Pagan Pride = PBG

PBG Samhain Brew 2012

'Tis the season for Pagan Pride & the "Pagan Pride Day" events are popping up all over the land. Here in Anchorage however, we seem to be lacking the desire to accomplish such an undertaking, despite the presence of an already incorporated Anchorage Pagan Pride Day organization. This year, our AMPG crew (which by no means comprises the entirety of the Anchorage pagan community), actually bandied about the idea of co-coordinating PPD. I was not present for the discussions, but I am told the idea was met with a lackluster response. I am not too terribly surprised, nor am I disappointed since I think our efforts would be better spent having an Anchorage Pagan Networking Day. There are many other faces of the greater Anchorage community (Anchorage's Dark Pagans, O.T.O./Thelemites, Ásatrúar, military pagans, independent covens & women's circles to name a few). It seems to me we could use a little introduction & education time spent among ourselves before we go presenting to the public.

Yes, my tone betrays my underlying attitude which is fundamentally ambivalent (& possibly even snarky). I really am not sure what I think of PPD, particularly when I consider things like the "pointy hat challenge," the risks of poorly framed outreach efforts & the general focus on our material culture which surrounds these affairs. It seems like an open opportunity for disaster. I also ask myself, "If some local non-pagan spiritual/religious community sponsored a 'Fill-in-the-Blank Pride Day' would I attend?" Not very likely. Some might argue, "Well, we're more fun..." but isn't that a matter of opinion?

In lieu of PPD, I am having a "Pagan Pride Post" in honour of the "PBG"(yo) -- our local Pagan Brewer's Guild -- the folks who I imagine are having the most fun in town. What little I know brings me envy as brief, sometimes cryptic texts appear sporadically on my cell phone. They gather together, "sample" their sauces & contemplate the future: diverse concoctions -- potions of strength, suggestion & sometimes strangeness. I receive a text from Hubby, their now official treasurer, "…considering mushroom mead…" or "…thermometer shattered into two vats…" I receive giddy, excited bits & images from friend Druid & the High Priest texts, "…many advancements have been achieved…" & "…caves, can you believe it, caves…"

PBG Samhain Brew label
artwork by Alica Wolter-Hausser.

The PBG is a young start-up group established both to create libations for community High Day events & to provide a place for brewing-minded folks to meet, experiment & learn together. This Samhain they are breaking out their first potation, the "PBG Samhain Brew." It is a pear-apple cider with a kick, a bite & a label to match. I love it -- the label that is -- brainchild of the ever-clever Alica Wolter-Hausser. Hubby came home with mixed reviews for the cider itself, but we shared a bit with some friends & it was met with an emphatic "I LIKE it!" 

So, hurray for success! Hooray for the PBG! Now that gives me some pride. On their docket & upcoming: Meads, metheglins & melomels aplenty! Vanilla Cinnamon, Fireweed, Organic Raw Honey, Pumpkin Spice, Orange Blossom, Mushroom?! …also more great label art by the guild's artist-in-residence Alica & soon their first foray into winemaking… what will it be? (Cranberry please.) I can't wait to find out.