B.O.R.I.S.

B.O.R.I.S.
03/30/09

Have you ever considered drinking Motor Oil that tastes like a trip to Aspen on Christmas with a Supermodel Ski Bunny. You need to try Hopin’ Frog Brewery’s B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher. B.O.R.I.S. (Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout) is a meal in and of itself, and has what some might call hints, but I call taste explosions, of chocolate, roasted oats, and barley. As the folks Hoppin’ Frog say the Imperial Stout “is the grand-daddy of all Stout styles”. Combine that heritage with the popularity of the Oatmeal Stout style, and the alcoholism of those crazy Russians (This beer sports a 9.4% ABV) and you have delicious beer that can either start the party or cap off the night.

It recieved an A on Beer Advocate, and most reviews tend to put it at the top of the class in Flippin’ Awesome Beer 101.

Check it out at your local wine bar, or fine beer supplier.

I get it at Erato Wine Bar in Edwardsville, IL. They sport one of the best Beer Lists in the midwest, and that is only small part of what makes this restaurant and bar great. They feature one of the Top chefs in the St. Louis area, coupled with a Sous Chef who arguably might be even better at some things. Regardless, you can trust me that the menu is amazing. As is the wine list, service and atmosphere.

Check out this Riverfront Times article/review from 2007.

If you go, look for a short, but tall in heart, bald man behind the bar named Todd. Tell him I sent you, and he’ll make sure you’re well taken care of.

Fun work

Martin Luther King Tribute
06/1/10

I wanted to attempt this style  in February, and being Black History Month I chose the Rev. as my muse.

His face is made up of the words of his epic Lincoln Memorial “I have a dream…” speech.

Take a look. I am having it framed as I type.

Smoking Goat Branding
04/1/10

I like beer.

Beer high in flavor, alcohol and price. I brew at home, but wouldn’t consider myself very good at this point. I’m working on it.

We have friends in Louisiana who I would consider really good. I designed some branding for their forthcoming brewery down there.

The Smoking Goat will hopefully be amazing, especially if I get some good beer out of the deal.

Have a look. Then drink a beer and have a look again. Continue this process until the logo looks awesome.

New Poster
02/4/10

This is a poster I made for my buddy Dustin.

A classic quote from him as we drove by Effingham, IL’s infamous and huge cross.

I thought it would look good in his new apartment.

Sheltered Perceptions
01/6/10

I recently got the chance to work on a project for the Humane Society. Given the fact that every time I walk into an animal shelter I have to be talked down from taking home every animal in the place, I was happy to help in anyway I could.

With the majority of pet buying in the United States coming from breeders, mall pet shops and unfortunately mills, animal shelters (specifically the Humane Society) are left overflowing with pets that need loving homes. They are running into a perception problem however, and many misconceptions about shelter pets are accepted as fact, and often repeated as such.

To get past this, we decided to take the problem head on, and address the most common misconceptions individually.

Here is where we landed:

Lauren and Dan sit’n in a tree…
01/5/10

My good friend Lauren is getting married in July, and though I am extremely jealous of her fiance Dan (don’t tell my wife), I made their save the date cards.

I use VistaPrint to print these types of things. Though the quality suffers, and the rumor is that they are destroying local community printers nationwide, for the price they can’t be beat. Check them out next time you want to customize your own holiday card or invitation.

Here’s how Lauren’s STDs turned out: