Lots of craft breweries are coming out with a new look in 2019. Brewery Ommegang revamped with a wine look using CF Napa Brand Design. Green Flash Brewing Co. is reemerging with what it hopes to be a fresh start and design in 2019, and we just noticed St. Louis Schlafly Beer and Cincinnati’s Madtree Brewing Co. are also sporting new branding directions.
The Saint Louis Brewery recently introduced a new packaging evolution
Schlafly Beer, the largest, locally owned brewery in St. Louis, will slowly introduce new packaging throughout 2019 for its core styles, seasonals and more. With updated design elements and increased storytelling, the packaging changes showcase the brewery’s commitment to the brand but also continued focus on innovation — even after 28 years.
“We call this a packaging evolution, not revolution,” said Head of Marketing Wil Rogers. “We preserved the Schlafly Beer brand that beer drinkers have come to know and love, but we also gave it a little face lift. One aspect, however, stays consistent — our focus on the beer itself. We don’t add fancy names to our beers. We lead with the style because we are confident that our beers are true to that.”
Style is at the forefront of the new packaging. Schlafly Beer’s signature round circle at the center of packaging now features the beer’s style with corresponding style color, instead of a cream circle with the Schlafly logo. Lead Designer Sarah Frost explained. “Authenticity is important. We believe that many consumers make their purchasing decision, first and foremost, based on style. Since we focus our beers on being true-to-style, we showcase this in a great way throughout the new design with vibrant colors, marks and graphics that correlate to the ingredients and story of the beer.”
The Schlafly brand is still present in the corner of the packaging as well as now around the neck of each bottle. Each style also includes a bit of storytelling about the beer’s history with Schlafly Beer on the side panel. “It connects the consumer to our brewery’s rich history and showcases our personality,” explained Frost.
For example, Schlafly Beer’s Coffee Stout has a long-standing history as being one of the best for the style. Now, the packaging incorporates coffee bean graphics and deep, rich browns to exemplify the beer’s superior taste. The package now also tells the story of how Coffee Stout came to be. The beer is the result of a close partnership with the local St. Louis coffee company, Kaldi’s Coffee. In the 1990s, the roastery used to be located down the block from the Schlafly Tap Room. The roasters would come over after their shift to enjoy a pint. One day, they dropped a shot of Kaldi’s espresso in a Schlafly Oatmeal Stout, and Coffee Stout was born.
Another example is Schlafly’s award-winning Kölsch. Cofounder Tom Schlafly’s wife, Ulrike, is from the style’s birthplace of Köln, Germany. She introduced Tom to Angela and Heinrich Becker, owners of Gaffel Brauerei, one of the most respected breweries in Cologne. They offered their famous, authentic yeast strain for brewing Schlafly Kölsch, one of the earlier styles for the brewery. The packaging showcases the style’s signature vibrant green with elements from Köln’s coat of arms.
The new design first rolled out earlier this month with Schlafly’s flagship beer, Pale Ale, now available in 12-packs of 16-ounce cans. Consumers will start to see the packaging throughout all styles in 2019.
MadTree redesigns cans, introduces new 12-pack as part of brand evolution
MadTree Brewing Co., the first modern Ohio craft brewery to can its beer, is rolling out redesigned cans beginning in early March. The new cans are part of a branding evolution that focuses on the brewery’s purpose, vision and values. The cans still retain original illustrations created by local artists and feature some unifying designs that make the cans unmistakably MadTree on the shelf. The year-round core lineup of cans is also being expanded with a new brand and a new packaging format.
“The legacy can designs were unconventional and stopped consumers with their bold, bright designs when first launched,” said Emily Chapel, MadTree marketing director. “But the messaging and facing standards became confusing as the market has grown and become more crowded. The cans weren’t telling the MadTree story.”
MadTree conducted extensive consumer research and worked tirelessly to construct a new brand identity that better communicates their love for craft and community. Each can features an arch reminiscent of the large WWII-era airplane hangar that houses their production brewery. However, consumers told them loud and clear to keep the illustrations that made the original cans famous, so they will retain many familiar assets.
Other important elements of the redesign are the debut of a new brand color and the independent craft brewer seal. The new brand color is a dark green, fondly called “spruce,” which will be making its way to the market in a variety of ways. MadTree has also joined thousands of other independent craft brewers in using the Brewer’s Association independent craft brewer seal to ensure consumers are able to make informed purchasing decisions.
The brand evolution also introduces the tagline, “Inspiring madness. Rooted in purpose.” This captures MadTree’s mission to be continuously creative with a focus on quality while making sure the brewery is more than just a beer factory. They remain as committed as ever to being a vibrant community partner.
The portfolio of year-round core cans has also been expanded to include Shade blackberry tart ale and 12-packs of PsycHOPathy IPA. Shade was previously a summer seasonal favorite that is crafted to remove gluten and only 135 calories. PsycHOPathy has long been the flagship and best selling beer for MadTree with its bright, citrus and floral flavors and aromas.
The new cans will first go on sale in the MadTree Taproom (3301 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45029) at their Winter Bonanza 6thanniversary party on Saturday, Feb. 16. The new packaging will begin showing up on retail shelves in early March, and new cans will be phased in throughout the year as seasonal offerings are released, including a number of new offerings not previously packaged before.
Mark Dardy says
January 31, 2019 at 5:48 pm@MadTreeBrewing @Schlafly I understand brand continuity, but not feeling the new @MadTreeBrewing l… https://t.co/TbITYKDbqW