It’s the late 90s, in the middle of June, and the early morning sun starts peeking through your blinds. It’s a Saturday morning from the golden era. The height of your concerns is which video games you’ll play that day and which sugary cereal pairs the best with your favorite cartoons. Worst case scenario, you might have to battle a sibling to share the remote at worst. If you’re extra lucky, your parents might whip up some little pizza bagels in the afternoon. Ahh, the good ol’ days.
Smartmouth is tapping into all the Saturday Morning nostalgia you can handle this weekend. Their hard-to-find and internet-famous Saturday Morning Marshmallow IPA is making its return with all the proper fanfare. In case you missed it way back in 2019, Smartmouth launched a Lucky Charms-inspired IPA that went viral faster than you can say “Silly rabbit, beers are for adults.” Patrons waited for hours with lines snaking through the Chelsea neighborhood. Everyone from local news to national outlets like Delish.com and Esquire Magazine raved about the beer made with real cereal marshmallows. Heck, even your aunt Linda had to make a Facebook post about it. The combination of golden nostalgia, clever branding, and delicious beer took the world by storm. Those lucky enough to get their hands on some confirmed that it was tasty enough to warrant the hype.
When the Saturday Morning Marshmallow IPA returns this year, it won’t be alone. Smartmouth is upping the ante by showcasing a full lineup of nostalgic beers. (You can call them the Four Poursmen of the A-hop-alypse, or just damn tasty.) Joining the Lucky Charms-inspired beer is Caveman Confetti Fruited Gose (5.0% ABV), Sticky Bricks Blonde Ale (5.0% ABV), and Saturday Night Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout w/ Potato Chips, Baked Pizza Dough, Chocolate Malted Milk Balls, and Oreos (9.0% ABV). I know what you’re thinking; that last one’s got a longer proper name than London Lizzy. And of course, you want to try every last one. With Smartmouth’s reputation for brewing up beers that could make the Sahara salivate, there’s no doubt that these will be bangers.
On Saturday, the star of the party is the beer, but the day is going to be jam-packed with activities. The Smartmouth HQ in Norfolk and the Smartmouth Pilot House in VB have many activities planned. At both locations, live bands will be covering the best of the 90s, making you feel like you’re still right in front of the tube watching MTV in your mom’s basement again.
Alongside the walkman-inspired soundtrack, classic cartoons from across the era will be on repeat so you can fully immerse yourself. On top of that, the Norfolk HQ will be hosting Button Smashers and their veritable library of classic video games. Between cartoons, music, and video games, the Norfolk location will also have a vendor market featuring vintage, retro, and nostalgic wares of all kinds. NFK Currents will be one of the included vendors because how could we miss out on this fun? There will be plenty of activities, so you can hang out all day with your buds, just going with the flow, as if you were still 13.
The day wouldn’t be complete without food to fuel the festival, though. The Norfolk HQ will have a Kobro’s Coffee pop-up, a Waffletina Brunch Pop-up (11 am-3 pm), and Ghost Kitchen’s Breakfast Burritos & Breakfast Tacos (ALL DAY). The VB Pilot House will have Bear House Coffee Roasters, My Vegan Sweet Tooth, and Donniefrys Breakfast-all-day menu. Not only are those some of the best stand-alone food lineups these towns have seen this side of 2020, but they’re running dual lineups at each location.
