Hop cones have been the subject of many pieces of art not just on labels but as art, art as well. Need proof? Well then look right HERE.
I am not going to add an image to force you to click the link.
Lager Weather
Camarillo’s Institution Ales has some serious art on their labels even for what they describe as “A simple lager”
Here are the details of this American lager, “brewed with American 2-row and hopped lightly with Cascade, Liberty and Willamette. It’s crisp and refreshing with a hint of sweet honey and fruity hops.”
Label Art Playoffs
NoHo bottle shop, Hop Merchants harnessed the opinions of the interwebs to determine March Madness bracket style, the best can label currently out there…
I voted in a few of the rounds but my choice did not make it far, instead, the winner was…
…which to me looks more candy wrapper than beer label art. Brouwerij West, El Segundo and others like Highland Park and Los Angeles Ale Works had better art in my humble opinion.
That said, I hope that Hop Merchants does this again next yeat.
Beer Art
Pints and Panels has been mentioned on this blog before but what I failed to keep up with is that you can get some merch as well.
I particularly like Em Sauter’s beer styles art that shows what foods pair well. Check out her site for unique gifts for beer fans or yourself.
Recycle Artistically
Wouldn’t it be cool to see a large recycling bin like this?
Of course, for breweries it would need to be a rendition of a 16oz can but I would love to see recycling and art to meet at each and every LA brewery.
Re-Cap – The Propagator’s 3rd Anniversary
On the last weekend of this month, I took in the sights and sounds and beers from the 3rd Anniversary of The Propagator.
Here is the re-cap: It was a strangely slow early morning at the Venice adjacent Firestone Walker location. This despite the high quality and higher creativity beers on tap. Haven’t had Rosalie, it was there. A Watermelon kettle sour, yup as well as many hoppy treats on hand. Plus the deal was great. (2) beers a side and a cup for one price. I assume that as the day wore on, that it got more crowded.
For my two beers, I started big with the Gen 3, triple IPA. Double digit ABV and for me, a return to those big bruiser Imperials from back in the day. Lots of malt and caramel and boozy. I backed down for the second and had the Eichenkeller because Keller beers are always an attraction. This did not disappoint. Super malty and bubbly with a nice minerality versus hops.
And I got to talk with some grand folk in the beer writing community as well as Merlin himself.
A Beer & A Quote – May 2018
Art does not reproduce what we see; rather, it makes us see.
Paul Klee
This quote might be a stretch to consider in regards to #independent beer but I think it is important to keep in mind because one aspect of our shared beer culture is that a popular beer over there breeds a popular beer in your own neck of the woods.
But instead of just making a copy of a beer, the “What We See” as it were, it behooves a brewery to lead us to the next beer, making us see what that new experimental hop can do, or putting a sour blonde ale into gin barrels or, yes, even adding glitter to beer.
The Tomme Arthur mentioned this at CBC-Nashville last week, “”We are becoming incredibly dependent on imitation, and that saddens me,”.
Make the beer customer come partway to you. Make a hopped imperial hefe. Do a hazy hopped farmhouse blended saison. Put a Gratzer in a 16oz can. Do new.
Art is Booming
If you haven’t been to Boomtown Brewing since they moved from soft open mode to full open mode, then you might be a bit surprised because it can be seen from blocks away now.
Combined with Angel City, DTLA is fusing art and beer in really big ways. And the outside is just part of the art that Boomtown has going.
Put a Sticker on It!
Even if craft beer fans fanned out and patrolled grocery stores and beer shops to steer people away from industrial corporate beer (in a nice way, of course), we wouldn’t be able to prevent all beer purchases.
But Mike Van Hall and his Committee on Opprobriations has devised a solution. Stickers. According to the Washington Post, Van Hall who is an artist as well as graphic designer has created stickers that range from “This label is offensive” to “This Beer is Not Craft” or the snarkiest one “Do Not Trust this Product” and then places them on beers that deserve them.
You can follow his adhesive exploits @opprobriations, to see who is getting fact checked.
Maybe Save Them
There is some found art that is good and others that are just fine. I find the flowers that RVA Capworks makes to be really well done.
Joshua Stolberg makes more than flowers and you should check out his portfolio. It must take some serious dexterity to pull the bottlecaps into just the right position. I like the business card holders and star magnets as well. I think the larger signs get a little much but the little things have pop to them.
You can learn more about RVA Capworks in this Richmond newspaper article.