by Joey Phoenix
Bent Water Brewing Co. released its new Taproom Exclusive can this past weekend. It’s called Harvester, a down-to-earth brown ale that would probably pair quite well with turkey, and it’s come out just in time for Thanksgiving.
Harvester is the first in a series of can releases that the brewery will be producing over the next few months. These special releases will only be available in the Bent Water taproom, and not distributed out, encouraging people to come down to Lynn’s industrial district and enjoy the space itself.
Since Thanksgiving also coincides with a collective spirit of thankfulness and giving back, Bent Water has partnered with RAW Art Works for this release. A portion of the sales of the Harvester cans will be donated back to RAW, to help support the organization’s ongoing outreach programs in and around Lynn.
“We’re just excited to be partnering with community, we try to find opportunities to do that throughout the year,” said Robin Leopoldo, Bent Water’s Communication and Marketing Manager, “It’s also an opportunity to make people more aware of Bent Water’s taproom because, believe it or not, a lot of people who live in the area still don’t realize that we have a taproom.
“So we’re hoping with this series that it will bring people in and give them a taste of what we have to offer.”
Photo by Brad Mintz Photography
RAW is a Lynn-based youth arts organization with a focus on art therapy, offering free programming from painting to filmmaking to kids aged 7-19. The organization’s commitment to ensuring every voice is seen as important has played an enormous role in shaping Lynn’s creative landscape over the last couple of decades.
For the can design, Bent Water commissioned RAW Art Works alumnus and instructor Michael Aghahowa, a multimedia artist and Lynn Native. When asked about the inspiration for the design:
“I started thinking about this design from traditional images of gathering crops and things like that,” Michael said, “but it really hit me when I was walking with my friend through Lynn Woods. I just kept seeing all of this color and light, and I wanted to use those shades for this.”
Michael Aghahowa grew up in Lynn, attended RAW as a teenager, and has since returned to teach in the place that inspired his creativity so many years ago.
“RAW has been involved in the arts scene since the 90s so it’s really cool to be with an organization that has been so involved in the community for that long and has produced so much of Lynn’s creative scene,” Michael added.
For him, teaching there has been such a rewarding experience. “At RAW, not everybody is an artist. But it’s really cool to be able to be there and answer the kids’ questions and work alongside my teacher who taught me when I was there.”
Over the last few years, Lynn has shaken off an undeserved reputation and people are starting to finally recognize it for the cultural epicenter that it is, but for those like Michael who have been there their entire lives, they’ve always seen it for what it is.
“It’s really cool to see people starting to see that Lynn a place that is not bad,” he explained with a laugh. “I’ve been in Lynn all my life, and a lot of negative things have been pinned on it but for me, I’ve always seen its worth and known it’s a really cool place.”
“Everyone wants to see Lynn grow and develop, and the arts are such a huge part of it,” Robin said. “[Bent Water Brewing] chose Lynn because of the water source, but also because there is so much creativity and community that comes out of this city.”
Today at 12:00 pm, Bent Water Brewing invites guests to come down to Friendsgiving. The Eloti Boston Food Truck will show up at 3:00 pm, and Kevin Farren will take the stage from 6 – 9:00 pm to supply some live music.
If you can’t make it out to the taproom today, Bent Water Brewing is open on non-holiday weeks on Thursdays through Sundays, with acoustic music on Friday nights and live music on Saturday nights.
Check out their calendar for an up to date listing of upcoming events.
Joey Phoenix is a performance artist and the Managing Editor of Creative North Shore. If you have an idea for a story, feature, or pictures of adorable llamas, feel free to send them a message at joeyphoenix@creativecollectivema.com
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