History is littered with tales of artists who have found inspiration in alcohol. The likes of Van Gogh and Picasso were fond of a little absinthe, Hemingway had something of a love affair with rum, while Dylan Thomas' tipple of preference was beer and more recently, Elbow’s fondness for the amber nectar saw them have beer brewed that bears their name. Even once the beer has been drained, there’s no stopping some people taking beer can art or experimentation with beer bottles to rather impressive lengths. And now, as their Good Beer Week offering, Black Rock’s True South is looking for the beer in art, or is it the art in beer? They’re inviting creative types – or those who simply want to give it a go – to come up with beer-themed artwork to feature at a Good Beer Week exhibition and are offering an incredible $1,000 cash prize for the piece of art judged the finest.
“We wanted to do something different,” says Tanya Harrowell, from True South. “Sam [their brewer] creates different and innovate beer all the time, and it was important for us to do something that tied into our location. We’re also aware that there is a lot of talent in the beer community and I want other people to know that and we also want to attract people that would ordinarily have nothing to do with beer.
“Craft beer is growing, and it’s growing for a reason, because it appeals to a much broader audience then the mainstream brands can and do. Brewers all over Australia and the world are constantly reinventing themselves, trying to be the most creative, doing stuff that nobody else has thought about before. We can’t all be brewers, but we all have opinions.
Submissions are open until May 1, with the exhibition opening at the brewery on the first night of Good Beer Week, May 12. The artwork will be judged by a select team of beery experts, with the awards handed out on the last night of the festival, May 19. To find out more about the rules – or submit your entry – head here.
As well as the Critic’s Choice prize of $1,000 in cash, there is a People’s Choice prize chosen by visitors to the exhibition during the week of two five litre mini-kegs and a degustation dinner for two at the brewery. The artworks will also be put up for sale by the brewery on behalf of their creators.
“We’re looking for people’s thoughts, their ideas, but mostly their artwork,” says Tanya. “And I don’t just mean the stuff you hang on the wall. I would love to see drawings, sculpture, film and tinny art. We’d love it if people submitted work that we haven’t even thought of.
“We want to put on an art exhibition that showcases the unique and challenging qualities that craft beer offers but also to bring a positive, unique and interesting presentation of what beer means to the masses.”
More details of the exhibition and opening and closing nights can be found here.
It’s not the only competition going on in the lead up to Good Beer Week. Currently, Melbourne’s top mixologists are taking on a challenge set down by the organisers of the Lageritas, Hopsmopolitans and Amberetto event at Black Pearl. They’ve been tasked with inventing a beer cockail, with the top four as judged by a panel of experts to be featured at said event, which will be a beer cocktail masterclass led by serial award-winning barman Chris Hysted. The Crafty Pint once set Chris the challenge of making a cocktail featuring beer and whisky called Ground for Divorce, inspired by the opening lines of the song that bears its name by the aforementioned Elbow. It went on to win best whisky cocktail in Australia, so this guy knows what he’s doing.
Anyway, beer, art and cocktails. Quite a mix. And that’s just two of 100 events taking place during Good Beer Week…
Pic above from the wall of the Junction Beer Hall, in Newport.
