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!

This entry is �2017 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

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!

This entry is �2017 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

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!

This entry is �2016 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.