VICTORIA, BC – Vancouver Island Brewing has unveiled redesigned branding and a new beer line-up, barely a year after a similar shake-up took place and received a mixed-to-negative response from local beer drinkers.
“2017 certainly wasn’t our best year,” said Chris Bjerrisgaard, Marketing Director of Vancouver Island Brewing, in statement. “We made some bold, albeit misguided moves in an attempt to inject new life into the Vancouver Island Brewing brand, which had been in decline for over five years. A number of mistakes were made along the way, and in November we made the decision to fix what we had broken, and recapture the spirit of the brand. As a result, what you see before you is the ‘New, new Vancouver Island Brewing’.”
The new-look branding has been designed by One Twenty Three West, and “pays homage to the company’s three-decade long heritage as well as to the beautiful landscapes of Vancouver Island.”
Several brands from the previous portfolio — including Victoria Lager (5.5% abv, 22 IBU), Juan De Fuca Cerveza (4.8% abv, 19 IBU), Dominion Dark Lager (4.8% abv, 19 IBU), and Piper’s Pale Ale (4.8% abv, 27 IBU) — will remain available in the new line-up, albeit with some recipes being tweaked.
They will be joined by the following new core brands:
Islander Lager (5% abv, 14 IBU) – “A simple clean lager brewed with Island grown hops.”
Broken Islands Hazy IPA (6% abv, 57 IBU) – “Bold citrus aromas and flavours lead to a lingering, juicy finish.”
Faller Northwest Pale Ale (5% abv, 35 IBU) – “A hoppy beer that isn’t too bitter and provides a hearty malt base that lingers into the finish.”
Also out now are two distinctive summer seasonals — Ukidama Lychee Saison (4.5% abv, 18 IBU) and Twisted Stalk Blackberry Helles (5% abv, 15 IBU) — and Grapefruit Agave Gose (5% abv, 7 IBU), the first in a new Tidal Series of limited run beers.
Finally, two new sampler packs have been released — the year-round Everyday Carry Mix Pack featuring three cans each of Islander Lager, Faller Northwest Pale Ale, Piper’s Pale Ale, and Dominion Dark Lager; and the seasonal Summer Outpost Mix Pack, with three cans each of Juan De Fuca Cerveza, Ukidama Lychee Saison, Twisted Blackberry Helles, and Broken Islands Hazy IPA.
For more details on the “New, new Vancouver Island Brewing,” see the brewery’s relaunched website, Facebook page, and Instagram feed.
[Photos from Vancouver Island Brewing Facebook page]