East End Brewing Company is mixing local beer with local art. Their legendary Illustration Ale is being released once again next Saturday, May 13, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. And, the beer release will be part of a “Crafts and Drafts” event featuring local food vendors, drinks, music, and an artist market.
Illustration Ale is a specialty beer from East End that is brewed and released every few years. The beer is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale that is bottled with six different labels, each designed by a local artist. Additionally, each time the beer is brewed, a portion of the sales are donated to a Pittsburgh charity, and this year’s Illustration Ale sales will benefit benefit HEARTH Pittsburgh, which provides a range of services and housing for families in crisis.
The local artists who made labels for this batch of Illustration ale include:
- Mark Bogacki of CommonWealth Press
- Mike Budai
- Kim Fox of Worker Bird
- Wayno of Wayno Illustration
- Mark Brewer of Mark Brewer Drawings
- Matt Buchholz of Alternate Histories
The entire project is a giant Pittsburgh collaboration that brings together brewers, artists, and non-profits, not to mention local beer drinkers.
Wayno, of Wayno Illustration, who works as the middleman between the artists and East End, says it’s a fun surprise to bring everyone together and see what type of labels they make.
“We basically just tell them that they need to have the name, and a few other legal requirements on there, and then they can do whatever they want,” he says. “It’s great because Scott [owner of East End Brewing] has a lot of loyal customers who like to collect his beer, and it encourages them to give a little more towards the charity and get them all.”
One of the collectors of these unique beers is Mark Brewer, one of the artists. His label for Illustration Ale depicts cherubs pouring beer.
“I am pretty classic illustrator,” says Brewer. “I work on paper with watercolor, pen and ink, and scan everything in. It was really fun doing a label for Illustration Ale. I’ll probably get two of each – one to drink, and one to put in my basement to age.”
The “Crafts and Drafts” event will also feature food from Iron City Eats, Maggie’s Farm Rum debuting new liqueurs, including a coffee spirit made from The Commonplace Coffee Co., Piebird serving baked goods and desserts, and 10 local artists selling their crafts, including “TheBird+theBeard” geeky greeting cards, “Lovett Sundries” locally made beauty products, and more.
Stop by East End Brewing next weekend to get your hands on this exclusive beer. The money goes to a good cause, and once it is gone, it may be a while before it comes back!
More information can be found online.
East End Brewing Company (147 Julius Street)
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