Jens Lekman and Ocelot Imagine a Beer for Other People’s Weddings

You are cordially invited to the release of Ocelot Brewing’s Beer for Other People’s Weddings, a rustic lager made in matrimony with Jens Lekman. Out today, the 4.8% kellerbier is a plus-one to the Swedish singer-songwriter’s forthcoming opus Songs for Other People’s Weddings, which lands online and in record shops later this week via his longtime label Secretly Canadian. 

Songs for Other People’s Weddings is an album set during the lead-up to, amidst the commotion engulfing, and in the wake of nuptial unions. It’s a concept record that tells the tale of an empathetic wedding singer named J as he performs at ceremonies across the world – from Gothenburg to Brooklyn to Saxony – and falls in and out of love. The collection of 17 lush, technicolor songs functions as the parallel-universe rock opera to David Levthan’s new book Songs for Other People’s Weddings, which the acclaimed author wrote in collaboration with Lekman, himself an accidental wedding singer. (Not a coincidence, of course.)
 
Our collaboration with Lekman continues the matrimonial motif. It takes inspiration from the thousand-year-old tradition of bride ales, beers served at and often brewed specifically for wedding feasts throughout Northern Europe. We wanted our bride ale – or, bride-lager, as it were – to be light, refreshing, and not overly complicated. Something that will appeal to everyone at the reception.
 
Because a bride ale historically would have been brewed locally with an amalgamation of ingredients grown on nearby farms, we exclusively utilized regional grains malted and kilned by our friends at Epiphany Craft Malt. Their Modern Pilsner two-row barley takes the lead, laying down nuanced notes of freshly baked bread and honey. Triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye, joins in with harmony of subtle spice. A smattering of Emulator and CandyKrush malts rounds out the profile, imparting a touch of color to the golden lager. And now the recipe has taken shape – we’ve got a chorus, a hook, and a break.
 
Befitting a record so vibrant, Beer for Other People’s Weddings is a kellerbier: unfiltered and given a slightly shorter conditioning period to amplify the vivacity of its malt depth and Hallertau Mittelfrüh’s floral, citrusy hop character. It’s meant to be drank fresh and fast, as if today was the biggest of big days.
 
The bride-lager’s label features art by Alexander Palmestål. The Gothenburg-based designer is responsible for the visual identity of Songs for Other People’s Weddings (the album), and he was kind enough to let us use his original sketch for what became the LP’s cover. The convivial rendering perfectly captures the spirit of a beer made for joyous occasions both large and small. And it’s a reflection of how we feel – elated at collaborating with a musician whose singularly perceptive storytelling has soundtracked our lives for decades.
__________

Songs for Other People’s Weddings arrives on Secretly Canadian this Friday. Jens Lekman’s upcoming U.S. tour includes a show at DC’s Union Stage on Monday, November 17.
 
Beer for Other People’s Weddings is now available at the brewery with limited distribution to follow.
  
The lager follows previous Ocelot collaborations with Momma, Protomartyr, Sheer Mag, Superchunk, Palehound, Bon Iver, Lily Seabird, The Clientele, Mary Timony, Polvo, The Fiery Furnaces, Fucked Up, of Montreal, Bad Moves, Slumberland Records, Merge Records, and Superchunk again.