Members of Merit and Imprint Beer Co. take a break from brewing to pose for a photo.
As the old adage goes, few things in life go together better than beer and punk rock.
That axiom holds especially true for the North Penn area, as members of the punk rock band Merit spent Tuesday morning and afternoon at Hatfield’s Imprint Beer Co., working on a new collaborative brew.
“It’s been incredible, being a local band collaborating with a local brewery, especially one that has been doing great things for the community,” said Jesse Winters, guitarist for Merit. “They make amazing beer, and they were very excited to make this beer with us. We’re all excited to taste it.”
According to Mike Dougherty, who serves as the lead vocalist for the band, the collaboration has been in the works since the band performed at the Haze It Forward charity event at Imprint in April. With the upcoming release of their new album later this month, the band thought it was a perfect time to follow through on the idea.
“We’ve always been very hometown-driven,” said Dougherty. “There’s always been a sense of solidarity within our hometown and our scene. It’s nice to have that sense of camaraderie with another industry that we all are very passionate about. We couldn’t have thought of a better group of people to do this with.”
The collaboration is not just a simple brand alignment, however. All five members of Merit, along with their photographer Shane Conwell, spent the day at the brewery and had active input on both the ingredients and the labor going into the brew.
“It’s easy to just slap our name on a label, but we wanted to be involved and included in the process,” said Dougherty. “We helped by adding the ingredients, the hops, the sugar and everything. They guided us through the process, as we obviously don’t know what we’re doing, but our name will be on this beer, so it was important for us to be involved in the process.”
In total, members of the band and the brewery combined to create two batches of the new brew, aptly dubbed “Pop Punch” due it being a fruit-infused milkshake IPA with a Hawaiian Punch-red color. Artwork for the label was provided by Colin Shawcross a.k.a. Non-Heinous, and bears a unique, punk-inspired homage to the Hawaiian Punch label.
The band will return to Imprint on July 23 for canning, and then will host a simultaneous release of the new brew and their new record during an acoustic set at Imprint from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on July 26. The event will also feature a DJ, and merch packages will be available that include the new album and a four-pack of Pop Punch.
The following day, Merit will continue their record-release party with a full show at the Lansdale American Legion, and the album will also be available on all major streaming services, including Apple Music and Spotify.
“Between the two shows, there’s going to be a variety of you’re going to get,” said Dougherty.
Until then, band members will continue to bask in the glow of their day at the brewery, as well as seek out new partnerships with other local businesses and organizations.
“It’s been the best day. I can’t think of a better way to spend a day,” said Winters. “We look forward to more collaborations with both Imprint and other local businesses, as well. We want to branch out and keep this wave rolling.”
See also:
This Weekend at The Underground: Bands, Improv Comedy, 80’s Dance
Montgomery Township Announces Summer Concert Series Lineup
First Fridays 2019: Bigger and Better...and a Little Later
Dead Milkmen, Live In Our Backyard
Imprint Beer Co. To Host Charity Cornhole Tournament
