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.
The sprawling metro Detroit area and its westerly cousin, Grand Rapids, lie at the center of Michigan’s evolving beer frontier. In 2012, there were less than 100 breweries and brewpubs statewide; in 2017, there will be well over 300 and counting.
At Manhattan’s iconic Italian restaurant Felidia, Sicilian-born chef Fortunato Nicotra composes a plate of crudo like a colorful work of art. Josh White, head bartender and creator of Felidia’s beer parings menu, suggests three beers for it.
The ambition of international collaboration brewing is to bring together brewers—and their different approaches—in an environment where they can share and learn, and build something that is perhaps greater than the sum of its parts.
Artist Adam Forman created the spooky imagery that’s been part of the brewery’s identity since it opened in 2004—from their toothy jack-o’-lantern logo to creepy scarecrows and pumpkin-patch graveyards.
A funny thing’s going on in craft beer—and it’s been gaining speed for quite some time. Something very American, yet at the same time, decidedly pre-modern. That is, simply, working together.
Stop lurking! Stay logged in to search, review beers, post in our forums, see less ads, and more. Thanks! — Todd
