From the narrative-driven artwork of Jolly Pumpkin to the modernist pop-culture mashups of Stillwater, brewers and artists are increasingly using beer’s packaging as an opportunity to tell a story about their brand and the liquid inside.
Baltimore once had a flourishing beer economy thanks in part to an influx of German and Eastern European immigrants. By the end of 1899, it was home to more than 40 breweries. Competition beginning in the 1950s steadily decreased this number until Hugh Sisson opened the state’s first brewpub in 1989.
For the last five years, in spite of high taxes and long shipping times, American beers have found their way into the hands of curious Brazilian drinkers and motivated Brazilian brewers.
Mott’s Tributary Brewing opens; DeLuca seeks to revive New Albion; Strumke scores with Brazilian collaboration; and National Homebrew Competition sets record.
Around the country, brewers are collaborating—not just with other brewers, but with artists of all mediums. Together, they are creating beers that aim to go beyond the five senses to convey emotions and feelings. Delving into music, television and theater, brewers are combining the craft of brewing with the performing arts.
In Catalonia, the nationality within Spain that comprises the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, we discovered a nascent brewing scene in and around Barcelona, still very much under the radar.
Good beer has flourished since South Carolina lifted its cap on beer alcohol content, and Edward Westbrook’s Mt. Pleasant brewery has been at the heart of it.
The Baltimore-based brewer, who produces adventurous ales on both sides of the Atlantic, sees some advantage in not having a home. Nothing about his Stillwater Artisanal Ales project is straightforward, from the beer in the bottle to the labels outside.
A great, friendly city with a strange but refreshing mix of Southern attitudes and blue-collar, Northern atmosphere. It’s compact, walkable and full of stellar places to enjoy a drink.
