From Thread, to Can, to Meals in Hand: Harpoon Giving Gose
November 7, 2019
Giving during the holidays is always a great idea but doing it over beers makes it so much better. Harpoon Giving Gose – our limited release for the month of November – joins together the classic New England flavor of cranberries with the spirit of giving back, as one dollar for every four-pack goes to your local foodbank.
Giving back to our communities is weaved into everything we do here at Harpoon… and sometimes we mean that literally. The can art for Giving Gose was hand-embroidered by our talented Graphic Designer, Victoria Elliott. And if you’re now asking yourself “but wait, how can you embroider a can of beer?” read our Q&A with Victoria below to learn all about how she brought this seasonal beer to life.
What was the inspiration behind the can design for Giving Gose?
The inspiration behind the can design for Giving Gose came from all of the amazing crafts of the season, from construction paper turkeys to incredibly detailed cloth napkins! I love the spirit of warmth that comes with handcrafted touches, and one of my favorite hobbies just happens to be freehand embroidery. Making a beer in November with such a wonderful charitable aspect, I wanted to invoke care, home, and tradition, and needlework was a great way to get there.
What did the design process look like from start to finish?
I started at the computer, drawing out all of the elements, and arranging and resizing them so they fit just right. Then I printed out my design on a water soluble sticker-like fabric, which I placed on white cotton. I’m frequently at my local craft store, and this project gave me an excuse to spend a bunch of time in the embroidery floss aisle, where I picked out all my thread colors, including the burgundy with just the tiniest hint of sparkle. Then I got to stitching! After I’d sewed everything, I washed the piece, which got rid of the sticker template, and left me with the thread just on the fabric. We had it scanned by a high resolution scanner in Boston, and then sent it to print! It’s subtle, but you can even see the texture of the fabric on the can.
What was the most fun part of the process?
Definitely the sewing. How often do our hobbies get to mesh with our work lives? Towards the end of the project, when I really just needed to focus and block everything out, we even crafted a tiny box hut in our Design area. I hid, listened to music, and stitched. It was also really fun to switch from working on a computer all day, to working with real objects.
What was the most challenging?
Also the sewing! Staying on the lines, making sure the stitches were nice and even, keeping track of how many threads I was using on particular parts, all of that was quite challenging.
How long did it actually take (please use how many cans of Giving Gose one could consume in that time frame as measurement)?
If you drink a Giving Gose at a rate of one can per hour, you would have consumed 16 cans in the time it took me to sew the piece! Probably a few more if you count the initial design time and final edits once we had the scan.
Where are you looking forward to enjoying one this month?
I can’t wait to share Giving Gose with my friends for Friendsgiving! It goes with pretty much anything on the table, and I love knowing that by drinking it I’m also donating to my local food bank. Good beer, good food, and giving back to the community? I can’t imagine anything better. 🙂
Harpoon Giving Gose is available in limited supply in select northeast markets – find it using our Beer Finder. Additionally, it will be available on tap starting Sunday, November 10th at both breweries in Boston, MA and Windsor VT. $1 for every pint sold will be donated to the Greater Boston Food Bank in Boston and the Vermont Foodbank in Vermont. $1=3 meals, so please know your contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting our efforts to give back to those in need this holiday season! #harpoonhelps
