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(Courtesy Dogfish Head Craft Brewery)
Just as with film and music, beer imaging matters. A beer’s label art is an invitation that sets the tone for what you’re about to drink. It’s part of the beer’s vibe and Dogfish Head Founder & Brewer Sam Calagione understands this better than most.
In 2018 Calagione introduced the Off-Centered Art Series, a lineup of four beers representing the creative expression that occurs at the intersection of ales and art, featuring a new illustrator each year.
And in 2022, Dogfish Head is working with Max Mahn, a well-known printmaker and illustrator from Missoula, Montana. Mahn has worked with clients of all shapes and sizes, from pizzerias 
and film festivals to newspapers, as well as his favorite bands. He has created gig posters for the likes of many notable musical acts, including My Morning Jacket, Ween, Wilco and more
“I’ve been drawing weird things for as long as I can remember,” said Mahn…
Max kicks off his Off-Centered Art Series residency with label artwork for the brewery’s all-new unfiltered IPA, a beer brewed with four wild-derived hop varieties.
Dogfish Head Where the Wild Hops Are is a 6.5% ABV IPA crafted with Zappa, Amarillo, Comet and Sabro hops and blended with a touch of wild ale aged for four years in French Oak barrels. It’s an ambitious melding of citrus meets dank, rounded out by just a bit of wild funk.
And Mahn’s label artwork is definitely a walk on the wild side that captures the beer…
“Most of my posters are based off lyrics or the general sound / aesthetic of that specific band. Those things don’t exist for a beer. For beer, I’m personally creating the aesthetic for that specific drink. So, it was fun to think up different imagery and stories that would in the end define the beer itself.”
Mahn’s Where the Wild Hops Are artwork sets a playfully mysterious tone, featuring an old school box trap baited by nothing other than a large hop cone. The illustration’s vivid color palette showcases the detailed nature of his work and its striking.
“Here at Dogfish Head, we see brewing as a work of art; the creative interaction between traditional brewing, off-centered techniques and high-quality culinary ingredients being our medium and drinkers, our muse,” Calagione added.
“We were so excited about Max’s interpretation of Where the Wild Hops Are that we decided to create a limited-edition, long-sleeve T-shirt and a ‘gig’ poster of our own, so drinkers can not only taste the art through the beer, but they can also wear it or display it in their home.”
Dogfish Head’s Off-Centered Art Series will also include Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale and two other all-new innovations, Mandarin Orange & Mango Crush and Crimson Cru in 2022.
