MOUTH Foundation celebrates artist Koen Vanmechelen with unique beer ‘Wild Gene’

A Cosmopolitan beer as a tribute to the Wild Gene

2025 is a celebratory year for artist Koen Vanmechelen, marking both his 60th birthday and the 30th generation of the Cosmopolitan Chicken Project. To honor these two significant milestones, MOUTH Foundation launches a unique beer titled Wild Gene. According to Philip Remans, founder of MOUTH, the wild gene is the unexpected, the spark that has the power to set something in motion.

Wild Gene is a symbol of connection, stimulating conversation, bringing cultures together. Artist Koen Vanmechelen is such a wild gene, keeping us – through his art – flexible and opening the door to encounter, discovery, and change. On April 5, 2025, LABIOMISTA, Vanmechelen’s evolving artwork in collaboration with the city of Genk, kicked off its 7th season with a Nocturne. Visitors were invited to a special toast with MOUTH’s unique beer, in honor of the celebratory year and inspired by Vanmechelen’s work.

Wild Gene is a beer that celebrates biocultural diversity, global unity and local craftsmanship. Inspired by Vanmechelen’s artistic practice, Wild Gene is an ode to diversity, but also the raw, untamed energy that drives every organism. A beer that has the power to unite. “For more than 30 years, Koen has been bringing people together through his work and challenging them to reflect and 'do' together. What could be better than celebrating this with a beer? A discovery of coincidence, born from necessity and curiosity. Simple yet refined. A fusion of nature, science, and culture, but above all, a story of connection,” says Remans.

"Food has always been a way for me to bring people together in my work. With Wild Gene, we can toast to years of building, blending, searching, and hard work. To the beauty of the unexpected, and to our resilience that arises from creative thinking.” — Koen Vanmechelen

Beer

Wild Gene is brewed at Anders Brouwen and uses hops from five continents: Europe, Africa, Oceania, America, and Asia. This unique blend gives the beer its distinct cosmopolitan character. The addition of millet, one of the oldest grains, represents the Wild Gene and provides an earthy note that gives the beer its complexity. “The flavor is fresh, accessible, and complex, with hints of grapefruit, passion fruit, and lemongrass, combined with a soft bitterness,” says Hilde Peeters, owner of Anders Brouwen. “But Wild Gene is more than just flavor. The beer is a tribute to connection, cross-pollination, and the unexpected,” concludes Vanmechelen.

Five continents did lend their grace,

to forge this draught in time and space.

A hop from mountains, one from plains,

each holds the sun, each drinks the rains.

A tapestry of hops entwined,

each leaf, a song, each sip, a find.

For in this pint, the world unites,

its continents, its days, its nights.

Raise high the glass, to hops and art,

a toast to craft, a beating heart.

And as it foams, let Wilde declare,

life’s greatest truths reside in there.