Bottle AhhhhtWort

Did you ever notice how wonderfully varied and beautiful beer bottle artwork is? Have you taken the time to appreciate and delight in it or is it more important to crack that bottle open and indulge? Do you think it's just a marketing gimmick? I would like to suggest that the label is as important as what's in the bottle. It serves to give you a hint and sometimes a sledgehammer to the fored, about what to expect. For example, does the illustration portray an image of antiquity that means to evoke mental images of what beer may have tasted like long ago. Is the subject abstract, mysterious, and hard to pin down exactly what the artist had in mind when he rendered it? Perhaps this is indicative of a beer that's hard to pin down exactly what the brewer was trying to do. Does the image make no bones about what's inside? For example, Troegs Nugget Nectar shows a Hop cone having every last bit of Hop Goodness squeezed out of it. Is the illustration signed by the artist? I haven't seen this much and have to wonder exactly why not. This is pop art for the masses and art it still is, let there be no doubt. Tonight I savored an In-Heat Wheat from the Flying Dog Brewery. The illustration was created by Ralph Steadman in what looks to be a pen and ink. It portrays, well, I'll leave that up to your imagination.