Happy Summer, strange people!

I say Summer because, despite the calendrics, the blazing heat and disturbing amounts of humidity insist I do just that. We somehow misplaced spring here in Chicago this year, so we're getting right at the Dionysian dystopia that is the most ruthless part of Chicago in the Summer.

But that's ok, I suppose, oppressive heat & humidity make for good beer consuming for most folks.

With that lodged in your fragile & impressionable mind, here's a good modal plan for your day, free of charge: Wake up, have an ORANGE SUNSHINE and put that early morning bounce back in your footsteps. Go read a book with the birds singing outside and treat yourself to a SLUSHY THING 666around 10am.

That Slushy will put you in the right headspace for some lawn mowing, get that done and then have some lunch. Lunch is generally recommended as a small bag of Flaming Hot Cheet-Ohs and 3 or 4 BEER HERE NOW's.

You're going to be compelled to nap after lunch, but that is unprofessional. Instead, why not power through your mid-afternoon malaise with some music and some private dancing, just you and your dog while enjoying something nice and light, like a TRUST Lager?

By 4pm, it's gonna be too late to really start anything terribly productive anyway, so down shift into a 4-pack of THE PROPER GLASSWARE IS AN EMPTY HEAD and make sure that you're plenty charming for dinner.

Dinner: how about a salad, rack of lamb with a side of white fish and another couple 4-packs of our newest beer to hit the streets on Monday, WEIRD STUDIES BLACK IPA.

After dinner, one should always enjoy a good smoke. And you should always talk to the lovely folks over at Aeriz for the best options for your post dinner smoke. Also, please, keep in mind, there's nothing quite like another ORANGE SUNSHINE to kiss those last little bits of myrcene and limonene as they drift off your parched and purple tongue.

By now, it's desert time, so you should probably enjoy a bottle of that barrel aged ANCIENT MAGICK we did with Old Irving Brewing. It's just sitting there in your fridge and, by this point, the day has become a special occasion. No need to wait on that any longer.

.... Et voilá! That is your perfect prescription for a solid Thursday in Chicago's summer. You're welcome!

I did want to take a second to clue you in on an event that I am certainly very excited about and maybe a few of you will be as well. WEIRD STUDIES will be recording a live podcast here on Monday May 23rd from 7-10ish to celebrate the release of our collaboration beer we made with them, the WEIRD STUDIES BLACK IPA.

Weird Studies, in my estimation (and many other strange folks') remains one of the best-in-class podcasts on this confounding world of human consciousness. It's a Professor of Musicology from Indiana University and a documentary film maker from Canada talking in loops and bifurcations about all things, yes, Weird. That generally shakes out to Weird Fiction (PK Dick, Burroughs, ETA Hoffman, etc), Weird Film (Kubrick, Lynch, Tchaikovsky, Jodorowsky, etc), Weird Spirituality (Hermeticism, I Ching, Zen, Tarot, etc) or just down right weird shit (RPG games, Philosophy, Rifts, Brains, etc).

This is a private event and you need a ticket for it. These tickets are being sold by Weird Studies. $12 gets you in the door, $20 gets you in the door and a very limited edition 18x24" silk screen poster (the image is the one at the top of this email) made by the lovely and troubled Jason Pritchett (the wild-eyed saint who made our mural and many of our illustrations). Here is the link to get tickets. As of this morning there's about 15 tickets left, so I wouldn't dilly dally if this sounds like the way you'd like to start your week next week. I hope to see some of you there. Tickets are very limited and will NOT be available at the door.

Also, new on the streets is SLUSHY THING 666. This lovely 6% seltzer based beast is gluten-free, vegan & lactose free and loaded up with almost 10 gallons per barrel of Raspberry, Banana, Sweet Cherry and some vegan marshmallow extract. This nice, thick fruit bomb is the perfect way to begin or thoroughly end a day depending on your ambitions.

Enjoy the lovely and talented SLUSHY THING 666 and raise a glass to brothers Loni & Doni Wolfschnitzel while you do it.

One last thing before I let you go. Tomorrow, Friday, the wonderful louts over at Drag City are having an all-women art opening that should be one for the forgotten history books. I'm sure you're very capable of reading the flyer, so I won't over explain anything other than that you should get out of your self-imposed city neighborhood prison and get over to the SoccerClubClub for a great night with wonderful people.

Ok, that's what I've got for you. You are all my best friends, even though most of us aren't on speaking terms any more. But we can pick it back up again, I'm sure, and it'll be like our invisible little love affairs never ended and never will again. Happy Summer, creeps!