Friday Froth: The Art Of Craft Beer Comes To Three Sheets

What if each drop in the ocean of American craft beer landed with a splash of new color? Thousands of breweries, making hundreds of thousands of beers, each rippling and bouncing with individual personality. Beer brewing is an art, yes, but in the process it also supports artists who make their own contribution to what brewers create, and drinkers see. This December, Three Sheets and The 16oz. Canvas will present The Art Of Craft Beer, featuring artists who add color to the craft beer scene of Connecticut.

Three Sheets in New Haven has long been a supporter of the local creative community, and regularly hosts various artists as part of their 'Art In The Back, Music In The Front' series. I've been a regular at Three Sheets since it was still the location of the original Rudy's, and recently saw another exhibit as part of Counter Weight's label art contest in collaboration with New Haven rock band Lord Fowl. I held more art in my hand when I drank Three Sheets' pleasingly retro and malty house lager, made by Hoax Brewing at the Beeracks in East Haven, with a label by Chris Edwards.

Painters, illustrators, and designers have a long history with the brewing industry, from the classic Guinness ads, to the cheerful, chubby Belgian monks in 19th century beer posters, to Paul Elder's magnificent work with Ballast point.

With new beers blinking into existence like the growth of fractals, breweries have had to get creative to have a unique name for each. Many have used the opportunity to express themselves, not just with what was inside, but with their labels, tap handles, and packaging. A good label can't save a bad beer, but beautiful, or otherwise arresting design which attracts the eye to really see, adds depth of meaning and experience. It's a spark of joy.

The Art Of Craft Beer will bring the work of over a dozen designers who live or work in Connecticut, plus the artists themselves, to Three Sheets for a celebration of human creativity (and beer), starting on December 14, from 9p.m. to close. An old truism regarding food goes "first, you eat with your eyes." Looking around the modern landscape of American craft beer, sometimes you just have to drink it in.