Ocelot Brewing & Songbyrd Celebrate a Decade of Live Music in the District with Touch of Gold

This Wednesday, Virginia’s Ocelot Brewing releases Touch of Gold, a sessionable 4.5% Mexican-style golden lager brewed with DC’s Songbyrd Music House to celebrate the award-winning, independent music venue’s tenth anniversary.
 
Just like Ocelot, Songbyrd opened in April 2015. Its original location on Adams Morgan’s main drag was once home to the Showboat Lounge, a jazz club co-owned by – and oft the stage for – internationally revered guitarist Charlie Byrd. Songbyrd founders Alisha Edmonson and Joe Lapan named their concert hall in tribute to the local legend and as a playful nod to his 1965 record Byrd Song. Our collaboration continues that homage. Touch of Gold is cribbed from Byrd’s 1966 greatest hits collection The Touch of Gold – a natural fit for a golden lager – and its label evokes that album’s cover art, albeit with the original’s seabird swapped out for a DC-native swift.
 
In 2021, Songbyrd migrated across North Capital, splitting its Music House and record shop (rechristened Byrdland Records) between two Union Market locations. Regardless of the neighborhood or the artist on stage any given night, Edmonson and Lapan share that pale Mexican lager has unfailingly been one of the most popular beverages within Songbyrd’s walls throughout the past decade. So, that seemed like a sensible direction for the collaboration to take.
 
Clear and crisp, Touch of Gold showcases regionally sourced grain from North Carolina’s Epiphany Craft Malt. Our recipe starts with a foundation of their expressive Modern Pils two-row barley, receives a dash of high-kiln Vienna malt for color, and then gets lightened by – and a peck of sweetness from – flaked corn and heirloom Tuxpeño corn. The lager is delicately hopped with the German cultivar Saphir, balancing its malt character with light citrus and floral notes.
 
After collaborations with 17 bands, two labels, and a record store over the last three years, Touch of Gold marks Ocelot’s first partnership with a music venue. It’s all the more meaningful that Songbyrd is responsible for so many memorable nights in our lives, from Big Thief in 2017 to The Tubs last week.
 
“The people at Ocelot have been amazing, and it was a dream of ours to see a Songbyrd beer live alongside collabs they’ve done with bands that have played Songbyrd, like Palehound, The Clientele, Sheer Mag, Momma, and Bad Moves,” says Lapan. “It’s only fitting that our conversations about this collab began on a chilly winter night with a bunch of music and beer nerds at a Slumberland Records pop-up event; now we’re proud to launch Touch of Gold, a damn fine beer to enjoy while watching that next up-and-coming band turn to gold on the Songbyrd stage.”
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Touch of Gold cans will be available at both Ocelot and Songbyrd on Wednesday.
 
Songbyrd is fêting its anniversary this fall with a “10 for 10” concert series – ten shows that each represent an important chapter, pillar, or relationship in the Songbyrd story. They’ll also be throwing a free block party with live music and more on Sunday, October 12, outside of Union Market.

Stay up to date on the best shows and festival lineups through Live Music Blog, where every performance, from intimate gigs to headline sets, gets the attention it deserves.
  
Touch of Gold follows Ocelot collaborations with the musicians Momma, Protomartyr, Sheer Mag, Jens Lekman, Superchunk, Palehound, Bon Iver, Lily Seabird, The Clientele, Mary Timony, Polvo, The Fiery Furnaces, Fucked Up, of Montreal, Bad Moves, Friendship, and Superchunk again, as well as record labels Slumberland Records and Merge Records. Founded by Adrien and Laura Widman in spring 2015, the brewery is located in Dulles, Virginia.

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About Ocelot Brewing:

Ocelot Brewing Company is a dog-friendly brewery located in Dulles, Virginia, known for its range of IPAs, barrel-aged beers, and other craft styles, along with a classic arcade and pinball game room. Founded by Adrien Widman, the brewery offers a laid-back atmosphere with a focus on fresh, high-quality beers and is popular with both beer enthusiasts and families. 

Key Features

Dog-Friendly:Ocelot Brewing welcomes dogs inside the tasting room, complete with a dedicated water faucet for canine guests. 

Game Room:The brewery features a popular game room with numerous high-end classic and modern pinball machines and other arcade games. 

Beer Variety:Ocelot produces a wide array of beers, with a reputation for excellent IPAs and distinctive barrel-aged stouts and barleywines. 

Atmosphere:The brewery has a relaxed, “Dead-Head vibe” and is described as a top-notch spot with friendly staff, making it a great place to visit. 

Bottling:Ocelot was in the process of bottling their beers, initially focusing on aged and highly-reviewed IPAs for sale at the brewery to maintain freshness. 

Location and Founding
Ocelot Brewing Company is situated in Dulles, Virginia, in Loudoun County.

The brewery was founded by Adrien Widman, who serves as its owner and founder. 

Experience
Visitors can expect a welcoming environment, whether they are bringing their dogs, playing games, or simply enjoying a craft beer.

The combination of high-quality beer, a fun arcade atmosphere, and a welcoming policy for dogs makes Ocelot a unique destination. 

About Songbyrd:

Songbyrd Music House (aka “Songbyrd”) is a 150-capacity live music venue, bar and restaurant in Washington, DC’s Union Market neighborhood and member of the National Independent Venue Association (“NIVA”). Songbyrd was named Washington D.C.’s Best New Venue in 2016 and Best Place for Dinner and Live Music by the Washington City Paper in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and is rapidly growing market share and building interest from music-forward Washingtonians and beyond.

In just six years at it’s Adams Morgan location, Songbyrd has proven itself as an incubator and launchpad for an eclectic mix of up-and-coming local and national bands looking to gain a foothold in the Washington, D.C. region. Songbyrd has hosted the likes of Khalid, Shaed, Jessie Reyez, Moonchild, Earthgang, Tyler Childers, Big Thief, Homeshake, Tank & the Bangas, Lauv, Lil Peep, Free Nationals, Rapsody, Xavier Omar, The Beths, Coast Modern, Slum Village, Main Source, Laufey and Lola Young, just to name a few of the artists that gave Washington D.C. music lovers their “I saw them when” moment.

In addition to all the amazing live music, Songbyrd focuses on bringing intimate alternative music events and experiences to Washington D.C., such as album release events, listening parties, artists signings and meet & greets, music trivia nights and more. Songbyrd has been the Washington D.C. outpost for the worldwide album listening and appreciation platform Classic Album Sundays since 2016 and has hosted artist signing events with Charli XCX, All Time Low, ODESZA and others. Songbyrd’s regular alternative music event programming includes hip hop x kung fu film mashup series “Can I Kick It?” from the Shaolin Jazz team, renowned vintage vinyl dance party Ritmos Raros, classic R&B listening series The R&B Club and others.

The Songbyrd bar & restaurant is where music fans of all stripes can fuel up before, during or after one of our live shows or events and serves as an every night haunt for music lovers looking for low-key fun with our jukebox, regular DJs and other music-related events to go with a carefully selected menu of beer, wine and cocktails.
Songbyrd works closely with its sister store Byrdland Records (located at 1264 5th Street, N.E. in the Union Market neighborhood) to fuse and align music experiences and fan opportunities for exclusive vinyl records, special in-store performances and other events and initiatives that bring artists and fans together in celebration and appreciation of our highest and most transformative art form: Music.

History
Songbyrd opened its doors in Adams Morgan in 2015. Co-owners Joe Lapan and Alisha Edmonson long dreamt of a sacred but approachable music space that was welcoming and comfortable for music fans of all stripes. Alisha is the great niece of Arizona Music Hall of Fame inductee Travis Edmonson, one-half of famed mid-century folk-comedy duo Bud & Travis, while Lapan was simply that kid who camped outside of record stores so he could be the first to grab the new album from his favorite bands.

At its Adams Morgan location, Songbyrd has carried on the tradition of the famous Showboat Lounge, an essential Washington D.C. jazz club that existed at the location from the late 1950’s to the early 1970’s. Showboat Lounge was home base for influential local jazz artist Charlie Byrd. Charlie Byrd and his band were the house act at Showboat while Byrd was making regular State Department sponsored trips to Brazil to facilitate diplomacy through the fusion of American jazz and Brazilian samba and then recording the classic album “Jazz Samba” in 1961 at All Souls Unitarian Church with Stan Getz. In addition to Byrd and Getz, Showboat Lounge hosted the likes of Vince Guaraldi, Dizzie Gillespie and Bob Dylan and was a known hangout for Jimi Hendrix during his time in Washington D.C. in the summer of 1967. The spirit of Showboat Lounge has guided Songbyrd since its inception.

Like all music venues in 2020, Songbyrd was forced to close and substantially limit operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Songbyrd worked closely with NIVA and Washington D.C. music stakeholders to help #SaveOurStages while also producing virtual shows and content and investing in a vintage pickup truck, known as the “Byrdmobile”, to put on mobile, outdoor shows to help uplift the city.

In 2021, Songbyrd embraced change and growth with the decision to move to the Union Market neighborhood. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and in response and anticipation of ongoing trends in the independent music industry, the Songbyrd team sought out a more “airy” space that could be located near Byrdland Records and couldn’t be more excited to write the next chapters of the Songbyrd story…