[Great thanks to the author of this post, Matt Hoffman (@tonapdivine), who is an independent music journalist who writes for Relix, JamBase, and other publications. We would also like to thank contributor Tedd Kanakaris (@teddkanakaris), who founded and runs the ESG-focused Sandpiper Wealth, is a member of Gotta Jibrew, and dabbles with music and storytelling around the Phish community online. Thank you both! -Ed.]

For over four decades, a love of Phish has been the tie that binds any number of communities, both analog and digital. In turn, these communities have proven fertile ground for countless amazing stories, and now that summer tour is done, we’re excited to tell the story of Gotta JiBrew, a new hazy IPA from Lawson’s Finest Liquids that’s named after a group of friends who get together monthly to sample beer from local breweries.

The idea for the collaboration arose in 2024, when Phish lyricist Tom Marshall ran into brewery owner Sean Lawson at Mondegreen. When the Gotta JiBrew group came up in conversation, Lawson invited them to Vermont to collaborate in brewing a beer. The group worked with Lawson to brew the inaugural batch that the brewery will serve beginning today, September 24th, at their taproom in Waitsfield, Vermont. The story of this collaboration is just one example of how the Phish community can bring people together to create something special.

But before we get into the story, let’s talk about the beer itself.

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