Art to drink, Omnipollo beers

I personally appreciate it when an art concept is applied to a common product, to an object that normally has nothing artistic or innovative, and for art application I don't mean reprinting a famous painting on a pillow, but a real dedication to give an artistic expression to the object, transforming the object itself into an original work.

I also appreciate beer very much, especially if it is craft, particular and with lots of hops. The planet of craft breweries has literally exploded in the last few years, the number of production realities has increased a hundredfold both in Europe and in Italy, and this has led, with obvious exceptions, to a general increase in the quality of the products offered. Beer production can also be defined as an art, and the possible nuances of taste are endless, and it is very amusing and exciting to go in continuous search of new proposals, with the curiosity of tasting and hoping to find real pearls of taste.

But let back to art. There is a Swedish brewery that has perfectly put together the two concepts, visual, communicative art, and beer art, it is the Omnipollo brewery (www.omnipollo.com).

Founded in 2010 by Henok Fentie and Karl Grandin, it was born with the idea of bringing innovation to the world of craft beer, both in terms of taste and aesthetics. Henok takes care of the brewing aspect, proposing numerous variations of IPA, Stout and other types, often bizarre and experimental, using the collaboration of many small breweries around the world, which makes Onmipollo defined as a "gipsy brewer". Karl instead takes care of the aesthetical and artistic part of the product, making every can or bottle a real work of art.

Karl Grandin is a Swedish artist with many international exhibitions to his credit, and several collaborations with well-known brands. His works are abstract, linear, pattern designs, with frequent references to cosmic, mythological or religious symbols.

The contamination of his artistic production with Omnipollo is total, as he himself has stated, it happens that works already conceived are transported to packaging and that designs for packaging then become "classic" works. I really appreciate the fact that he faces the obvious limitations due to the treated objects, cans and bottles, as a challenge and an "excuse" to experiment, a creative stimulus:

“packaging and design have always fascinated me. I don’t really see it as a limitation but an opportunity—or maybe the limitation is an opportunity...”

The importance of offering top-notch aesthetics, freedom of expression, and overall innovation that Omnipollo pushes can be indentified well in this quote from Grandin himself:

“…we don’t bother with logos or branding, so the freedom is actually pretty considerable.”

Grandin's works are not only limited to the abstract but, as it often happens in art, he uses her works to sensitize or ironize on social aspects or problems, an example of this are the beers "Yellow belly" and "Gone":

The style proposed by Omnipollo is having a lot of success, and other craft breweries are following this path, entrusting real artists with the care of their aesthetics. So I invite you to discover this particular artistic application, so you will also have the excuse to try a new beer...

Matteo Russolillo