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Meet the Pod Pack: The First Ever Beer Brewed for Orcas

by Andrew Gibbs on 10/31/2019 | 2 Minute Read

To help combat the population decline of British Columbia’s southern resident killer whales (SRKW), Vancouver Island Brewing collaborated with local island breweries to create a special promotional pack of beers. Proceeds from sales of the Pod Pack will go towards the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s effort to preserve the wild BC salmon stocks—a vital food source for these whales.

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The orca is a majestic mammal and an iconic symbol of Vancouver Island, so it’s vitally important for us to do what we can to keep the population thriving. We hope that this Pod Pack collaboration will not simply raise funds, but also help raise awareness for our BC resident killer whales.

Chris Bjerrisgaard, Marketing Director of Vancouver Island Brewing.

Created by One Twenty Three West, the limited-edition cans and packaging have been designed to specifically mimic real orcas from the SRKW pods—matching their unique eye and saddle patches. Plus each brew is named after an actual orca in the pods, like the Deadhead IPA, Ocean Sun amber ale, Rainshadow bramble sour and Mystic dry-hopped sour. The box even has a dorsal fin that pops up to reveal a handle.

Editorial photograph

“When researching the SRKW, we learned that each whale had its own identity, name and personality, so we used this as inspiration for our design. By naming each brew after a specific orca and wrapping the cans with their actual markings, we were able to make the packaging a true representation of our resident killer whales,” says Eric Seymour, Associate Creative Director from One Twenty Three West.