I once had a brewer contact me and ask, “Would it be cool with you if I named one of my beers after you?”
Would it? Are you kidding me? Check one off the freaking Bucket List!
Michigan has become one of the leading craft beer states in our wonderful country. Being a native Detroiter, I grew up drinking Stroh’s, Altes and Colt 45. In college I switched to such highbrow brews as Narragansatt, Buckhorn and if we had a little more dough, Leinenkugel, which by the way used to be such a small brewery they sometimes had “skunky batches” and the store owners would discount them from $15 a case down to a finski just to get rid of the inventory. Over the years I graduated to Labatt and Molson, as Detroit is close to Canada and occasional trips to Windsor, where the drinking age was 18, cultivated my taste for barley and hops. Craft beer? That was maybe Sam Adams and Oberon, a Bell’s wheat beer that is often considered an entry level to the craft beer universe.
As for me, I sort of stumbled into the craft beer world, invited into a secret group full of 300 brewers, enthusiasts, and all-in-all, eclectic bunch of likeminded folks that enjoy drinking and discussing good beer. I really didn’t know anything about craft beer other than it was more expensive and filling than Bud Light. Aside from the hipster-stereotypes (not all entirely true), I was drawn to the welcoming nature and overall passion these people had for beer. I’ve always been fascinated by things like wine, food, liquors, cigars, movies, anything that I can dig deep into, learn the finer details and sort of nerd out about. Being an artist, I’m also drawn to the overall aesthetic of any topic, and in beer I found plenty to go around, not only what went inside the bottle, but what went on the outside. Labels and design are a huge part of the craft beer universe. But beer brought me so much more. Through it, I was introduced interesting people from all walks of life, built enduring friendships, went to meet ups, festivals, even scored some business. I’ve created logo art for breweries, original paintings as well as other designs for wearables and marketing. Hell, I even have my face featured on a t-shirt worn by hundreds. I’d tell you about that, but then I’d have to kill you.
I kid!
But seriously, it’s a secret.
Anyway, back to that Motor City Joe Coffee Cream Ale I was telling you about.
Andy Thomas, owner of Starving Artist Brewing Company in Ludington, Michigan, is an amazingly talented artist-turned-brewer. His barn (seriously, his brewery is kind of a barn) turns out a number of delicious varietals, from sours and stouts to porters and hazy IPAs and most everything in between. His beer is available at the taproom in Ludington, a bucolic town located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, and limited distribution throughout parts of western Michigan. The brewery’s website describes itself as, “A small speck on the Michigan beer map, but big things come in small packages. Starving Artist is one of Michigan’s few farmhouse breweries. Focused on high-quality, creative liquids to explode your tastebuds.”
All of the cans of beers at Starving Artist feature artwork created by Michigan artists. Motor City Joe features my logo and a stylized photograph taken by former Michiganian and artist extraordinaire, Marc Rochon. I have to say the beer is delicious, with a coffee finish that isn’t overly cloying. As much as I love the beer, I’m lobbying Andy Uber-hard to create another; Motor City Joe Coffee & Vanilla Bean Imperial Stout, my favorite of stout category.
Are you listening Andy? Give me a call bro and we’ll chop it up.
More about Andy Thomas and Starving Artist Brewing Company. Click the link to read about his story on him and his brewery in MyNorth