Plymouth Brewery Celebrates Winter Solstice with Storytelling

Luce Line Brewing in Plymouth celebrated the winter solstice this Thursday with storytelling and a few limited-edition beers.

The brewery offered several dark beers on tap, while storyteller Laura Parker recited ancient folk tales.

“We’ve been living through darkness and merging into light, coming into light for millennia and we’ve been telling stories about it and celebrating it and thriving,” Parker said.

Parker embraces the dichotomy between sunlight and shadow. 

“We need light, we need dark,” she said. “Well, we just got through the shortest day and the longest night, but you know what? The sun is going to rise tomorrow?”

For the brewery, the early sunset was good reason to bring the community together.

“This is generally the time of year people are doing their own thing,” said Dane Erickson, brewer at Luce Line. “They’re with their family, they may be traveling. Generally we have a lot of snow. People don’t want to go out, people don’t want to do things. So that’s why this year is especially special for us.”

The brewery had several dark beers on tap to pair with the unseasonably warm winter night. Their Winter Solstice Stout was aged in whisky barrels with hazelnut and vanilla bean. 

Storyteller Laura Parker performed at Luce Line Brewing on Dec. 21 for the winter solstice.

“We just try to push that boundary and get you to go to that next step, and that’s what we’re trying to do with the winter solstice releases,” Erickson said. “Create a big beer that’s really complex and really fun to drink.”

Meanwhile, their Neon Moon Stout brought less traditional flavors to the mix. It’s aged with smoked and candied pecans. 

“The beer itself has a nice sweetness to it from the maple syrup but also a good smoky flavor,” Erickson said. 

Above all, the event was about bringing people together.

“Beer is about fun,” Erickson said. “Beer is about community. It should be sharing beer with your friends.”

Parker said she wanted everyone to leave remembering that even a long night has a morning.

“I hope that when they go home they realize that there’s balance, there’s joy,” Parker said. 

Plymouth