Growlers with Identity!

A friend of mine pointed this out to me (thanks Rob!) and after browsing through their gallery, I had to share it.  Carlburg Pottery in Montana is a pottery studio that makes Handmade Growlers that are nothing short of bad ass.  From the simple to the outrageous, the company will create customized growlers to carry the precious cargo of brewers, homebrewers, or craft beer fans.

While they are not cheap, the prices start around $65 and go up for the more ornate vessels.  They would be great if your homebrew club or home brewery has a logo (Lug Wrench growler...?) or have a special occasion coming up. 

Some of my favorite examples from their online gallery have got to be:

• Bullet Bill
• Keep It Wild
• Steam Punk
• Frankenswine
• Zombie Head
• Bombs Away

Let us know your favorite, or if you happen to pick one up, let us know how it turned out.

Slainte!

-JW


"In the beginning, God created ... beer."
-Anonymous

Beer Comic: Patrick and Sam

From time to time, I find my way back over to The Full Pint to check out their weekly comic entitled Trouble Brewing, which regularly pokes fun at the craft beer world.  In a previous post, we shared a few installments that featured Patrick Rue of The Bruery.  Below is another that features Patrick and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head.

If you don't get it, go take a look at the beer lineup from Dogfish or the recipes they discuss on the TV show: Brew Masters.

You can find the entire collection of Trouble Brewing (both the good ones and the .... not so good ones) over at the Full Pint.

Got a link to some other good beer related comics or art?  Let us know!

Slainte!

-JW


"I'm going to drink till I reboot!"
-Bender, Futurama

Who Owns Who - A Graphical Representation

I've always had a soft spot for graphical representations of concepts - I've blogged about it a number of times (charts, maps, etc).  So whenever I find a new and interesting graphic about beer, I take notice. 

While reading Jay Brooke's blog, Jay turned me on to a new graphic that I found facinating enough that it was worth sharing here.  Dr. Philip H. Howard, assistant professor of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resouce Studies at Michigan State, created this great bubble chart that details the major players in the US beer market. 

Click on the image or go here for a larger version of the image. 

What I love about this infographic is how the clustering starts to show patterns in each of the companies business plans.  When belgian beer became mainstream, AB picked up brands like Hoegaarden and Leffe.  Or how Diageo has surrounded itself with "irish" brands, including Red Stripe?!? 

Let us know if anything interesting pops out at you when you check out the chart.  See any of your favorite brands and wished they resided under a different owner (i.e. Bass, Pilsner Urquell)?  Furthermore, if you happen to bump into other beer-related infographics, please point them out to me!

Slainte!

-JW


"When we drink, we get drunk.  When we get drunk, we fall asleep.  When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.  When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.  Soooo, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!"
-Brain O'Rourke

Fun with Art V: Drywell Art

It is always a pleasure to see an up-n-coming artist find their niche.  That's exactly what happend to Alyson, the artist who writes the Meat Sections blog that I've posted about previously.  Even though her success has caused the Meat Sections blog to be put on the backburner, she's still doing some great beer art.

Below is another great example of her work that was recently completed, wherein the Anantomy of a Beer is sectioned out (with prints available here).   

While Meat Sections is on hiatus, Alyson's main blog (Drywell Art) is regularly updated with plenty of 'Food' related art and features the beer-friendly artwork from time to time.  Check out out prior posts about Meat Sections to get a few more examples of why I've been a fan of Alyson's site.

Slainte!

-JW

"Beer is a wholesome liquor.  It abounds with nourishment."

-Dr. Benjamin Rush

Happy Halloween from Lug Wrench

With America celebrating our tribute to All Hallow's Eve today, Tom and I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween.  And what better way to celebrate the ghost and ghouls out there than a pint of an old favorite: Wychwood's Hobgoblin.

 

And for those homebrewers out there, the Brewing Network did a great job putting together Hobgoblin clone - give it a try if your a fan.

Slainte!

-JW


"Meet me down at the bar! We'll drink breakfast together."
-W. C. Fields

Beer Art Clothing

It is amazing what you can find while randomly Googling beer-related terms.  I typed the phrase "beer art" into Google earlier, and ended up with a Girl vs Beer, The Art of Beer post.  There were several interesting images on the site, including two where artists turned beer cans and tabs into clothing (seen below).

After seeing that, I typed in "beer can clothing" and found the following:

Costumes from Beer Cans

Chain Mail from Beer Can Tabs

I am amazed at the creativity that people exhibit when working with non-traditional materials - including used beer containers.

Cheers,

TW

Patrick Rue and Candi Sugar

A few months back, we featured a few well drawn comic strips by Arne Frantzell that roasted Tomme Arthur of The Lost Abbey.  Since that time, Arne has teamed up with The Full Pint to reguarly draw the Trouble Brewing, a comic strip poking fun at the craft beer world.  And one of the recent targets was Patrick Rue, owner and brewer at The Bruery - a personal favorite of mine.

Below are two of the comic strips where Patrick is ribbed for his use of a particular brewing ingredient.  Click on the image to get a larger image...

You can find the entire collection of Trouble Brewing over at The Full Pint.

Got a link to some other good beer related comics or art?  Let us know!

Slainte!

-JW


"Who does not love beer, wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long."
-Carl Worner

Fun with Art IV: Meat Sections

I've continued to enjoy Alyson's Meat Section blog.  While the content of her blog focuses mostly on non-beer related, every so often a 'beer' sectioned diagram pops up.  I've highlighted a few of them in prior blog posts, and this one is no different.  The topic: Lost Abbey's Cable Car - a blended american wild ale.

What I particularly love about this piece is how Alyson breaks the beer up by it's three blended components, Red Barn, Avante Garde, and Amigo Lager.  Some of the ingredients are a little hard to read (click on the image to get a larger version), but listing out the hops, grains, and spices included in this super complex beer struck me as just plain slick.  As always, excellent job Alyson!

For the homebrewers out there and up to the challenge, Mike over at the Mad Fermentationist took a crack at cloning this sour beer.  Take a look at his notes and recipe to see how it turned out.

If you've got a moment, take a detour over to Meat Sections, check out some of its content and try subscribing to it's feed.

Slainte!

-JW


"The sum of the matter is, the people drink because they wish to drink."
-Rudolph Brand 

Tomme Arthur vs. The World

While I was surfing through the forums at Beer Advocate, I came across something humorous worth sharing.  A user with some artistic talent (alfranzell) sketched up a few satirical comic strips with Tomme Arthur, Director of Brewing Operations at The Lost Abbey in San Diego, as the central figure.  While I would not call these flattering to Tomme, I'm sure he would get a kick out of them all the same.

Below are a few of my favorites (click on the image to get a larger image) ...

The entire collection can be found on Flickr using this link.

Got a link to some other good beer realted comics or art?  Let us know!!

Slainte!

-JW


"I don't have a drinking problem, except when I can't find a drink."
-Tom Waits

Fun with Art: Beer Paintings

Not long ago, I came across the webpage of two artists from Bend, Oregon who had forcused their work on painting craft beer crown caps and bottles.  To further market and display their work, a blog was created (simply named: Beer Paintings).  At first I thought the beer-centric pieces might just a nice hook to draw craft beer people in, but the more I (virtually) thumbed through their pages, the more I was impressed with their focus and attention to detail.  Well done guys.

I have placed a few examples below that exemplify Cara and Louie's style.  But there is much more than what I can display.  At the bottom, I have placed a list of links that will take you to a few more of my favorites from the Beer Paintings collection.  Enjoy...  

Orval Crown Cap

La Folie and Surley Smoke

Gulden Draak Crown Cap

*  *  *

Check out a few other great pieces through these links:

• Tröegs Brewery
• Pliny the Elder
• Cantillon
• Dogfish Head
• Unibroue
• Three Floyds

Lastly, if you're curious about how paintings like these come out, check out some of the behind-the-scenes photos of a work in progress.  And the artists love commisions - shoot them an email if your interested.

Slainte!

-JW

"If God intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs."

-David Daye

Fun with Art III: Meat Sections

Similar to the prior times we have featured the Meat Sections blog, I continue to to be amused by this non-beer blog.  Every day, the blog's owner, Alyson, displays an illustration/painting in the style of a butcher's meat section diagram - with some being traditional and others being abstract.

For Day 219, the following 'Meat Section' painting featured another great beer: The Bruery's fall seasonal, Autumn Maple.  This is one of the fall beers that I typically jump at when I see it on the shelf, so I was very happy to see Alyson stylize it.

For more images, check out our prior post about Meat Sections which highlights several of my favorites.  Or better yet, stop over to Alyson's blog and subscribe to her feed.

Slainte!

-JW


"Fermentation and civilization are inseparable."
-John Ciardi

Happy Halloween from Lug Wrench

While many of our American holiday's are over marketed and sensationalized, even still, Tom and I wanted to wish all those who read these lines a Happy Halloween.  Try to remember the fun hidden behind the masks, candy, and tomfoolery.   

And in order to tie this all to beer, we'll leave you with a great pictoral advertisment for the Wychwood Brewery that Jay Brooks recently featured on his blog.  Hobgoblin: a favorite and a timely beer for today.

Slainte!

-JW


"Meet me down at the bar!  We'll drink breakfast together."
-W. C. Fields

Fun With Art II: Meat Sections

As I mentioned the last time we featured the Meat Sections blog, the is a non-beer blog that truely amuses me.  Every day, the blog's owner, Alyson, displays a illustration/painting in the style of a butcher's meat section diagram - with some being traditional, and others being abstract.

For Day 284, the following 'Meat Section' painting featured Berliner Weisses, a style that is a growing favorite of mine (when I can find them).  As described in her blog post, this beer style is many times served with a sweet syrup to cut the sourness inherent in Berliner Weisses.

As usual, great job Alyson!

Check out our prior post about Alyson's blog to get a few more examples that continue to make me a fan of Meat Sections.

Slainte!

-JW


"Beer is a wholesome liquor.  It abounds with nourishment"
-Dr. Benjamin Rush

Brewing As Art Project

Back in April, Basic Brewing Radio interviewed Mark Zapazodi (not sure if I spelled that right, as he goes by Mark Zap online) about his Brewing As Art Project.  Mark is a homebrewer from Staten Island, who also enjoys art from local artists.  Mark thought that he could combine the two interests with a project entitled Brewing As Art.  He felt that brewing is one of the oldest art forms, but one that is not usually recognized as such.  The ability to create interesting and unique flavors in beer requires both an artistic touch and technical prowess, much like the art of cooking.

The basic premise of the project was to create a brewing stand that was a true sculpture, one that was a metal work of art that also functioned as a full homebrewery.  Mark paired with a local metal fabricator and artist, Scott Van Campen, to create a unique metal brewing structure.  Scott was inspired by the industrial nature of brewing, including an almost Steam Punk conceptualization of steel pots, valves, and burners, along with the challenge of making a functional gravity-fed brewing system. The structure was designed to be fully mobile and the could participate in art shows.  Mark could take the structure to the show's opening and brew a batch of beer with the audience being able to view parts of the process.  After that point, the brewing sculpture's artistic qualities would allow it to remain as a stand-alone piece in the show.

Mark pitched the idea to the Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island and received a grant to move ahead with design and construction.  Mark acknowledged that funding for art projects is always sparse, but his decision to include homebrew samples in a wrought-iron six-pack holder, designed by Scott, as part of the presentation certainly helped.  The Council liked the idea that local artists, both brewer and metal sculptor, would be producing one of the most historically locally-important beverages - beer.

The result of the grant and almost a year's worth of work will be unveiled in an event at the Lighthouse Museum Space in St. George, Staten Island on Saturday October 30th.  If you are in the area, please check it out.

Cheers,

TW

Fun with Art: Meat Sections

One of the non-beer related blogs I've been enjoying for a couple month's now is Alyson Thomas's Meat Sections blog.  The concept for her blog is amusing to say the least.  Each day, Alyson draws/paints an illustration/painting in the style of a butcher's meat section diagram (you know the type - here's the loin, here's the roast, etc).  But the subject matter of each piece can be very different and she really lets her creativity run loose with it.

I'm a big fan of the beers coming out of The Bruery (Placentia, CA), so I was stoked when Alyson chose to do a piece inspired by The Bruery's Melange No. 6, which she tasted during the 2010 San Fransisco Beer Week.  The Melange Series is The Bruery's one-off, experimental beer line, with the sixth installment being a potent ale with all the the ingredients displayed in Alyson's illustration.

The above just scratches the surface - if you have a second, take a look at some of the other deconstructed subjects Alyson has done.  Here are a couple of non-beer related pieces that I personally got a chuckle and a smirk out of:

• Good Parts of a Pig
• Super Pig
• Hot Dogs
• Ghost Meat
• Rain Drops
• Goombas (a.k.a. Mario's nemesis)

Kudos to you Alyson!

If you happen across any other amusing beer (or food) artistic websties in your travels through the internet, please let us know!

Slainte!

-JW

"A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food."

-Queen Elizabeth I