Christmas, of course, is the time when ugly sweaters are not only finally acceptable, but at this time of year they’re downright mandatory. Happily artist AJ Fosik began collecting and rescuing some beer-themed ugly sweaters. According to Trend Hunter, “Fosik says that all of these knits were ‘rescued from moldy basements, plucked from dingy backwaters and ripped from the backs of greasy shitleopards.'” Below, for example, is one from his collection, from Olympia Beer.
And here’s another one, for Carling Black Label.
Unfortunately, Fosik no longer maintains his Flickr gallery, where the sweater collection originally lived, but luckily the collection went viral and it still lives in that series of tubes we call the interwebs. You can see his art at the Jonathan Levine Gallery and the David B. Smith Gallery. Below is a slideshow of my Flickr gallery where I think I found most, if not all, of Fosik’s collected beer sweaters, and I even added a few others that I found along the way. To see them in their full color, full size glory, view the galley full screen by clicking the button with four arrows on it. Enjoy.
UPDATE 12.30: I just heard from an online store, Brew Town Gear, that has several of the vintage beer sweaters for sale, along with some similar satin jackets. They also have a brick and mortar store in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Stock up now for next Christmas.
UPDATE 11:11:14: Brew Town Gear is apparently now Bar Closet, and has expanded its selection and now carries “even more interesting vintage items.”
Where can I find these?! Also, where can I find shitleopards?
You can’t. Apparently they’re not for sale. That being said, and given the demand, you’d think someone could create a lucrative business making and selling them again. As for “shitleopards,” you’re on your own. That was a new one on me, too.
We sell these and other vintage beer items.
Awesome, thanks for letting me know.
The Old Style one was quite nice; some of the others certainly could win an ugly sweater contest. Never had a beer sweater, but I once owned an insulated Budweiser nylon jacket (from my 70’s grocery store days – got it for cheap from the rep). One unusually warm night @ the ‘Stick in the mid-80’s, it remained at my seat after a Giants’ game … it served me well for 10 or so years, but my tastes have improved immeasurably since then 🙂
What I want to know is the origin of the “ugly sweater” gag – some of my cousins’ kids were joking about that in LA at our annual gathering on Xmas day. My educated guess would be Seinfeld (which I never watched; I turned off to prime-time TV sitcoms 40 yrs ago).
Hi Jay,
We have changed the name and now sell even more interesting vintage items. Feel free to check it out. BarCloset.com
Sam