In honor of St. Patrick’s day, it is only fitting that we take a look back at some of the packaging that has helped made this holiday so memorable – well, even if you don’t remember what it looks like by the next morning, let’s talk about beer packaging. While most of the beer landscape is pretty standard with basic logos on bottles and cans, there are a few innovators out there. So this St. Patrick’s Day, when you are choosing what to drink, why not opt for a designer beer. If you are going to get drunk this blessed holiday, do it in style.
In a unique shaped bottle, this is a little beer with a howling big taste. Think about it- you will probably be stumbling through the streets trying to find your friends, shouting their names, howling like a monkey about something – so you might as well have a beer to match.
If you want to be a little more subtle, try the Equator Design Beer. No ink was used on the front label, instead the branding is blind-debossed onto the label by a Sydney-based letterpress shop. This is a design that makes an impression.
If you want to be extreme, Porter De Glace is an extra strong beer, packaged in an emergency-style box. It is 11.9% alcohol by volume and secured behind a glass sheet. When the party is getting started, just shatter the glass and grab your beer.
Do you like bees? Do you like creepy looking rats holding a knife? If so, you will love Hornstull Honey Amber. Brewed in southern Stockholm, Sweden, this is an amber ale with honey from a local beehive. The illustration on the label is a play on the local phrase “stabbing-Södermalm”. If you speak Swedish, please let me know who Södermalm is and why he got stabbed.
If you happen to be in New Zealand, you will probably be drinking Stoke Beer. It is the most popular independent beer in the country. It is vintage, it is in a 650ml ‘Bomber’ bottle and full of wartime imagery. It is branded with old scrolls and leather bound books. It looks like something Nicolas Cage would find while rummaging through historical monuments. He’d pop it open, take a swig, and let out a satisfied ‘Ah.’ And if Stoke beer is good enough for Nicolas Cage, it’s good enough for you.
And if you get drunk enough, you might end up on the floor and find it convenient to drink an upside-down beer. That’s not why Lovells Lager was created, but it is a convenient benefit. When the room starts spinning, the twisted branding on Lovells will make you feel right side up – before it knocks you down again.
Remember, if you are going to get drunk this St. Patrick’s Day, do it in style!
