Van Gogh, beer, and Facebook

-
What do these three things have in common?  Well, the local Dillon Dam Brewery has created a beer to celebrate the opening of Becoming Van Gogh -- an exhibit we're all anxiously awaiting that opens at the end of this month and runs through January.  And they are having a contest to name it.  I entered the name VAN GOGH AFTERGLOW.
Vincent Van Gogh is very important to me.  When I think about the artist, and his journey, and the series of paintings he did of wheat fields, among other themes of course, I was just so inspired to come up with a name for the beer.  The only downer was that I would not have a chance to taste it myself before trying to name it; as you know if you've read this blog for a long time, I lived in Germany for a year in my 20's and have a huge appreciation of the craft of brewing -- I do love a good beer and am adventurous in trying different varieties!  But it's the beer isn't finished or available for tasting until October 30, so I had to just imagine.
The Dam Brewery's Van Gogh beer is a Bier de Garde, which is a type of pale ale, and 'tis the season for it; they described the beer named a few of the hints of flavor and spice that characterize it.  In the brewer's words:
It will be a golden to slight-copper color, very light, but with a sweet, complex carmel malt background balancing out a touch of wood barrel and maybe a hint of apple and a bit of spice.
Based on that, I came up with the name VAN GOGH AFTERGLOW.  It made me think of seeing the exhibit, walking in Van Gogh's shoes, so to speak, and then sitting down to an autumn-y beer with my head full of inspiration and wonder at his mastery.  Sipping in the afterglow.  The prize is a $100 gift certificate to the brewery restaurant, a T shirt, and 2 tickets to the Van Gogh exhibit!


So, if you want in on the fun, and you like the name I chose, and you have a Facebook account, you can vote for it on the Denver Art Museum's Facebook page -- here.  (It's easy -- no registration required.) If my name is chosen as the winner, I'll travel to the brewery for the beer's tapping and show you lots of pictures!  

Oh, and if you'd ever like to read this blog on Facebook, my Indulge Your Shelf page is here and you're more than welcome to "Like" it!

Comments

Janet Ghio said…
I think Van Gogh Afterglow is a fabulous name!!
October 18, 2012 at 2:34 PM
Dee in N.H. said…
I think that is an awesome name for a beer! I would so love to see that exhibit! I don't have Facebook so can't vote but if I could I would!
October 18, 2012 at 3:57 PM
Kathy said…
Sorry I don't do FB anymore but I love the name you picked and wish I could sit down and share one of those beers with you - while we sorted buttons, of course! 8+)
October 18, 2012 at 6:08 PM
Unknown said…
I voted and I shared with my friends too! Very cool you are in the final four now! Your name really is the best anyway! Good Luck! I went to see a Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery in D.C. years ago...we waited in line for hours like it was a rock concert...the funny thing was that turned out to be the day President Clinton was formally "impeached" and everyone was buzzing about it as we were in the exhibit...always a memorable day! Hope you win!
October 18, 2012 at 6:14 PM
Anonymous said…
sounds like a good name to me! i'll vote for that.
October 18, 2012 at 7:21 PM
autena said…
Love Van Gogh, love beer, but alas don't belong to Facebook (one of only 3 people on the planet, I think!) Good luck--what a blast it would be to win!
October 19, 2012 at 8:38 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Baby Jesus Candy Cane Christmas Ornament How-To

-
Image
Here's a tutorial to make sweet baby Jesus ornaments: Materials: 3/4" round wooden balls blue felt like-sized small wooden stars flesh-colored acrylic paint yellow acrylic paint black permanent marker small button as star decor raffia natural excelsior "moss" silver thread or coordinating yarn candy cane You'll also need glue or a hot glue gun, paint brush and scissors Begin by painting the wooden balls with flesh-colored paint and the stars with yellow paint. When dry, draw two sleeping eyes on the ball. Meanwhile, cut small pieces of felt and make little rolls to represent the baby's body; tie with a tiny piece of raffia. Next, glue the wooden ball onto the top of the body roll of felt; if you wish, you can also cut a small wedge of felt to glue over like a little swaddled hood on the baby's head, but I think it looks cute without it as well. Glue the l...
Read more

Flagler College in St. Augustine: the Tiffany connection

-
Image
We visited this wonderful building that began its life in 1888 as a lavish hotel built by Henry Flagler, one of the founders of Standard Oil, and now houses Flagler College . It is such a beautiful old building and in it we saw: these fabulous Tiffany chandeliers... on a spectacular painted and embossed ceiling in one of the hotel's drawing rooms.   I apologize for the quality of the indoor photos -- it was quite dark in the building. I had to laugh at these painted cherubs on the ceiling... and the way their ribbony robes encircle the chandelier mount! This large clock over the mantle is special because it's a Thomas Edison clock and because it is made from one piece of rare onyx.  We were told that Edison's "signature" on his clocks is the use of the incorrect Roman numeral "4". But the most spectacular feature of the building is that Louis Comfort Tiffany himself made the stained glass windows. Most of Tiffany's windows a...
Read more

O Christmas tree, jeweled Christmas tree...

-
Image
Earlier in the season Rebecca and I went to a craft fair at a local high school, and there was one booth with the CUTEST little jeweled, framed Christmas trees! The gal was nice enough to let me photograph them.  Sorry it's kind of blurry, but it was dark in that high school gym! I know it's an older kind of craft (from the '60s and '70s) but she made them sweet -- not gaudy at all.  We were both SO inspired. So, last week we made it happen.  I brought a bunch of my old, broken vintage jewelry, some velvet, glue,  old frames, and we sat in her dining room and made a forest of little trees! It was so simple: first, we took a vintage frame and covered the backing with velvet.  We just glued it on. Then, we took our time arranging bits and pieces of jewels into a Christmas tree shape. When we were happy with the arrangement, we committed and glued the jewels down!  I love this avocado green velvet! And then we did it again.  We h...
Read more