Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog): Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday

Showing posts with label Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Brewsday Tuesday: Coney Island Brewery Edition

I won't lie, it has been way too long since we've had an installment of Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday, and I am happy to be finally sharing work (and beer) featuring my good friends at Coney Island Brewery (@coneyislandbeer), in South Brooklyn!

I first met Kat, Coney Island Brewery's general manager, at a tattoo convention back in 2019. Last February (yes, February 2020), I popped in and spent some time talking to her about her tattoos, Coney Island Brewery, and the expansion of their location on Surf Avenue.

And then the pandemic started. Tattoosday took a 10-month hiatus. But over the summer and into the fall, I started riding my bike out to Coney Island on Sundays and stopping by the brewery. After closing to the public in March and April, 2020, they started selling beer for curbside pickup and, once dining restrictions lifted, they began serving food outdoors on their expanded patio, weather permitting.

In January 2021, they set up a tent with heaters to make outdoor dining in the winter a little more bearable. All along, the operation has been a safe space - sanitizer at all tables, QR codes to access food and drink menus, and very strict mask rules.

And here we are in March 2021, things are looking up, Coney Island Brewery is releasing a spring saison later this month (more on that later), and Tattoosday is back in business!

Let's talk about Kat's tattoo first:

I'll let Kat explain:

"This is Ninkasi. She is the Sumerian goddess of beer ... the first recipe ever actually written down of beer was a poem to her, it was kind of like a love poem ... when I started working here, I fell in love with the background and history of women and beer, which kind of sometimes gets forgotten ...

When we started doing all of the tattoo expos, I was making friends and sharing our beer and I told an artist who's based out in Ohio (Will Eagle @thebeardedeagle ) ... about this idea that I had for a tattoo to represent Ninkasi and he was like, 'please let me do it...'. So, the next time that he was in the city [July 2018] we did this, we're going to build around it, do like a bunch of hops around her ... I shared my story and love of beer with someone and they were like, let me bring that to life ... this is definitely one of my favorite tattoos."

Coney Island Brewery is a subsidiary of Boston Beer, Co., which is most often associated with Samuel Adams, but it retains a very South Brooklyn vibe; Mermaid Pilsner and Merman IPA are hallmark brands in the borough in which I live. Longtime readers of this blog will recognize it as a favorite place to hang out and spot tattoos, especially during the summer and when the Coney Island Mermaid Parade is rolling down Surf Avenue in June. I mean, merpeople and tattoos go hand in hand!

Kat started as a bartender back in the spring of 2016 and has moved up as the brewery has sprung from a relatively small space to a huge location at MCU Park, still having not exercised its full potential due to the pandemic. "Watching it grow has been really awesome," Kat told me. The fact that they have survived throughout 2020 is an incredible testament to the strength of their brand.

This past fall, I enjoyed their version of Black is Beautiful, a stout whose recipe was shared industry-wide by Texas-based Weathered Souls Brewing, to "raise awareness for the injustices people of color face daily and raise funds for police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged."

In the fall, to promote voter registration, the brewery released a delicious doppelbock called Registrator:

January brought back a Coney Island favorite, their New York Honey Stout. It was so good, I grabbed a growler full!

If darker beers aren't your bag, fear not, there are lots of other options! I'm looking forward to this seasonal collaboration dropping later this month:

Brewed with strawberry and black pepper, there will be a can release at the brewery on Thursday, March 18! I know I'll be there!! [For more information on the release, go here.]

Coney Island Brewery continues to be a supportive force in the New York Community. They just announced their "Hops for Hospitality" campaign, in which they "will donate $1.00 from every can, draft, 6-packs or 12-packs of CIB products sold to the NYC Hospitality Alliance at participating locations in the State of New York during the months of March through May." The hospitality industry in New York has been devastated over the past year. This is just another example of Coney Island Brewery's committment to community involvement.

Thanks to Kat for sharing her awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday, and to Coney Island Brewery for their awesome beer and commitment to the community in South Brooklyn and beyond!

To be entered to win a special gift from Coney Island Brewery, please be sure to comment on this post, either here or on social media where this post appears.

Coney Island does Sour beer, too!

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Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Brewsday Tuesday: Maui Brewing Edition

It's the return of Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday!

This installment features Maui Brewing Company (@mauibrewingco) based in Kihei, on the island of Maui in the great state of Hawai'i.

Having grown up on Oahu, I am thrilled to feature another great brewery from my home state. I may be a New Yorker now, but the Hawaiian Islands will always be home to me.

Our tattoos today come from Jon DuPont, Maui's Brewing Supervisor in Kihei. Jon has been with MBC for a little over four years, having originally applied to be a bartender in the new tasting room when they were moving production from Lahaina to Kihei. He ended up starting as a packaging tech and moved up in the organization into brewing and has been in his current role for about a year.

Jon was kind enough to share his Super Mario sleeve with us:

Jon credits this cool work to Kevin Reinert (@truetattoos1923) at Zen Tattoo Maui (@zentattoomaui).

Jon told us how this sleeve came into existence:

"It started as just the green 1-UP mushroom many years ago. I had been kicking around the idea of some kind of Nintendo-themed tat and my girlfriend (now wife) had just given me a little tin of mints (or something) that was shaped like the 1-UP shroom so it seemed like a good fit...my good friend had been planning to road trip (Coeur d'Alene to Boise, Idaho) to see one of his old artist friends so I tagged along for the ride and ended up getting the mushroom done with I was down in Boise with him. At that point it wasn't outlined, just had a little orange starburst around it that fell out pretty quickly. CdA to Boise is about 8 hours so I never had it touched up.

So fast forward about 8 years from that and I'm living on Maui and had become buddies with Kevin...our wives worked together just down the street from the MBC tasting room so we become drinking buddies pretty quickly. My wife ended up getting a big mandala back piece from him and I was digging his work so I plunged back in and started working on the sleeve piece by piece...Mario/Bowser/Luigi first combined with lining and touching up the mushroom. Next was Princess Peach followed by the flying goomba and bullet bill, and finally the background."

Thanks to Jon for sharing this cool tattoo with us!

As for Maui Brewing Company's beer, you'd think that I couldn't get Hawaiian beer in Brooklyn, but you'd be wrong. I was able to track down several of their brands for this Brewsday Tuesday:

I had previously had MBC's Coconut Hiwa Porter and their Big Swell IPA, but the Bikini Blonde Lager and Pineapple Mana Wheat were new to me. These are four of their year-round brands. Alas, the Pau Hana Pilsner and Double Overhead Double IPA eluded me. Jon said the Double Overhead, or as he called it, "Big Swell's Bigger Badder Brother," is really something special, and is the tattoo artist Kevin's favorite beer.

It was great to be trying these in August when the hot New York City summer made the Bikini Blonde lager really light and freshing.

The lager is super crisp and I could almost hear the surf while drinking it. And the Pineapple Mana was really nice, as well. I love pineapple, and the flavors are super subtle. It is not overpowering, but it definitely makes its presence known.

As for the Big Swell, I've had this before and it is a solid, great-tasting IPA.

With a 6.8% ABV and an 82 IBU, this has the perfect amount of hoppiness and flavor to give you a rock solid IPA.

As someone who is partial to darker beers, the Coconut Hiwa Porter was already on my radar and having an excuse to track down another one (they don't stay on the shelves too long in Brooklyn), was a treat.

This baby is smooth, and so robust with flavor. Just the perfect amount of coconut to give this 6.0% porter a nice touch of the islands. I can't recommend this enough.

Maui Brewing has some limited releases, as well, which I will be constantly on the lookout. Their Lilikoi Saison looks amazing.

Like in previous editions of Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday, Maui Brewing Company has been generous enough to throw a little swag our way:

So, you know how this works. Commenting on the post below will get you two entries into the giveaways (there will be at least two prize packages), social media likes will garner one entry, as well. There are hats, coozies, stickers, keychains and magnets to be had.

A hearty mahalo to the good folks at Maui Brewing Company for joining us in this Brewsday Tuesday post. Thanks, of course to Jon for sharing his tattoos, as well as to Marsha Hansen in MBC's Marketing for setting everything up, and lastly to Garrett Marrero, Maui Brewing Company's CEO.

Cheers from Brooklyn!

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Brewsday Tuesday: Left Hand Edition

Last summer we launched our Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday feature, and we're back with more great tattoos and beer (and a super prize giveaway) from the good folks at Left Hand Brewing (@lefthandbrewing) in Colorado!

Left Hand was founded in 1993 in Longmont, about 30 miles outside of Denver, and they have been an award-winning brewery ever since, racking up medals and awards and, most importantly, producing great beer.

I recently had a chat with Ryan Call, Left Hand's Western Regional Manager, and we talked beer and tattoos. First let's look at some of his tattoos:

That's a pretty cool koi swimming up Ryan's arm...

There are some great elements in this half sleeve.

Ryan told me that he had been a fan of traditional Japanese tattoo art, but he had been working for a distributor in Kansas that didn't allow tattoos. When he landed the gig at Left Hand, there were no such restrictions, so he celebrated and "went big" with this beautiful tattoo.

He credited Ron Miller (@miller.tattoo) at Ichiban Tattoo in Lawrence, Kansas . Ron has since opened his own shop, called Miller Tattoo, also in Lawrence.

Ryan also has another tattoo, as spotted in this photo:

That is a pocket watch on his wrist with a banner that says ...

"Live for Today."

Ryan told me that this watch in the tattoo is a family heirloom, that was handed down to him when his grandfather passed away. The watch has been in his family since 1888 and, since it's locked away in a safe deposit box, this way he gets to see it every day.

He got this as a walk-in at Mercy Seat Tattoo (@mercyseattattoo) in Kansas City, Missouri.

Thanks to Ryan for sharing his tattoos, photographed by Kearby Milliner at Left Hand.

Now, let's talk about the beer. Left Hand has a slew of brands and, as familiar as I am with some, I got a nice sample for this post:

I had a lot of fun drinking this beer, I can honestly say. I've been a fan of Left Hand's Milk Stout (far right) and, although I tend to favor darker beers, I found the lighter ones, like the Travelin' Light kolsch and the Polestar pilsner, to be crisp and flavorful. The Extrovert IPA is a solid brand with a great hoppiness that stands among the best IPAs out there. The shining gem in this family portrait, for me, however, was their Fade to Black (pictured second from left). This seasonal "foreign stout" is a palate-buster for me, with licorice notes that really made drinking this beer a treat.

Ryan told me his favorite brand is the Black Jack porter, which is one of their perennial brews that rocks a great espresso and dark chocolate flavor.

Left Hand has a solid lineup and it was a pleasure and honor to partner with them in this celebration of tattoos and brews!

They are also very generous, in that they have offered up a super "Ready to Rock" prize package for Tattoosday readers:

This includes, a Nitro Sherpa Hoodie, a Pour Hard Knuckles t-shirt, a Red Pour Hard Nitro t-shirt, a Colorado Trucker Hat, a 64 oz Ecovessel, a Left Hand cooler bag and belt pack! WHAT?! All apparel is size M.

Readers who comment below or on social media will be entered automatically into a random drawing and the winner will get this box of awesomeness shipped to their doorstep. Commenting with your favorite brand from Left Hand will double your chances, as I will count your entry twice.

Thanks to all the great people at Left Hand Brewing Company for making this an awesome Brewsday Tuesday! Special thanks to Sarah Watson for coordinating this with me, and to Ryan Call, for sharing his tattoos with us, as well as all the others on the Left Hand team that helped make this post possible.

Cheers!

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Brewsday Tuesday: Two Roads Edition

Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday is back with a post full of goodness from Two Roads Brewing Company (@tworoadsbrewing) in Stratford, Connecticut.

Appropriately, we're going to celebrate two-for-Tattoosday in double fashion, with tattoos from two folks from Two Roads, and I'll rave about at least two of the Two Roads brews.

I first connected with Emily, Two Roads' Social Media/Communications Manager, back in the fall, and she shared her tattoo of an empty nonic pint on her inner wrist:

She explained that the glass tattoo was a reminder "that that there will always be beer!" The piece was inked at The Parlour Tattoo (@theparlourtattoo) in Eugene, Oregon.

Since we started first started talking about Two Roads joining the Brewsday Tuesday roster of featured breweries, she has added another, this time a Belgian glass:

This tattoo was done at Forest to Shore Gallery (@ftsgallery) in Stratford, CT by Raquel Cude (@raquelcood).

Emily drew both of her tattoos. She is also the creator of Pints and Panels (@pintsandpanels), a really cool website (soon to become book) that takes a cartoonist's eye to the world of beer. Highly recommended!

In this photo, incidentally, she's holding a limited release of Two Juicy New England Style IPA. I had just recently been treated to one at The Lock Yard (@lock_yard) in Brooklyn last week, when I met Paul, one of Two Roads' sales managers.

Emily also introduced me to Colin, one of the brewing supervisors at Two Roads, who shared his beer-related tattoos:

Colin explained that the tattoos embody "water, malt, hops and fire - the ingredients needed to make beer (besides yeast)."

His artist is Jae Connor (@jaeconnor) from Electric Lotus (@electriclotustattoo) in Boonton, New Jersey.

Now, shifting gears, back to the beer, truth be told I have been a fan of Two Roads Brewing for a while. And not because they have cool, punny names for their brews. Their beer tastes great and they rank among my favorite breweries.

That said, it was a special treat when Emily introduced me to a new seasonal IPA called Zero 2 Sixty:

This was a really refreshing surprise - an IPA that is both hoppy and tart really does wonders to your taste buds and Two Roads is dead on when they describe this special brew as "an easy-drinking IPA with a nicely balanced tart 'chassis' that brings out the flavor and aroma of the hops." What's the secret? According to their site, "it is hopped with Comet and Chinook and then kettle-soured for a tart, balanced finished." Another winner, indeed!

I would be doing myself wrong if I didn't also praise one of my favorites from Two Roads, their Route of All Evil, a winter seasonal black ale that is a dark glass of rich, bold taste.

If you're not familiar with the Two Roads line-up of beer, you really should check them out. There's not a dud in their line-up, as far as I can tell.

For those readers who may not recall our summer Brewsday Tuesday posts, we are also fortunate to have some goodies from Two Roads. If you're interested in some Two Roads swag, all you have to do is comment on the post below, or comment on this post on either the Tattoosday Instagram or Facebook posts. Winners will be randomly selected. You also gen an entry if you just "like" the post, but you get extra points for comments, especially if you share your favorite Two Roads brand.

Thanks to Emily, Colin, Paul, and all the other great folks at Two Roads Brewing, for sharing their passion for beer and tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Brewsday Tuesday: Kona Brewing Edition

Welcome to the third installment of Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday!

Today we are looking at a company near and dear to my heart, Kona Brewing Company (@konabrewingco).

Meet Keala Aiwohi, Senior Division Sales Manager for Kona Brewing in Hawai’i:

For those of you first seeing this feature, we like to introduce the brewery employee, talk about their tattoos, and then quench our thirst for more information about the brewery and its products.

Keala recently had this work done on his chest:

Keala explained a little about this work:

"I just kinda like the way everything flows on my chest ... I have my kids' names ... family is something that's a really big priority for me ... I have my kids' names ... over my heart, if you look at the piece, it's got ... like a tribal tiki that's making a funny face ... I wanted the tiki right over my heart, with tribal kinda swirling around, along with my daughter's name on my chest..."

Take another look at Keala and see if anything else jumps out:

There, on the inside of Keala's left arm, is a huge bottle cap from one of Kona's most popular brands, Big Wave Golden Ale:

How's that for dedication?

"Previously I worked for Anheuser-Busch, then I got offered the job with Kona Brewing Company ... I just love the way Big Wave tastes. I love it. I wanted to do something different ... I love beer and tattoos ... I didn't know exactly what I was going to do ...one day I was drinking with some friends and there was bottle caps all over the top of the counter ... and I was thinking to myself ...that would be a pretty cool tattoo ... at the moment it just felt like something that would be cool ... I love Big Wave so let's slap a Big Wave bottlecap on my arm ... I love it, I show it to people all the time."

All of Keala's work pictured was tattooed by Bronson "Bronz" Pasco (@bronzink), who works out of South Side Ink Tattoo. Pasco started tattooing in 1998 and splits his time between South Side Ink and West Coast Tattoo Parlor (@inkwestcoast) in Las Vegas.

So, how good is a beer that compels one to get the bottlecap tattooed on the body?

Let me tell you, Big Wave is a delicious ale, and one of my favorite beers from Kona.

Keala added "just the way that Big Wave tastes, I love it. I'll be drinking Big Wave for the rest of my life. Kona as a brand has an image ... it's cool, it's hip, it's for everybody ... Big Wave is inspired by the big wave riders out in Makaha ... it's the perfect beach beer ... I love the fact that it's light, it's sessionable ... it's a get-together beer, it's any-occasion type of beer."

Duly noted, my family in Brooklyn throws a Hawaiian Christmas party in December and we always have bottles of Kona's Longboard Lager, Castaway IPA, and Big Wave on hand. Big Wave has a great citrus flavor that really transports me back and tastes like advertised: "Liquid Aloha."

Speaking of advertising, Keala told me that Kona did some ads for the mainland, and I wanted to share one of them here:

Like with previous installments of Brewsday Tuesday, our participating brewery is generously offering up some giveaway items for people randomly selected among those who like, share, and retweet on social media.

A big mahalo to Keala for sharing his tattoos with us, and to Kona Brewing Company for their participation in Brewsday Tuesday! Be sure to leave comments about your favorite Kona brand for a chance to win prizes!

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Brewsday Tuesday: Flying Dog Edition

It's time for another installment of Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday!

If you missed our initial post, this new feature highlights the body art of someone from an American brewery and shares, not only their tattoos, but a little bit about their company, their role, and a little beer talk, as well.

Today we are honored to be featuring Flying Dog Brewery (@flyingdogbrewery) in Frederick, Maryland!

Meet Heather Ault, who is Flying Dog's Director of National Accounts and Export:

Photo courtesy of Jessica Patterson Photography

Before we talk about Flying Dog, let's first take a look at some of Heather's tattoos.

We see she's got quite a bit of ink on her back, so let's take a closer look:

I asked Heather about the lilies on her back and she replied:

"...The lilies are ... Stargazer Lilies ... Funny enough, lilies actually represent purity…..which I would say I lost a long time ago. However, the Stargazers represent prosperity..and well…who doesn’t want to be prosperous? They are actually also my very favorite flower."

As cool as these lilies are, she shared this awesome owl tattoo, as well:

Heather explained the origin of this tattoo:

"There are few reasons behind the owl. First, my grandmother loves owls and has them around her house. Knick knack owls, not actual owls of course. Also, Athena, Greek Goddess Wisdom, warfare, and courage is often depicted with an owl on her shoulder. And, well, I would like to be wise and courageous. So it’s just a little reminder. I added the MD flag shield because I am born and raised in Maryland and I love my state and my flag."

Heather credited Gary Gerhardt (@ggtattoos) at Classic Electric Tattoo (@classicelectrictattoo) in Frederick, MD with both of the lilies and the owl.

Heather has been with Flying Dog Brewery for 11 years. Initially, it was Frederick Brewing Co, which was bought by Flying Dog about a year into her tenure there.

I first took notice of Flying Dog because of their labels. They stand out like works of art on the beer aisle, thanks to the brewery's partnership with the great Ralph Steadman. Steadman is most famous for his collaborative illustrations with the late great Hunter S. Thompson; his artwork for Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas is epic, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Heather raves "I would totally NOT be doing our brand justice if I didn't say something about our label art and Ralph Steadman, our artist." It's hard to disagree when she says, "I would argue that our labels are the best in craft beer because we have Gonzo Artist Ralph Steadman, an icon!"

Just take a look at the six-pack of Raging Bitch I bought:

I've had quite a few of the Flying Dog brands over the years, but Raging Bitch has become one of my favorites, and definitely tops among my favorite IPAs.

Heather was happy to sing its praises and explain why it's such an outstanding brand:

"Raging Bitch is a pioneer beer in the Belgian Style IPA category. Actually, THE pioneer. First of its kind. We were the first to use a Belgian yeast in an IPA and many other breweries have tried to make this style but I don’t think anyone has nailed it like we did yet. She’s very special to me."

I like it because it's not too hoppy, right in the mid-range of the IBU scale and it just has an amazingly pungent robust flavor. And at 8.3% ABV, it packs a good punch, like you would expect of something called Raging Bitch.

I encourage Tattoosday readers to head over to Flying Dog (www.flyingdogbrewerry.com) and check out all their brands, and the great labels, as well.

Honestly, when I first thought about Tattoos and Beer together on Tattoosday, Flying Dog was one of the first to come to mind, because their visual art seems ideal for tattoo enthusiasts. In fact, Flying Dog just celebrated "National Tattoo Day at the Brewery" on Sunday, July 17. Customers visiting their tasting room receive a 25% discount for life, just by showing a Flying Dog tattoo. They even had artists on hand to ink customers. See the flash, and the details about the event here. Maybe I'll drop in next summer!

I want to thank Heather Ault from Flying Dog for sharing her tattoos and her thoughts on working at the brewery. "My favorite part about working with Flying Dog is that I can be myself," she told me, and then added one of their mottos, "Flying Dog is made up of a small, dedicated band of craft beer mavericks who stand tall and never eat shit."

Also thanks to Rohry Flood, Flying Dog's "Master of the Content Universe," for helping me assemble this feature with Heather.

And as a thanks to Tattoosday readers for visiting Brewsday Tuesday, Flying Dog is giving away a special gift pack with a t-shirt, koozie, and bottle opener. All you have to do to enter is either a) comment on the post naming your favorite Flying Dog Brand; b) comment on the post on Tattoosday's Facebook page here, or on Tattoosday's Instagram (@tattoosday); or c) re-tweet this post. How cool is that!?

Cheers!

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday - Ninkasi Edition

We're launching a new feature here on Tattoosday - "Brewsday Tuesday"!

From time to time, we'll be checking out the tattoos of someone at a brewery and talking about their product. Beer and tattoos are two of my favorite things, and I'm happy to celebrate them together!

Our first partner in the series is Ninkasi Brewing Company (@ninkasibrewing) in Eugene, Oregon.

Meet Nick Yarger, Creative Director at Ninkasi:

Photo by Rob Sydor

After seeing this photo, I was eager to talk to Nick and had the opportunity to have a little chat with him about his tattoos, as well as his role in Ninkasi. Not to mention the glass of Ninkasi's Helles Belles he's enjoying in the photo.

First of all, let's look at the black and grey tattoo on Nick's upper arm:

Nick explained that this piece depicts "a ship going out to sea, and there's a kraken grabbing at it as it goes out to a stormy sea ... but it's also an image of a skull, so when you stand back, the back of the ship is its teeth and the eyes are the sails and the storm in the background is the back of the skulls's head."

Nick added that it was inspired by original art by Phil Roberts. Roberts is a well-known surf artist that Nick had the pleasure of working with in Southern California. Here is the Roberts piece that inspired the tattoo:

The tattoo was translated from Roberts' concept to Nick's skin by Tim Mcalary (@tim_mcportcity) at Gold Rush Tattoo (@goldrushtattoo) in Costa Mesa, California. Tim currently works out of Port City Tattoo in Costa Mesa.

When I asked Nick if he saw a relationship between tattoos and what he does for Ninkasi, he responded:

"Oh, absolutely. Some of the brands embody that tattoo feel. If you look at our Helles Belles, that one is specifically geared toward that culture, that tattoo style. That one is more my style than any of our other brands...

If you look at [the label] it's got the traditional sparrows in it, the lettering, all the elements are taken from traditional tattoo style."

Now, let's talk about the beer.

In the photo above, Nick's holding a Helles Belles, a truly magnificent lager, and he acknowledged in our conversation that this particular brew is the favorite Ninkasi crafts. Before compiling this post, I was mostly familiar with the brewery's stronger and darker brews (Vanilla Oatis, Tricerahops, and Total Domination) but, after talking to Nick, I sought out, and found, a few bottles of Helles Belles to enjoy, and enjoy them I did.

Over the years I have tended to drift to the dark side, dismissing lagers because I prefer bolder and thicker brews. Of course, when you have a good, well-crafted lager, that viewpoint shifts, and I was really blown away by how flavorful Helles Belles is. Crisp, light, yet deeply delicious, I was reminded how tasty lagers can be when they're just done right.

As part of this inaugural Brewsday Tuesday post, Ninkasi has generously offered to give away a Helles Belles t-shirt (like the one Nick is wearing in the photo above) to one lucky Tattoosday reader. All you have to do to win, is "like" this post on social media, or post a comment below. We will randomly select a winner in a week and announce it on Tattoosday.

Thanks to Nick Yarger at Ninkasi for being our inaugural tattooed Brewsday subject, as well as to Ali AAsum, Ninkasi's Communications Director. They really were a joy to work with and made this post a lot of fun to compile!

You can check out all Ninkasi has to offer at their website here: www.NinkasiBrewing.com.

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