The Australian International Beers Awards are not just about awarding excellence in the brewing of the ever popular amber fluid. More recently these prestigious, and truly international awards, introduced a packaging category of which this writer was invited to participate in judging
My long experience as a judge on both the Southern Cross Packaging Awards and the Australian Packaging Awards, both managed by the PCA, gave me some credibility to participate in the judging of the Beer Awards alongside my college and senior judge Dr. Roger Edwards.The awards are run by the Royal Agricultural Society in conjunction with the University of Ballarat attracting a growing number of brewers from around the world each year. While some of the packaging entries are from multi-national breweries, there are also a large number of smaller ‘boutique’ breweries representing Australasia as well as overseas brewers, entries consist of bottles, multi-packs and outers. With high volume packaged beer, one can tend to forget just how many components might go into producing the famous Ausie ‘slab’. Usually these components are designed and used to greater effect on bottled premium beer brands, and sometimes there are as many as eight.
• The glass bottle. Usually an off the shelf standard, they vary little in size and volume, these are ok for standard brew's but a premium brand like Crown Lager is always recognisable by the distinctive bottle shape.
• The labels. There can be as many as three to one bottle. The prominent label positioned at the face of the bottle featuring the brand. A second label at the back provides further product information, and occasionally a third label around the neck.
• The caps. These can be fixed or screw type depending on cost, volume etc, each being popular for beer bottles. Caps may also be plain or singular in colour but for premium brands they are usually printed and to a very high quality.
• The foil crown overwrap. This is often a nice touch, especially for premium brands and a ‘classy’ alternative to a neck label.
• The multi-pack. Comprising of six or four bottles, often with an integral carry handle, these can vary in construction. High volume automated packaging demands certain features, while hand packing can be better achieved on other design constructions.
To secure a sale as a complete 6-pack, without bottles being removed from an open top basket style pack, the cardboard wrap-around or cluster pack is a popular packaging alternative.
• The slab. To round off my list of packaging components, 6-packs are placed into a corrugated outer making up quantities of 24 or sometimes 36. This is the strongest barrier of protection for the glass bottles and the beer within. The print quality of high volume Flexo pre-print is well established and often the first point of selection for the consumer. Hence, the graphics are usually quite eye catching with strong branding.
Aside from my many years of experience in creating packaging designs, my involvement with the Beer Awards, and consequently my exposure to global beer packaging, has given me a rare opportunity to see what makes these various components work and some that don’t.
All in all it’s quite an amount of packaging that collectively goes towards protecting the humble amber fluid. But packaging is not just about protection, it’s also about marketing and selling the product. Many glass beer bottles entered in the awards are usually ‘off the shelf ’ standard in size and shape with little variation. However, there are exceptions where the bottle has been specially made for the brewer. Noticeably these usually have the brand name or logo embossed into the bottle adding another dimension or sensory element for the consumer.
A good example of this is a New Zealand beer, Monteith’s lager from the West Coast of the South Island. The curved shape of the green 330ml bottle is immediately comfortable to handle and easy to grip. The embossed fern leafs enhance the ‘naturally brewed’ earthy feature to this brand. With striking use of black and silver, the singular smoothly shaped neck label is all that’s required to give this product class. On the other hand, the design of the packaging used by these smaller breweries can sometimes be a little repetitive in both construction and in graphic appearance.
This is because the cost to invest in tailored packaging can be significant, and often an unaffordable expense for a small brewer with a new product. Off the shelf bottles & caps are popular with boutique brewers so labels often take pole position to sell the brand. A common mistake made in the labelling of beer can be the overuse of information. While it is true that consumers want to know more about the beer they’re drinking, where it’s from, ingredients etc, all this extra information can be a trap for designers. Limited label size combined with excessive information usually results in either unreadable small type, or a cluttering of words with no room for illustration. It’s unwise to ignore the power of the internet where the inclusion of the brewer’s site name on a label will almost guarantee attraction from those with real interest in the product.
For beer, simple yet effective packaging design can sometimes be more rewarding than the conventional European methods of portraying class through traditional graphics. German and Dutch beers often use printed ‘over the crown’ foil labels as well as printed caps depicting a crest or perhaps coat of arms.
The Don de Dieu brand from Unibroue Brewery in Quebec Canada is a good example of this feature. The subtle use of black print over the gold foil depicts the Unibroue brand and crest.
Its central position points downwards directly to the elegant Don De Dieu label below, quite distinctive. Two years ago I came across packaging components for a premium English beer that I’d never seen used before. Much the same as limited addition wines, Thomas Hardy’s Ale from Devon use the ‘exclusivity’ feature of numbering each bottle produced. Not only that, in promoting the message they also came up with another unique feature. Around the neck of the bottle, hangs a gold medallion on a red cord stating the brand name and country of origin.
A silhouette of Thomas Hardy is labelled on the back of the medallion. A very strong branding feature and certainly worthy of a strong 11.7% alc/vol beer! In Australia some packaging designers are seizing the opportunity to create simple packaging with
stunning results. Another successful entry to the awards in recent times is the very distinctive packaging of the Moo Brew selection of beer’s from Tasmania. The unusually large diameter base of the 330ml bottle gradually tapers in to become a long slender neck giving a unique appearance as well as excellent shelf stability.
The label designer has maintained consistency throughout the four beer types, Pilsner, Pale Ale, Hefeweizen and Dark Ale. Yet each has its own particular graphic on the face label making these instantly recognizable and providing a clear and distinctive branding element. McLaren Vale Brewing Co, from the famed wine growing district in South Australia has successfully demonstrated the effectiveness one can achieve from simple yet elegant packaging design.
The dotted dice like appearance of the label is brought to the forefront by the use of embossing. The use of glossy black dots sitting prominently on the matt black background are subtle yet eye-catching. Six triangular positioned white embossed dots are compelling to the eye, inviting one to hold and experience the feel of the label.
The consistent use of white dots on the black bottle cap complements the front label in a striking manner.
In addition the use of the grey half tones on the type facing completes the overall attraction of this unique piece of beer packaging. Fortunately, the great thing about beer is its common appreciation with peoples from around the world and the willingness to share the experience. I think the learning curve that both brewers and packaging designers are going through is necessary for the boutique beer industry to evolve with success in a highly competitive world market.
Awarding those who try, those who participate in the improvement of their products is also necessary in order for these industries to advance and prosper. The Australian International Beer Awards is the perfect platform to encourage excellence in both brewing and packaging, and on a global scale.
