Surprisingly, one of Britain’s most famous lagers didn’t start in Britain at all. Thomas Carling founded his brewery in 1840 in London, Ontario, and it took more than a century for Carling to land in the UK. Now longtime partner BrandOpus has given it a badge worthy of a football club.
The old flat black slab is gone, replaced by a round crest with Carling’s slanted black banner across the middle. Thomas Carling’s red signature now sits under the logo, and a little 1840 tab hangs from the top of the can. I love that BrandOpus looked to the terraces instead of the craft aisle. Football shirts have become fashion, and fans wear their club’s crest everywhere, so a badge makes Carling feel like a team you’re part of, not just something you order.
