L O V E  A N D  U N I T Y

In 2021, we launched the GUESS WHAT series with the aim of taking the mickey out of the sometimes strange beer rating culture in the craft beer scene and imparting a little knowledge about hops at the same time. 

For our 5 YEAR GUESS WHAT JUBILEE, everything is a little different - especially at a time when more and more right-wing populists are trying to divide and incite us, we need much more LOVE & UNITY. And HUMOR.

We have changed even more, for example the conditions of participation. To make a long story short: You simply have to like every beer from your favorite brewery, no matter how bad it is. You'll be rewarded with a bunch of compliments, inspired this year by Ted Lasso and The Big Gatsby. 

What's left? All the scratching fun and really good beer, of course. We created 2 Double IPAs, both at 7.8%. The red version was brewed with 50% HBC 630 and 2 more hops for you to “guess”. The green version was hopped with 25% Mandarina Bavaria and 25% Rakau. Either way - two real, super cloudy fruit bombs, perfect for Valentine's Day. 

J U X T A P O S I N G

Everything has two sides. Front and back, quiet and loud, bitter and sweet. Opposites that seem to contradict, yet somehow belong together. We live in a world that constantly asks us to choose—one or the other, here or there, this or that. But what if the answer lies not in the choice, but in the coexistence?

A round can has no definitive front or back. The way you hold it, the side you face, the label you call the front—it’s all a matter of perception. And yet, the other side is always there, equally valid, equally present. Just like the words we use, the names we give things. Some speak in contradictions—bittersweet, open secret, quiet loud. They don’t resolve tension; they embrace it.

Juxtaposing is about exploring these contradictions. Placing them side by side, not to solve them, but to understand them. It’s a series that invites you to reconsider what you think you know, to question the obvious, and to find meaning in opposing forces that exist together, not apart.

What’s front? What’s back? Maybe it’s up to you. Or maybe, it doesn’t matter at all.

G R A I N F O G

Grainfog is a series that delves into the subtle mechanisms of disinformation and confusion that shape our perception of truth and reality. In a world overwhelmed by an excess of information, the works examine how language, argumentation, and manipulation are used to obscure clarity and blur the line between fact and fiction.

The series highlights the tactics employed in both political and societal discourse to distort debates and delay decisions. Through visual representations of these manipulative patterns, Grainfog invites the viewer to reflect on the dynamics of power, language, and truth. It sheds light on how overload, distraction, and intentional misinformation are wielded as tools to hinder critical thinking and shape public perception.

With clear references to the modern media landscape and the challenges we face in an age of "information overload," Grainfog urges us to pause and question the mechanisms that shape our understanding of the world.

90° D E G R E E

We're excited to unveil our newest series, “Vertikal Horizons,” where we take the everyday world, tip it on its side, and slap it right onto your beer can. Get ready for a journey where straight lines decide to take a walk on the wild side.

At Atelier VRAI, we like to see things from different angles—literally. In “Vertikal Horizons,” we've taken the mundane, like crosswalks, traffic lanes, and swimming pool lines, and given them a cheerful 90-degree spin. The result? An eye-opener where the straight and narrow decide to let loose and groove.

As you sip your drink, go ahead and give that can a little spin. Watch as the lines shift, meander, and turn what was once a familiar scene into a playful exploration of geometry and movement. Who knew your favorite beer could double as a mini adventure in perspective?

But hold on, there's more! We've added an extra dose of fun with our peelable labels. Yes, those intriguing designs on your can can be peeled off and slapped on wherever you fancy—your laptop, toilette, or any spot in need of a dash of creativity. It's our way of saying that life's best details often come with a bit of peeling and sticking around.

POST PANDEMIC.

Normally, we're not big fans of throwbacks and reboots; our heads are usually too full of new ideas for that. But this new series is something truly special. What are we talking about?

Of course, the PANDEMIC SERIES, first released in April 2020.

It was a massive hit because not only did you love the beers, but also the designs and names. And even as the first wave of Corona was rolling in, we were already looking forward to the time when all this mess would be over, and we could release the Post Pandemic Series. The only question was - when? Today, we've got Corona under control (kind of), although we never really got around to throwing that epic "We Survived a Pandemic" party, because, well, life had other plans and one crisis just followed another.
So here we are, folks. The POST PANDEMIC SERIES is here, and that means let's all take a deep breath and rejoice that we've survived and gotten through this awful pandemic. Let's also reflect a bit on this time, laugh or cry - as awful as it was, we were all witnesses to a historic global event.

The first two beers DISCOUNTER STRIKE and COPING are already available in our online shop, and your feedback has been fantastic. So, don't hesitate - grab yours now and look forward to more classics like GODMODE, TRIAGE, MUTE (featuring a limited edition), and of course, TEST TRACE ISOLATE.

THANKS!

WOW - thank you so much to all our fans and the Untappd community! And also to all the hanswursts ;-)

We're thrilled!

And the fact that 2 collabs were also recognized delights us even more (big shoutouts to @thesistersbrewery and @Дідькo.)

And the fact that 2 dark, barrel-aged beers were among them shows us that we're on the right track with our barrel aging program. 

Oh, and Lovelace, our session IPA, performed so well that we were poured at @NORTHERNMONKBREW Hop City Festival for the first time in 2023 also makes us a little proud.

HANSWURST!

Just like every spring, we have a new GUESS WHAT SERIES for you. What's that about again? In 2021 we started a revolution: After getting thousands of ratings from you, the boomerang now comes back: brewers rate you. But hold on, there are a few participation conditions:

1. You must instantly detect 5 times more diacetyl in any lager than any lab analysis.
2. You're the brave souls who seriously rate expired IPAs.
3. You've fallen for hyped beers countless times, yet a super tasty Pilsner barely gets a 3.5 from you.
4. Sharing a can with 20 other beer nerds? No problem. You're convinced you can judge from a mere puddle of beer.
5. Despite not liking them, you buy purple t-shirts.

Note: Participation without humor is strictly prohibited!

Can you guess which hop varieties we've used in this beer? We'll give you a hint: there's more than one. Scratch the fields below to reveal your answer. The fewer wrong hops you guess, the better your Beergeek Rating. But beware, if you guess wrong, get ready for a barrage of insults in 10 different languages – courtesy of our European friends and brewing colleagues. It's all in good fun, right?

And for all you beer lovers from Germany: If you guess wrong, you'll be faced with the most frequently used swear words in the German Bundestag from 1949 to 2019. #hanswurst. In brackets, you'll find an English translation and the total of insults. A big thank you to the journalists at ZEIT ONLINE for the incredible data tool!

And guess what - two scratchies a week isn't what we'd call a gambling problem.

NOCTURNE ROUGE 

About 3 years ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched our Barrel-Aged Program and developed various base recipes. With around 20 different barrel types and over 100 wooden barrels at various maturation stages, we can achieve the desired flavor by blending different barrels, similar to the whisky-making process. It's a high art, and with each beer, we continue to learn. Your feedback so far has been fantastic, which makes us very happy and has confirmed that we are on the right track.

Almost as long as the beer has been aging, we've deliberated on whether to fill our Barrel-Aged beers in cans or bottles. While Stouts are not as susceptible to oxygen as our IPAs, we still see the can as the superior option, especially in the realm of premium craft beers. Bottles can be dipped in wax, which looks incredibly elegant, but let's be honest, it can be somewhat bothersome when opening. So, we did what we love to do: think outside the box, break conventions, and create art. That's why we decided to dip the bottom third of the can into warm, deep red wax - as a contrast to the darkness, as an artistic expression breaking conventional boundaries. In the world of craft beer, there's room for experimentation and artistic expression, and the red wax represents exactly that creative freedom. Everything is done by hand, making each can unique.

Another characteristic of the NOCTURNE ROUGE series is the covering of the eyes. With this metaphorical representation of self-reflection and introspection, we aim to encourage exploring a deeper level of human emotions and thoughts that go beyond external appearances.

The debut is NOBODYS BIRTHDAY, with a blend of 50% KENTUCKY BOURBON BARRELS aged for 28 months with Base Recipe A1 and English malts, and 50% MGP INDIANA BARRELS aged for 30 months with Base Recipe A2 and German malts. The alcohol content is 12.1%. For the artwork we chose an impressive photo from Shanghai artist WEI DING, where the red wax creates a captivating tension between the individuality of the birthday and the universality of "Nobody's Birthday." 

More information can be found on our Instagram account.

THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON.

Since the early 1980s, advertisements have been printed on milk cartons in the United States to publicize cases of missing children. What was initially seen as a positive initiative often turned out to be, in the end, either racist, ineffective, or even driven by a tax-saving scheme. 

Consequently, contemporary popular media frequently portrayed this practice in fiction, often with a satirical tone.

M I S S I N G   S E R I E S

For our new series "Missing" we take inspiration from this familiar, almost iconic design. We go in search of things, behaviors or people that seem to have disappeared from the world. As always, this is approached with plenty of sarcasm, irony, a touch of politics, a bit of philosophy, a hint of ambiguity, a few puns, lousy life hacks and some hidden messages

Oh, and there's another special debut: We've had to wait so long for this, but it's finally here: we've used the famous and much-loved COMIC SANS font for parts of the can artwork. And another premiere: We've included the IBUs on a label for the first time. Really oldskool. 

We start the series with a Westcoast IPA. Many of you have asked for it. And we took it with a lot of goodwill, because we also love IPAs with crisp bitterness. But when we make a Westcoast IPA, we want them to be just as perfect as our Hazys.

ONLY GO(O)D VIBES

"𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓-𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒❞

For centuries, the existence of God has sparked deep discussions among theologians, scientists, and philosophers. And now, we bring this captivating topic to your glasses with our brand new beer series, 

❝𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐒❞

Yes, we're diving headfirst into the world of faith and belief, because what better way to ponder life's deepest questions than with a pint of heavenly nectar?

At Atelier  V R A I , we blend the art of brewing with philosophical musings because, let's face it, nothing goes together like pints and ponderings. So, join us in embracing the absurdity of it all as we raise our glasses to ONLY GOD VIBES.
 

No matter if you are religious or believe in Santa Claus, the soccer god, Elon Musk, Dionysus, the tooth fairy or in nothing at all: Join us for a taste of enlightenment -  the new beers are now available in our webshop.