As I sat down with my morning coffee, scrolling through the news feed on my phone, a headline from the Connacht Tribune caught my eye. “Brews and Brushes,” it read. I was so excited to see this article detailed my new collaboration with Galway Hooker Brewery.
Please join me on this journey as we explore the intersection of art and brewing, and discover how the art of Cathy Hughes and brew knowledge of Galway Hooker Brewery are coming together to craft something truly special for our community. Cheers to local collaboration and the vibrant spirit of Galway!
Brews & Brushes (The Art of Good Beer!)
Local brewery collaborates with acclaimed artist on new seasonal beers
BY DARA BRADLEY dara.bradley@ctribune.ie
GALWAY Hooker Brewery have announced a new collaboration with renowned Irish artist Cathy Hughes (pictured) for their new seasonal beers for 2024 – with the first two being releasing this month.
The brewery will be launching new seasonal brews throughout the year – and Galway Girl and Wild Sea Swimmers are the first two that will be available to customers.
The artwork of Mayo native Hughes, who is based in Salthill, will feature on the beer cans. Galway Girl is hazy IPA with tropical, citrus, and pine
notes, and Wild Sea Swimmers is a full-bodied Baltic porter with waves of chocolate and caramel. “We’re excited to launch our new seasonal beers, and we can’t wait for people to try them out over the coming months,” said Galway Hooker’s Michael Fitzgerald, ahead of the upcoming launch.
“Our collaboration with Cathy is so important for us. We wanted something distinctive and full of character to appear on our cans, and Cathy’s original work is perfect. Cathy’s beautiful art showcases a side to the West of Ire- land that is remarkable and full of life, something that we feel our beer strongly represents, too, he added.
Cathy Hughes originally hails from Westport, but her artwork is inspired by much of the West of Ireland, including Galway.
She has been immersed in art and crafts from a very young age and her amazing art will feature across all of Galway Hooker’s 2024 seasonal brews – adding a unique and striking touch to an already recognisable beer.
“I’m delighted to collaborate with Galway Hooker on their seasonal brews for 2024. I’m proud to be associated with a brand that is innovative, daring, and different. My work as an abstract artist incorporates Irish folklore, Aran textiles, Celtic heritage, and maritime imagery, inspired by the beauty that surrounds me here living by the wild Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland,” she said.
More information is available from galwayart.ie and galwayhooker.ie