Changing things up with their Project X series, Mother Earth Brewing's Rail Jam is a departure from their New England-style IPAs.
Like that comfortable pair of boxers, those warm socks, or your favorite running shoes. Sometimes, you need to change it up and there are a plethora of reasons.
Maybe the elastic around the words “Joe Boxer” has worn out. Maybe the red nail polish from last week’s pedicure is poking through your white socks. Or maybe it’s because you’ve avoided changing in the first place and are finally recognizing it. For the brewers at Mother Earth Brewing, boxers or socks did not inspire them, but they noticed their Project X series beers were consistently "fanciful". So they changed it up.
In collaboration with San Diego-based artist, Matthew Perdoni, the latest in the Project X series, Rail Jam, might remind you to avoid worn out tropes. Oh, and Mother Earth’s Director of Brewing Operations, Chris Baker, along with Vista (California) Head Brewer, Bret Stitzman, contributed to the recipe.
"Having followed the New England format for a few brews, which emphasizes a lactose-driven juiciness, we wanted to dial it back a bit on this one and give it a more subtle unfiltered appearance and focus on balance over excess. Utilizing an all-star lineup of Cashmere, Lemon Drop, Galaxy, and Citra Hops, Rail Jam’s strengths lie in its drinkability and sensory qualities, not necessarily in its appearance. ” – Chris Baker
image courtesy Mother Earth Brewing Company
About the artist, Matthew Perdoni
Matthew Perdoni is a San Diego-based artist who originally hails from the woods of New England, where he kicked off his lifelong passion for art through the rigorous study of comic books and graphic arts. While his friends followed the dramatic plots of Batman and Wolverine, Perdoni lost himself in the illustrations, spending hours examining and copying every line and hatch-mark in the visual stories.
Perdoni studied studio art at the University of New Hampshire and then spent four years living and working in Italy, independently studying fine art and participating in the contemporary art scene in Western Europe. Equally inspired by the European street artists as he was the Old Masters, Perdoni’s evolution as an artist quickly spiked and he began to shape his own identity, exploring new processes and techniques in his art practice, leading him back to the States.
Today, Perdoni creates fine art paintings and public artworks in San Diego. His work is heavily illustrative, often exploring stories and themes that resonate in his own life experiences. His most recent series was inspired by a past cross-country train-hopping trip that spawned an entire collection of scenes and characters gathered while riding the rails.
Perdoni has most recently made a home for himself in North County San Diego, where he teaches art at a local elementary school, and works as an independent illustrator and muralist.
To learn more about Matthew, as interviewed by Mother Earth Brewing Company, visit Mother Earth’s latest blog post, here
In case it wasn’t clear by Matthew’s bio, available on his website, it seems coincidental that this (former) New Englander would be the latest artist to contribute to Project X.
And Rail Jam HIPA (as in Hazy India Pale Ale)? It’s available in 16oz cans and on draft wherever you seek out Mother Earth’s beers. Or you can seek them out via the brewery’s beer finder at findmotherearthbrewing.com.
About Mother Earth
Mother Earth Brew Co. develops hand crafted artisanal ales in year-round, as well as seasonal and specialty offerings. With multi-state as well as international distribution serviced by breweries in Vista, CA and Nampa, ID; Mother Earth’s award-winning beers help define and maintain the standard of excellence expected of independent craft brewers.
