Protomartyr and Ocelot Unveil “Formal Growth In The Desert” Lager

From Ocelot:

Make way. This Wednesday, June 14^th, Ocelot Brewing will release Formal Growth In The Desert, a 4.8% lager brewed in collaboration with Detroit post-punk maestros Protomartyr. Our pale golden creation shares its name with – and draws inspiration from – the band’s sixth full-length record, Formal Growth In The Desert, a prowling and propulsive 38 minutes of music released earlier this month on iconic indie Domino.

At its core, Formal Growth In The Desert satisfies the primal desire for a crushable lager that Protomartyr can consume while performing their songs on stage. Low ABV. Balanced bitterness. Maximally quenching. This is firmly in line with the earliest direction we received from the band. And they requested that, stylistically, the beer be described simply as “lager.” Would “rustic American lager” be more apt? Doesn’t matter. Just “lager.”

Much as Protomartyr’s music has long channeled the ethos of its Midwest roots, Formal Growth In The Desert reflects the terroir of our region. The lager was brewed exclusively with grains grown on small farms across the Piedmont region, malted and kilned by our friends at Epiphany Craft Malt. Their Modern Pilsner two-row barley serves as its base malt, contributing nuanced notes of freshly baked bread and honey. Upon this foundation, we introduced a delicate spice and twangy fullness with malted triticale – a nod, in spirit, to the pedal steel that colors much of Formal Growth In The Desert. We also employed an equal amount of flaked corn to lighten the lager’s body. After all, Formal Growth In The Desert was recorded in the scorching heat of a West Texas summer and then released another summer later; its fermented accompaniment should be dry, sessionable, and otherwise suited for warm weather relief.

While Formal Growth In The Desert is far from a hoppy lager – that would not comport with the Protomartyric ideal of a stage beer – it was gently bittered with kettle additions of Michigan-grown Saaz. Like its European counterpart, this varietal possesses a floral and spicy character. But Michigan Saaz emerges from the Lower Peninsula soil more amplified than the classic Noble version. 10,000 years after glaciers a mile high covered the Wolverine State, the sandy loams left behind are fertile ground for vibrant hops. As Joe Casey sings on “Elimination Dances”, marveling over an admittedly different landscape: “In the desert I was humbled, seeing what a thousand years of ice did.”

Formal Growth In The Desert’s label features original art designed by Protomartyr drummer Alex Leonard. His collage draws from photographs taken by Trevor Naud during the session that produced the album’s cover art.

Protomartyr’s North American tour commences today and includes a June 20^th stop at DC’s Black Cat. Cans of Formal Growth In The Desert will be released at Ocelot Brewing in Dulles, Virginia, with limited local distribution to follow.