BRIGHT TANK BREWING CHALK FACE KILLAH
It’s the aim that counts. Rather than aiming to simply quench the thirst, let’s use this weapon with the intentional aim not to end but rather to save a life.
Origin – East Perth, Western Australia
ABV – 6.4%
Size – 375mL can
Style – New England IPA
Granted 'Roger’ may very well be an 'arsehole'’, but does the rest of the world need to read that each day over the bridge to work – couldn't that information merely be texted to Roger instead? I also don't particularly like giant phalluses scrawled at bus stops. But I'd rather a street full of stencils and graffiti than one lined with billboards of inane advertising for products promoted by emaciated models. While many call it vandalism, Matthew Moore, the founder and owner of Bright Tank Brewing, is aligned with my way of thinking, sharing with me when we first meet 'I find street works to be sharp, colourful diversions in otherwise drab streetscapes'.
A champion for graffiti and urban art himself, Matt had the brewery’s logo designed by Melbourne-based artists 90 Degrees Graffiti. Since then, it's very much become part of the brand, with the external façade exhibiting concept graffiti, and on inside a giant-sized spray can portrait of the father of fermentation, Louis Pasteur, oversees proceedings. However, long before it was reincarnated as a three-vessel, 10-hectolitre creative canvas, the dilapidated fashion warehouse had been home to pop-up parties at which electronic music, hip hop and graffiti took centre stage. Memories of that youthful revelry likewise lived on in Matt's mind as he set about changing direction with the appeal of his day job beginning to wear thin. Having long pondered the possibility of opening a brewery with his wife Gemma, Matt set about completing a postgraduate brewing qualification, bolstering years of homebrewing experience.
With that knowledge on hand, they opened their brewery, restaurant and bar in 2018 and haven't looked back. While Matt's artistry was initially only able to be experienced when drinking from the venue's ten-taps, it can now be encountered in every can, including this liquid tribute to Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah. Something along the lines of a liquid Weis ice cream bar, mango, peach and grapefruit, make way for spiciness in place of bitterness before a short, chalky finish.
I've never met Banksy - or maybe I did; perhaps Matt is actually him? – but if Bright Tank continues serving up 'craftworks' this good, Matt also will become a cult figure.
