VANKLEEK HILL, ON & BRACEBRIDGE, ON – Beau’s All-Natural Brewing and Muskoka Brewery have both garnered positive attention for their beers, but recently, they’ve also gotten praise for their packaging and branding.
For Beau’s, the kudos came from Applied Arts, Canada’s premier visual design magazine, which recognized the distinctive packaging of the brewery’s flagship Lug-Tread Lagered Ale:
The Beau’s All Natural 4-pack is certainly unique in the brewing industry, where the typical 6, 12 or 24 carrier for 341 ml industry-standard bottles dominates. It features four custom 600 ml brown glass bottles embossed with the Beau’s logo, tied with a simple ribbon decorating a cardboard carrier. The thick cardboard is die-cut and two-colour print, and features information about the packaging and the brewery, collector’s points, and even contact information for local cab companies. The package also emphasizes environmental sustainability, with 17.3 % more beer than a 6-pack, and less waste because fewer bottles, labels and caps are used. Additionally, the 4-pack features treeless paper labels, crown cap bottles (which can be used more times than twist-offs), and non-bleached cardboard that is 100% recycled (75% post-consumer) and totally recyclable.
Meanwhile, Muskoka has gotten attention from the well-regarded packaging design blog Lovely Package, which put a spotlight on the recent redesign of their full product line as spearheaded by design agency Rethink:
A new design was created with a handcrafted, simple, and vintage feel to represent the brewery. All elements of the packaging were then completely re-designed, combining the new logo with unique illustrations and beautiful colours that would really pop on shelves. In addition the IPA was re-branded, introducing Mad Tom as a character that would add personality to the flavourful product.