Arts & Crafts Beer Review: Cosmic Eye Laser Quest 2.0

The beverage of choice for this month’s release of Arts & Crafts was the Laser Quest 2.0 from Cosmic Eye Brewing in Lincoln, Nebraska. This Brut IPA with hibiscus is refreshingly unique, not only in its flavor but the unfamiliar style (unfamiliar to us anyway). I think the can describes this 5.5% abv and 0 IBU brew perfectly, “Brewed to mimic Rose, Laser Quest 2.0 uses hibiscus to add color and just a touch of acidity to this highly carbonated, crushable beer.”

So…since I am unable to come up with any descriptors for this beer, other than those included by whomever wrote the copy for the label, let me tell you why it worked out well for this month’s episode of Arts & Crafts. 

When picking out a beer for the podcast, I like to find something new. That could be in terms of flavors we haven’t experienced, a style that hasn’t made an appearance on the show, in the literal sense of a ‘new’ beer, or merely something I haven’t seen before; so I am usually looking for something with an interesting design on the label or a wordy description to rope me in. But hidden in the middle of the local offerings was this somewhat uninteresting can with an off-white label; black, geometric, sans-serif type, and just a pop of color. Now, simplicity is one of my favorite characteristics of design, so I was intrigued. 

Although it was rather coincidental, it is interesting that we were enjoying this craft beer while discussing sports uniforms and how we would like to see some teams do something different and more inspired. 

One thing Cosmic Eye, and a number of other local breweries, do is create a rather simple, uniform identity to use in their branding, specifically for the can art allowing the craft and the flavor to keep you coming back for more. Next time you see a design that doesn’t draw you in with some crazy color palette or super intricate detail, interact with it and see if you can learn what it is really trying to say. 

Check out episode 8 of Arts & Crafts, in which we discuss art in video games and the design behind sports jerseys. The podcast is available on your favorite streaming services. New episodes drop the first Friday of each month!