Art of the Brew
September 2nd 4-10pm | Fair Market | Tickets
#Win 2 VIP Passes to The 5th Annual Art of the Brew! (Facebook Giveaway Ends Friday 10am)
The fifth installment of one of the most innovative beer festivals is headed back to Austin, Texas on September 2nd. Art of the Brew will take over Fair Market this weekend with an event teeming with collaborations between artists and brewers, along with live music and food. I met up with Art of the Brew founders Chris Burch and Austin Nelsen to find out how it all got started and what we can expect at this year’s event.
It All Started with a Party
About 5 years ago the duo was approached to use their Co-Lab Projects gallery space to host an beer focused event. They both had plenty of connections in the beer world and were able to put together a successful event. Shortly after that, they realized they were on to something, “I turned to Austin and said, we can really run with this”, Chris says, and Art of the Brew was born.
Behind the Scenes
The team works year round to make the event happen and try to pair an artist with a brewery as soon as possible and in some cases, as early as seven months. The pair take artist to brewery and make introductions, invite the artist to brew a beer. Artists visit the brewery, sample beer and find their inspiration from something about the brewery or the beer, including label art, “we spend a lot of time making sure that we are pairing artists and brewers who are going to vibe well and build off each other. Sometimes its a common passion, aesthetic vision, or even a similar sense of humor. We want the artist/brewer teams to develop a relationship. Its that relationship that influences the art and beer for this event.“
What’s New
New artists, more breweries, and live music outside instead of inside are some of the changes for this year; however, most importantly you must have a ticket for entry (once inside, all of the beer is free). Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the door for general admission and there are several early entry and VIP options that usually sell out in advance.
“Proceeds from the sales of the collaboration beers as well as event as a whole goes to pay our Artist stipends, musicians, and performers. All of the beer for the event is donated by the breweries, and all of the money made goes to the artists and the Arts non-profits who assist in producing the event.”
The full line up of breweries and collaborating artists can be found on the Art of the Brew website, along with the music lineup.
***Important Note***
Due to the overwhelming damage sustained by hurricane Harvey, a new ticket option has just been added with $10 of each sale going to Americares, who focuses on medical care, clean water, and health initiatives in disaster stricken areas.
What’s Next
New events this year include Artists in Session designed to highlight one artist and one brewery and shine the spotlight on one particular collaboration and will take place throughout the year. The hosting brewery typically donates a portion of beer sales to the Art of the Brew to support next year’s event and artist stipends.
And on Saturday be sure to attend the official after party at Waller Creek Pub House featuring music and limited releases.
Keep up with Art of the Brew on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram #AOTB5
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