Hop Heaven

A unique monument of Uiltje in london

The Bermondsey Beer Mile is London's premier destination for craft beer and craft ales. Of the many taprooms, breweries and bars on this street, one is a Dutch taproom specializing in beer from the Low Countries called It Ain't Much If It Ain't Dutch. To celebrate the opening of its new flagship location under South London's railroad arches, co-owner Eric Holland of Uiltje gave it a free pass to do something awesome with its 14-by-8-foot vaulted ceiling. The Dutch brewer, known for its IPAs and its cheeky tone and cartoonish illustrations, responded with Hop Heaven, an England-focused version of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel.

 

The idea to create a Michelangelo-style illustration for the bar's ceiling began as a joke. Co-owner and director of the bar, Eric Holland, gave the go-ahead and Uiltje kicked it in.


"When we approached our cartoonist Gerben about the project, he reminded us that it took Michelangelo six years to finish the Sistine Chapel ceiling," says Joyce Kooijman, marketing manager of Uiltje. "But Gerben is an extremely fast cartoonist. He said he could probably finish it in two months."

Gerben is Gerben Valkema, the Dutch cartoonist responsible for all of Uiltje's labels and artwork. Together with writer and creative director John Weich, the timeline was set at two months.

 

"Two months, not two years," Valkema says. "I secluded myself in my studio and drew. It was a long two months."

Welcome to Hop Heaven

At 14 by 8 meters, Uiltje 's illustration is smaller than the Sistine Chapel's 40×13 meters. And instead of recreating 33 separate panels like Michelangelo's original, Valkema illustrated 33 different English icons over one celestial panel.

 

Titled Hop Heaven, the ceiling features a Who's Who of English culture, ranging from historical figures such as William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill and Charles Darwin to pop icons such as Ali G, Freddie Mercury and David Bowie. In Hop Heaven, The Beatles walk across a crosswalk made of clouds, and Where's Waldo gets lost in a crowd. Patsy and Arthur from the Holy Grail make an appearance, as do Lou and Andy from Little Britain. Fans of Harry Potter and Paddington Bear will not be disappointed, nor will fans of Mr. Bean or Mr. Tea Bag and The Ministry of Silly Walks. There is a Royal Guard, a Bobby and two English soccer players dressed in iconic uniforms from 1966 and 1996. And because it is a Dutch taproom, Valkema snuck in at the owner's request soccer legend Johan Cruyff.

 

The dynamic drawing has even more similarities to Michelangelo's original: in the center of the drawing are Adam and ... God, but instead of touching fingers, they clink glasses.

Made for interaction

Uiltje has long earned a reputation for its mischief (mischief). Over the years, the brand has built a strong fan base for its willingness to explore extremes by throwing Christmas trees, Dutch wooden shoes and earl grey tea into its tanks. Most, however, know Uiltje for its Marvel-inspired range of core beers, including Bird of Prey IPA, Bird of Prey 0.2, Wit, Blonde and Juicy Lucy. Not entirely surprisingly, these beers are also included in Hop Heaven.

 

To invite interaction, Uiltje created a table game for guests, including a map on each table of the taproom. While having a beer with their friends, they can try to guess the names of all 33 figures presented only as silhouettes. The corresponding names are on the back of each card.

 

"It started as a bit of a joke, but the ceiling is ambitious enough to become a London landmark," says Kooijman of Uiltje. "Now we want to get on TripAdvisor's Top 10 list of London attractions, alongside the Tower of London and the London Eye. Maybe even a No. 1 ranking among London beer lovers."

 

Hop Heaven was officially unveiled on Feb. 9, 2024 at the Dutch taproom - It ain't much, if it ain't Dutch, 67-68 Enid St, London SE16 3RA, England.

 

See the full ceiling here:

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