The ToonSeum and East End Brewing Company Announce Release of Illustration Ale, a Special Hand-Bottled Beer

The ToonSeum and East End Brewing Company Announce Release of Illustration Ale, a Special Hand-Bottled Beer

Cartoon fans and craft beer connoisseurs can sample a custom hand-bottled beer from the ToonSeum and East End Brewing Company
The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh’s own museum dedicated to the cartoon arts, is proud to announce the June release of Illustration Ale, its collaboration with East End Brewing Company (“Pittsburgh's micro-est microbrewery”).

Illustration Ale is a limited edition, 700-bottle run of a one-time East End brew. The ale is a bottle-conditioned, with a rich dark malt character, spicy and nuanced, without any actual spices added. The complex flavors result from the brewer’s careful handling of a special Farmhouse Ale yeast.

Each one-liter swing-top bottle bears a label created by one of six Pittsburgh cartoonists, making for a unique six-pack collection. The custom labels were designed by David Coulson, Dave Klug, Pat Lewis, Jim Rugg, George Schill, and Mark Zingarelli, and showcase some of the amazing cartoon talent based in the city. Two dollars from the sale of each bottle will directly benefit the ToonSeum.

Scott Smith, brewmaster, owner and sole employee of East End Brewing Company, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, said “This is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale, which means something pretty specific to beer geeks like me.” He added that “Traditionally, beers of this style are named with an "-ation" suffix, like Temptation or Salvation, so Illustration seemed a natural choice for a ToonSeum brew.” Smith has used labels and logos created by local artists Mario Zucca and Wayno for other brewery projects, so he’s no stranger to combining beer and cartoons. Still, as he reviewed the art for this brew he said “I'm stunned at the diversity of material.”

Joe Wos, executive director of the ToonSeum, said “We’ve always been fans of East End Brewing Company, and have been waiting for the right project to work on together. As we brainstormed about ways to highlight the work of local artists, we hit on the concept of an ‘illustration six pack,’ and the project fell right into place. Sophisticated cartoon art combined with craft-brewed beer perfectly captures Pittsburgh’s unique mixture of blue-collar roots and a tradition of cultural innovation, with no pretense whatsoever.”

Illustration Ale will be available for sale at East End Brewery during its Tuesday through Thursday growler hours.