting and bending, I did my best to forget the previous night’s indiscretions. I was just happy to be there.