Perhaps at art events, you picture you and your date holding a glass of fine local wine, gazing at a painting, and talking about how the brushstrokes draw your eye from left to right to follow the light source and turned body of the subjects, and how this painter represents that country and art period. Or maybe the conversation is more concise, such as “I like this one” and “I don’t like this one”.

Let me paint a new picture for you. It is this coming Friday night and you are at the Portland Art Museum with your date, sipping on a local beer that was created specifically inspired by the painting you are now gazing at.

Oh wait, actually there are FIVE local beers that were so inspired by that painting, and you get to sample 8 ounces each (half a pint!) of all of them.

1. Breakside Brewery / The Man Who Made Dessert / 100% Brettanomyces fermented ale with apricots.
2. Ecliptic Brewing / Caelum Ale / A blend of 3 different beers, some of which was aged in Syrah barrels.
3. Humble Brewing / Servitude / Light-bodied, no-frills Saison crafted using the simplest of  ‘on-hand’ ingredients.
4. Laurelwood Brewing / The Drunken Cobbler / A French/Belgian Grisette, historically a blue collar beer, with an added sour blend to upset the balance.
5. Widmer Brothers Brewing / The Drunken Cobbler / Biere de Garde with mostly French ingredients, aged on French Oak.

Also, you get to hear the story about what and how the painting helped birth that beer, as well as learning about the painting and how the painting is cared for AND about how the beer was made AND how the beer and art parallel each other.

Did I mention this entire thing only cost you $12 ($10 if you are a Portland At Museum member already)? And that you also get snacks and museum admission to see the painting and rest of the art collection of the museum until it closes(keep in mind general admission is usually $15).

This event coming up this Friday June 13th from 6:00pm to 8:30pm with doors opening at 5:30pm to the Portland Art Museum is a perfect blend of fine art (literally) and the casual social bond of sharing beer. It’s both a fancy cultural and laid back casual perfect date and is the brainchild of Eric Steen, who is the brain behind Beers Made By Walking (bringing hiking/exercise/nature and beer together) and previous Art and Beer events, and one of the events for PDX Beer Week this week.

This year, the painting to inspire the five local breweries is The Drunken Cobbler, an 18th-century painting by French artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze in the Museum’s European art collection.

The Drunken Cobbler, Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725-1805), oil on canvas, Gift of Marion Bowles Hollis in the European Art Collection of the Portland Art Museum

This is the same painting that is the subject of this great 2 min video that gives a quick insightful analysis of the painting to get you ready for when you see it this Friday and can impress your date.

Oh, Daddy, Please Don’t be Drunk! – Jesse Locker, speaking about: Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725-1805), The Drunken Cobbler, 1780/1785, oil on canvas

Now go buy your ticket (did I mention it’s only $12? Which is cheaper then regular admission), set up your date, and be cultured and impressive and awesome. You’re welcome.

Oh, besides the admission and 5 beers and snacks, you also get to keep the special glass they made for this. Seriously, this is SUCH A DEAL.

If you want, you can also then finish up your date with a dinner with the Official Beer Week Sandwich available at the various Lardo locations and Easy Company. The official beer week sandwich is with Olympic Provisions Kielbasa, smoked Tillamook cheddar, sauerkraut, Worthy/Hopworks Session India Rye Ale mustard on toasted ciabatta.

One more nag- have you bought your ticket yet to the Portland Beer and Cheese Festival yet?

Check out more beer events here for PDX Beer Week June 5-15th, and don’t forget I have a June Drinking Events Roundup here!