You could toast totality on April 8 with a glass of champagne. Or you could drink a bottle of Corona beer after seeing the sun’s majestic crown during the total solar eclipse. Luckily, there are dozens of ways you can upgrade your totality tipple by opting for locally brewed beers for the occasion.
Not surprisingly, they’re mostly being made by breweries within the 115-mile-wide path of totality, which stretches from Texas to Maine in the U.S. It’s the only place from where it will be possible to experience darkness and get a view of the corona—arguably nature’s most beautiful sight.
The Simons Foundation’s “In the Path of Totality” project supports eclipse-themed beers from 13 … [+]
Eclipse-Themed Beer
For the science-focused Simons Foundation—which usually supports STEM projects and maths research—its plan to promote eclipse-themed beer is something of a departure. “We’re really driven by that ethos that science is part of the culture and that everyone deserves to have a relationship with science,” said John Tracey, Program Director, Science, Society and Culture at the Simons Foundation, in an interview. “But the path of totality cuts through a part of the country where we don’t have a lot of funding partnerships.”
Cue a non-monetary collaboration with 13 craft breweries to offer eclipse-themed beers, all of which will use custom-made glassware and cans that show details of exactly when totality will come to that city, along with the state logo and the brewery’s logo.
“Ar-clipse of the Heart” from Lost Forty Brewing in Little Rock, Arkansas.
‘Blackout Stout’
So, for example, Cleveland, Ohio’s Great Lakes Brewing Co. has “In the Path of Totality: 3:13 PM,” a Schwarzbier-style craft brew that it will serve on draft at its eclipse viewing party on April 8. The brewery will also be selling commemorative 16 oz. cans of its “Vanilla Blackout Stout.” Meanwhile, Little Rock brewery Lost 40 have a limited run of “AR’ clipse of the Heart.”
Each brewery has custom-made coasters with QR codes that lead to information about safely viewing an eclipse and observing events going on in the area. “Breweries don’t seem like an obvious place for science engagement, but we wanted to meet people where they are,” said Tracey. Besides, there’s a lot of chemistry in beer-making. “Brewmasters have an inherent excitement about science—and about the eclipse,” said Tracey. “And what are people going to do in the lead-up to the eclipse and afterward? They’re gonna grab a beer and talk about it with their friends.”
Path Of Totality
The Simons Foundation’s “In The Path Of Totality” project is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to eclipse-themed beers, which are being announced across the path of totality and beyond. Western New York is the epicenter. Rochester has an eclipse-themed collaboration between three different breweries—Rohrbach Brewing’s “Totality,” Three Heads Brewing’s “The Darker Side,” and Strangebird Brewing’s “The Lighter Side.”
Nearby Runaway Blue Brewing has “Hello Darkness” black lager while Buffalo’s Big Ditch Brewing Company has “WNY Eclipse Black IPA, which comes as a six-pack with free eclipse glasses. Cleveland, Ohio, has Market Garden Brewery’s “The Totality.”
Toasting totality shouldn’t be a problem.
For the latest on the total solar eclipse—including travel and lodging options—check my main feed for new articles daily.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.