Thin Line + Audacity: The Perfect Pairing
Audacity is releasing the fifth beer in their Li'l D series in collaboration with the Thin Line Film Festival, which has moved to April and is celebrating its tenth anniversary with free admission.
The board for the fest came up with a list of potential names, and tasked Doug Smith, the brewmaster, with selecting a name that rang true to the beer he was creating. Born from this collaboration is Veritas, meaning "truth" (and also the name of a Roman goddess): a sessionable Saison that is light, refreshing, unfiltered, and has a subtle spiciness that comes from the addition of black pepper, white pepper, and grains of paradise.
“When you collaborate, you try to bring in influences. With beer, you focus on flavors, you’re not licking a film. I really think the filmmakers I’ve met have a real appreciation for the history of film, they go back and look at the different genres, and eras of film, and look at how they can build on to it, how they can impact it. When you look at beer, you find the same similarities,” explains Smith regarding his process in choosing a Saison. “The Saison is a farmhouse beer, everyone makes it at home, it’s loosely affiliated with this and that, but it has everyone’s own influence and impact on it. So to me, I thought that was the reflection of the filmmaking, you have to have respect for who’s done it before, where it’s come from, but you can definitely put your own spin on it. “
Sticking with a classic yeast string, the Saison Dupont, brings a bright citrus note to the beer's flavor profile. Going back to the roots of the recipe, where homes would add their own spices for flavor, he added several different types of pepper that add a spicy quality to the brew. “Rather than a different aroma or flavor, it’s a different mouth feel — it's spritey, sessionable, and doesn’t linger on the palate,” says Smith. "We used American grains and left the beer unfiltered to keep the flavors in, [because] filtering the beer would strip all the character in the flavor, we don’t want to run it through post-editing.”
“It’s unfiltered like a documentary, how you want it to feel unfiltered and raw, and you get all the essence of the film,” says Mindy Arendt, the Creative and Marketing Director for Thin Line Film Festival. “Thin Line wanted a drinkable craft beer, something for all palates, that you can enjoy on a spring afternoon. I think that’s the new thing about this festival, we are moving away from being inside and weather controlled, and taking it outside. It’s a big celebration outdoors, enjoy downtown Denton, and everything it has to offer."
Thin Line Film Festival is April 19th through the 23rd in multiple venues throughout downtown Denton, and it’s free! Each venue will have the Audacity/Thin Line collaboration on tap for your drinking pleasure, and if you just can’t wait, Veritas is currently on tap at The Bearded Monk, so you can grab a pint or fill a growler while we eagerly await the arrival of April and the tenth anniversary of Thin Line!
Register your free ticket now at thinline.us
Header image design by Brittany Keeton