A Book & A Beer – Hamilton – The Revolution

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Hamilton – The Revolutionis half annotated lyrics and half the backstory to how the musical went from White House performance to mixtape to phenomenon. And I don’t say phenomenon lightly. Even Dick Cheney, ex-Vice President apparently likes it. This despite it being so closely associated with President Obama.

This is a heavy and handsome book that is well designed. You can put on the soundtrack and hear the words being sung or you can read after listening to the amazing soundtrack. If you only get one take-away from this book, it’s that the passion from Everyone involved was amazing. To create a really old-school constructed musical using both history and hip-hop is a strange and daunting task.

For me, the power of the correctly chosen word is what gets me the most. Even a quickly said word is pondered to see if it doesn’t tip a secret too soon or is too esoteric. Just great stuff.

Beer wise, I have a multitude of options. Since Alexander Hamilton was an adopted New Yorker, I have to go with a New York Beer first, maybe even something sold at the famed Fraunces Tavern, something from Grimm Artisanal Ales like Purple Prose to match his writing chops. Ommegang and their Great Beyond evokes where one might go after a duel and both are as bitter as Burr and other Founding Fathers. You can also go with the traditional Sam Adams Boston Lager since the patriot and brewer is name checked in the show. Another hoppy choice would be from Alpine here in San Diego, Duet is perfect for a musical n

Will it Cost $10?

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For those who can’t get a ticket to the crazy popular (in ticket sales and Tony nominations) Broadway hit Hamilton, you can visit the Great White Way and at least have the official Hamilton beer.

I had not heard of the Broadway Brews Project that was founded by actors Mark Aldrich and Jimmy Ludwig but they collaborated with members of the Hamilton cast and crew and enlisted Gun Hill Brewing in the Bronx (irony of the name is not lost ) to brew Rise Up Rye as a companion beer to the musical. It will be on tap at select bars in New York plus in bottles at the Gun Hill taproom and part of the brew’s proceeds will benefit Graham Windham, which is a charity founded by Alexander Hamilton’s wife Eliza.