Our style-defining Black Rye IPA returns for a limited time only from our Propagator Brewhouse in Venice, CA. This new batch of Wookey Jack remains faithful to the original recipe, which has won Great American Beer Festival gold medals three times, most recently in 2020.

What’s different is the packaging, which features new visuals by Juan Marante, a Cuban-born artist who nailed the Wookey Jack vibe.

Juan Marante aka El Gran Tocayo is a self-taught illustrator with a passion for skateboard graphics and comic book designs.

“I’d always drawn as a kid and sometimes as a teenager, but it really wasn’t something I focused on, says Juan. “I was super into sports and skateboarding so drawing wasn’t a priority. I did the occasional graphic for a buddy’s punk show flyer and a few tees for the surf shop I worked for, but like I said it wasn’t my thing. Was too hyper to be at a desk.

I started getting serious with art in my early 20’s. I’d paint on all my surfboards and caught the attention of some surf companies and started doing surfboard art for them. Eventually, I had to go back to school for graphic design and learn how to insert my art into the computer. That’s where I realized I had something. Been working in the action sports industry for about 15 years now creating t-shirt, and event graphics.”

When coming up with ideas for the re-release of our beloved Wookey Jack black rye IPA, we knew we wanted to have the can design be something wild, eye-catching and pay tribute to the original beer and design.

“I worked with your team on the concept. Initially it was a Yeti/sasquatch type guy, but then transitioned into this forest wizard with the beer rake and some hops mixed in with the art. I wanted the art to have a darker, smooth but still outdoorsy vibe and that’s what influenced the colors I chose for the graphic. The colors also lend themselves to the flavor of the beer.”

“My medium has always been analog (pen, pencil, brushes on paper), only recently did I start going almost 100% digital since I bought my Wacom screen that I can draw on. I started transitioning from action sports into the beer world and made a few graphics for local breweries and it’s been a blast.

Maybe it’s my new passion since I love beer. So when I got the offer to work something up for Firestone I immediately jumped on it. It’s been one of my favorite beers for years. Also to create a graphic for a beer I used to drink in the Wookey Jack Black IPA, it was a dream come true.”

“I had a blast working with the Firestone Walker team, from start to finish. Rad folks with good visions for their beers. Hopefully, this won’t be the last you hear of me…”

Wookey Jack will be available for a second release starting Tuesday, Feb. 23 in 16oz 4-pack cans. Only available through our webstore and three Calfornia brewstores.

We also have Wookey Jack t-shirts available for sale on our webstore. Check them out.