All 9 of Tony Beard's posters for Fringe Fest at Bank Street Brewhouse, 2008 – 2016.

It may no longer be any of my business (except I still own a third of it, pending a monetary settlement), but I want NABC to do well, and I'm still a tremendous fan of all the folks on the shop floor, like Tony Beard. As Ralph Steadman is to Flying Dog ...

Information about Fringe Fest 2016

Bank Street Brewhouse today: Josh, Tony, football, beer and musical analogies.

I caught up with NABC's production brewer Josh Hill the other day. He's on duty at Bank Street Brewhouse -- excited, dialed-in, and ready to go forward now that David Pierce is back at BBC St. Matthews, where interesting things also will be happening, including the installation of a new brewhouse after 22 years.

It so happens that I'm a fan of the rock group Dee Purple. The band has been functioning since the late 1960s, and has continued to make new music and tour constantly through many personnel changes. These different lineups of musicians are referred to by Deep Purple fans as Mark I, II, and so on, up to the current Mark VIII, of which drummer Ian Paice is the only remaining member from Mark I.

The point is that Deep Purple has remained demonstrably Deep Purple. Having singer Ian Gillan (originally in Mark II) on hand certainly helps, but whatever musical quality defines Deep Purpleness, it's still there. The most recent album in 2013 was my favorite of the entire year.

Consequently, for better, worse, or anywhere in between, there's a aspect of "NABCness" that always remains, even when vital cogs come and go. Part of this has to do with me, another part with David (and so many other folks who've helped shape the company), but still only a part from each player.

Aristotle wrote, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." India Pale Ale didn't even exist then, and I think he was absolutely right.

Today at Bank Street Brewhouse, Josh and Tony "NABC Graphics Wizard" Beard will be on hand to watch their football teams play. As Tony put it on Facebook:

(Today) the world will be shattered as two titans of the industry duke it out as they sit on bar stools and yell at a television screen. It will be a glorifying 4 hours of witness, I hope you'll join us. If you're lucky I might be whiskey bent for the first kickoff!

There'll be dollar-off pints all day, and the usual Sunday growler fills, which as you know are exclusive to Indiana breweries, and the only Sunday carry-out beer anywhere in the state.

Stop in, chat with these guys and get to know the next generation. I've found beer to be the most effective way to smooth transitions.

Local illustrations, local beer. Artists here, not there.

Localism in design, localism in beer. Beer and design driving home the message of localism. In such a fashion, we revel in opportunities to refocus the attention of radical beer geeks on the places where they actually live and work.

Magazines, websites and ads using more of local artists' handiwork, by Matt Frassica (Courier-Journal)

... Illustrators, and the companies that solicit their work, say they’ve seen a renewed interest in hand-drawn illustrations, such as cartoons, because they often capture people’s attention and can drive home some kinds of messages better than photography.

Publications such as LEO and Louisville Magazine frequently showcase local illustrators.

NABC's Tony Beard is included among these, as is Robby Davis, who designs labels for Against the Grain.

Across the river at the New Albanian Brewing Company, Tony Beard started with the company 10 years ago, working in the kitchen. But his boss, Roger Baylor, found out about his drawing hobby and asked him to design a logo for Hoptimus, an imperial pale ale. Beard gave the beer a Transformers-inspired robot in yellows and oranges.

Here's the plan.

As soon as it gets warm, we're going to shine some lights on this side ...

 ... and paint some words on this side.

As soon as it gets warm.

Gravity Head 2013: The poster.

As always, kudos to Tony Beard.

Tony's art for Gravity Head 2013: "Return of the Living Gravity Dead."

Ladies and gentlemen, Tony Beard.

For a current Gravity Head update, go here.

NABC Session Series: Gold, the graphic.

Ladies and gentlemen, the inimitable Tony Beard.

Beer, food and art at Twenty Tap in Indianapolis.

Photo credit: Indy Star

Twenty Tap is my kind of place. It took too long for me to make my first appearance, but I'm hooked. In addition to having NABC on tap fairly often, Twenty Tap also has displayed a handful of Tony Beard's poster artworks. They're visible on the wall in the photo above.

On the Plate: Twenty Tap is catching on, by Jolene Ketzenberger (Indy Star)

... I like that sense of place. And I like that owner Kevin Matalucci was an owner of Northside News, the bookstore/cafe that used to occupy the Twenty Tap space. And maybe that's part of the hard-to- pin-down appeal.

Of course, there's also the beer.

Twenty Tap is up to 38 taps now, and Matalucci (a longtime brewer at Broad Ripple Brewpub) certainly knows his stuff.

And for many pub regulars, it's the main draw. It's definitely a craft beer crowd at Twenty Tap, though there's also wine by the glass and a very appealing pear cider on tap ...

... The food at Twenty Tap, while not consistently great, is firmly in the "good" category, and its gastropub fare (something better than typical pub grub) was needed in the neighborhood.

NABC at Keg Liquors for yesterday's Jingle Walk.

Yesterday's weather in downtown New Albany was nippy, but the sun was shining, and by most measurements the Holiday Fest and Jingle Walk should be judged a success. I was joined at Keg Liquors by the inimitable Tony Beard (being interviewed by Amanda Arnold in the photo), otherwise known as NABC's graphics department, and we dispensed eleven growlers of three types of NABC samples, a couple ounces at a time, to the jingle walkers.

When the Jingle Walk finished, the Holly Jolly Beer Trolley began circulating downtown. The trolley vehicle itself is owned by the city of Jeffersonville, which evidently acquired two and maybe more of them in an abortive effort to shuttle people from the Indiana shore to Yum Center for ballgames. Matt McMahan, owner of Irish Exit, Warehouse and Dillinger's, did the trolley legwork, and the participating bars and restaurants pitched in on the cost. We're hoping to do it again soon.

Taken as a whole, Friday and Saturday were good days for downtown New Albany. Plaid Friday (which I personally favor) and Small Business Saturday (less to my taste, owing to the American Express connection) both provided excellent opportunities to educate consumers about the importance of independent small business, and our burgeoning Buy Local movement. Holiday Fest, Jungle Walk and the Holly Jolly Beer Trolley brought people downtown, and the pubs and eateries benefited.

Let's do an Elector Day recap, with Electimus and a requisite graphic Elector retrospective.

Let's do an Elector Day recap.

Since 2010, Indiana no longer labors under the restrictive "blue laws" that formerly forbade alcohol sales until the closing of the polls at 6:00 p.m. Kentucky has no such luck, and life there will be painfully dry until early this evening.

Over here on the Sunny Side, some taverns will open at 7:00 a.m., and package stores will be doing business as usual.

Both NABC locations will be open at 11:00 a.m., serving beers of proven merit. Our time-tested Elector Ale (for over a decade, it has made democracy pointless) will be on special all day at $3 for an imperial pint.

Also, there's a rare beery surprise: Electimus, which comes out of hiding only during presidential election years. It's a blend of 70% Elector and 30% Hoptimus, and there's only one keg of Electimus at each NABC location. That's it.

In 2008, there was no Bank Street Brewhouse, and so the tradition begins there tonight. I'll be there. The Pizzeria & Public House will be rocking, too, as has been the case since Bill Clinton was elected in 1992.

Vote (and drink) early and often, people. Let's kill a few minutes with a visual history of Elector. First, the official Tony Beard "HOPS" poster for 2012.

The Elector Day 2008 poster was designed by John Campbell. The crazed John McCain image is a classic.

Just how far has Elector progressed since the first clip art cut 'n' paste from 2002? Here is what I cobbled together, pre-Tony.

By 2007, glimmers of a new Elector were to be seen. For a fairly succinct history of Elector, how it was first brewed and the way it came to be named, go here.

There was a retrofit in preparation for bottling, once Elector was being brewed downtown at Bank Street Brewhouse.

Which brings us to the present day -- Elector Day, 2012.

And a big round of applause for the inimitable Tony Beard. He thanks you, and we thank you.

Redhead at Yellow Cactus.

The inimitable Tony Beard's artwork graces the doorway to The Yellow Cactus in Floyds Knobs, where Tafel is pouring.

An Elector always makes democracy pointless, and Tony shows you why.

As always, NABC's artwork comes to you courtesy of the inimitable Tony Beard, who continues to conjure designs as a basis for a pre-election Elector marketing run.

Beers, pours and pricing for "25 Years of Beer & Loathing."

NABC Bomber Blonde -- a League Stadium exclusive.

Previously: Craft beer at the ballpark in 2012: Dubois County Bombers and NABC.

Tony Beard used NABC's familiar 15-B Vargas Girl and dressed her in a slightly more family-friendly way for use as the mascot of Bomber Blonde. The ale (BJCP category 6B) is intended to offer a small-batch, craft-brewed alternative to mainstream lagers, and it will be available only at League Stadium for Bombers home games: May 30 through playoffs in early August. Bomber Blonde is a fun experiment for us, and we think beer-drinking Bombers fans will like it.

Tony's label art (and specs) for NABC Black & Blue Grass, an April release.

Tony Beard's label design for NABC Black & Blue Grass, as submitted to the governing authorities. We're aiming for a shipping date of April 18; keep all fingers crossed.

NABC Black & Blue Grass 
Ale with blue agave nectar and spices

The great Bill Monroe described his bluegrass music as "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It’s Methodist and Holiness and Baptist. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound." Our Black & Blue Grass begs to concur. Belgian yeast and stateside Saison spicing; black pepper and blue agave and lemongrass, and a great bet alongside any food you have around. Or, just enjoy a bomber of Black & Blue Grass as you watch the springtime ponies run.

Malt: Rahr Pale and white wheat, Castle Aromatic

Hops: German Perle

Spice: Toasted Black Pepper, Lemon Grass

Sugar: Blue Agave Nectar

Yeast: House Belgian

O.G.: 15 degrees Plato

IBU: 18

NABC's Tony Beard in the Indy Star.

In which Tony gets some love from the Indianapolis newspaper's beer-loving correspondent.

Beer companies get creative, put artwork on cans and bottles; Microbrewers get creative to get attention: beer on the inside and art on the outside, by Michael Atwood (Indy Star)

With names like Hoptimus, Moloko, and Osiris, craft beers from New Albanian, Three Floyds, and Sun King leave a memorable impression on the minds of drinkers. But along with their names might come another impression, that of their container art.

Mayans say: Only 55 days until the end of the world as we know it.

Tony's amazing NABC mural at Bank Street Brewhouse is finished!

Tony's Wisconsin-Indiana poster for the Great Taste of the Midwest, 2011.

I may have mistakenly advised Tony to change "New Albaniana" to "New Albania." Either way, it's fine. I now understand that while New Albania is the home of New Albanians, New Albaniana is the state-wide, Indiana-inflected version. The poster will be on sale at our booth during the GTMW.

Tony's label and graphics for Yakima Rye India Pale Ale.

And all due thanks to Jared Williamson, who now walks to work at Schlafly, for developing Yakima. We have big plans for this one.