Signature Brew is commemorating 2020 with Anthology – an annual time capsule of everything the brewery has achieved this year. This rich, dark Imperial Stout (10% ABV, £8 per 440ml can) celebrates the brewery’s journey through a challenging but heartening 12 months.

The artwork features photos from Signature Brew’s year in beer and music including head brewer Tom Unwin brewing and Rob Lynch from one of his lockdown gigs at the brewery. When this can and future Anthology releases sit next to each other, the stripes on the artwork will begin to build a pattern across all the cans. Each year’s edition of Anthology will have an accompanying barrel-aged beer.

Signature Brew Co Founder Sam McGregor says, “from hosting 35 sold out shows, to brewing 23 new beers with the likes of Sports Team, The Darkness, Dynamite MC & DRS, we are incredibly proud of how we pulled together as a team to bring beer, music & Pub In A Box to the people. Along the way, we also helped musicians, hospitality workers & the NHS. If 2020 has proved anything, it’s that the things we love are worth fighting for. Although we don’t know what next year will bring, we know we’re ready for it. Long live beer & music.”

Led by founders Sam McGregor and Tom Bott, the Signature brewery team is made up of musicians and music fans alike and – with an unwavering commitment to quality – Signature Brew has channelled the spirit and energy of live music into a brewery that stands for craftsmanship, artistry and passion. Brewed in Walthamstow, enjoyed by beer lovers and music superfans globally, their beers are of unrivalled quality, and they were crowned SIBA’s highly prestigious Brewery Business of the Year 2018.

2020’s Covid 19 crisis has seen Signature Brew get creative to keep the beer flowing in people’s homes, creating the Pub in a Box, hand delivered in London by musicians who had their tours cancelled (paid London Living Wage) and delivered via courier nationally. Signature Brew hosted a series of socially distanced gigs at the brewery to keep live music playing, they’re also prepping for the sold out Piss up in a Brewery (when all of this blows over), as well as two Skints gigs (their first in E17 for 10 years) as something for everyone to look forward to – we can all raise a glass to that! Signature Brew are gearing up for a momentous 2021, a year that will see the brewery rally around venues and musicians whilst celebrating their 10th Birthday with many more live shows, exclusive beers and band collaborations.

Source: Signature Brew

Launched in 2017, Partake Brewing is a non-alcoholic craft beer brand that focuses on flavor, health, socializing and inclusivity for people who choose not to drink alcohol whether as a need or increasingly as a lifestyle choice. Partake Brewing was founded by Ted Fleming after a diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease led him to give up alcohol. Ted turned to drinking non-alcoholic beer to maintain the connection and interaction that comes with social drinking. He found that variety and taste were missing from current offerings, inspiring him to brew his own. Partake Brewing now brews a variety of craft non-alcoholic beers that consumers love for their exceptional taste and category-leading calorie profiles (10 calories per can). The company has been the recipient of numerous international awards for product quality and innovation including a Gold Medal at the World Beer Awards for Best Non-Alcoholic Beer.

“We are thrilled to be joined on our mission to transform the non-alcoholic beer category by such an accomplished team of investors, board members, and advisors,” said Ted Fleming, Founder and CEO of Partake Brewing. “With their support, guidance, and insights, Partake Brewing is in a fantastic position to expand our category leadership position in North America with our trailblazing products.”

The new funds will accelerate Partake Brewing’s growth specifically in the US market by allowing the brand to secure key hires, grow its distribution and retail network, and build consumer brand awareness to support Partake Brewing’s expanding coverage with retailers such as Total Wine & More and Whole Foods Market.

“We’re on a mission to help entrepreneurs thrive by giving them the capital and resources they need,” said Pat Robinson, Managing Director, CircleUp Growth Partners and Member of the Board for Partake Brewing. “Ted has built an amazing capital-efficient business and we’re excited to partner with him to accelerate growth.”

“Helio, our proprietary technology platform, flagged that Partake excels on taste, variety and nutritionals – the top three purchase criteria in the non-alcoholic beer category,” said Trevor Rechnitz, Partner,

CircleUp Growth Partners. “Partake’s five varieties, 10 calories and 2 grams of carbs per can, and award-winning taste combine to differentiate it from the other emerging players.”

Source: Partake Brewing

The Portuguese capital has been gripped with anticipation since Wednesday, when the iconic UEFA Champions League trophy arrived in the gardens of Praia no Parque in the heart of Lisbon, ahead of the resumption of the round of 16 matches starting on 7 August.

UEFA ambassador and former UEFA Champions League winner Ricardo Carvalho stands beside the trophy on the banks of the Rio Tejo, as Heineken ‘paints’ Lisbon green to celebrate the tournament’s return.

Portuguese footballing legend, Ricardo Carvalho, winner of the UEFA Champions League with FC Porto in 2003/04, as well as playing for Chelsea and Real Madrid in the competition, helped to launch the Heineken campaign ahead of what is set to be a climax to Europe’s elite club competition like no other.

At the launch event held in central Lisbon, Carvalho introduced the latest Heineken campaign film entitled ‘The Wait’. The new campaign film which features Heineken Ambassador Thierry Henry, celebrates the return of the UEFA Champions League by paying tribute to fans who have creatively passed the time left by the absence of the competition during lockdown.

Heineken then surprised the whole city by ‘painting’ Lisbon green, lighting-up iconic landmarks. The colour green was selected because it is synonymous with Heineken brand.

Eight green-lit sailboats sailed the waters of the Rio Tejo and docked at the pier in front of Praça do Comércio – an emblematic square in Lisbon that for nearly two centuries was the palace of the kings of Portugal. Simultaneously, four famed Lisbon restaurants – Topo Chiado, Ferroviário, Ramiro and Praia no Parque – and a residential building in Largo do Caldas, were also ‘painted’ green.

Ricardo Carvalho, said: “After this exciting kick-off event ending in Heineken painting Lisbon green, the anticipation is even greater and we can’t wait for the drama of the UEFA Champions League to finally return.”

Hans Erik Tuijt, Director of Sponsorship at Heineken, said: “We, like so many football fans around the world have been patiently waiting for the return of UEFA Champions League football. Now the wait is over, and what better way to kick off the action in Lisbon than to bring attention to their iconic landmarks using the Heineken green.”

Source: Heineken

Each participating brewery has been asked to brew a beer to a recipe Other Half have released, donating a proportion of their choosing to a relevant cause. East London based Signature Brew has decided to donate 20% of proceeds to The Drinks Trust, a UK charity supporting drinks industry professionals.

Other Half also released the label design to be customised by each brewery, with the space on the left available to fill with the design of their choice. Instead of design, Signature Brew chose a gig photo taken at our International Women’s Day gig as it sums up their love for beer and music – and perfectly captures the spirit of being All Together.

The appearance is a hazy orange, with fluffy, dense foam. The aroma is fruity, with tropical notes from the dry hopping and peach and apricot from the yeast.

The flavour is full-bodied, with lots more tropical fruit (mangoes, pineapple), and a subtle bitterness; you can find the beer online via Signature Brew’s website for £5.20 per 440ml can.

Signature Brew is on a mission: to revolutionise the quality of beer at live music events.

Launched in 2011, Signature is the world’s number one brewery for band collaboration beers, having brewed with Idles, Mogwai, Alt-J, Slaves, Mastodon, Frank Turner, Rodney P, Enter Shikari and many more.

Led by founders Sam McGregor and Tom Bott, the Signature brewery team is made up of musicians and music fans alike and – with an unwavering commitment to quality – Signature Brew has channelled the spirit and energy of live music into a brewery that stands for craftsmanship, artistry and passion. Brewed in Walthamstow, enjoyed by beer lovers and music superfans globally, their beers are of unrivalled quality, and they were crowned SIBA’s highly prestigious Brewery Business of the Year 2018.

2020’s Covid 19 crisis has seen Signature Brew get creative to keep the beer flowing in people’s homes, creating The Pub in a Box, hand delivered in London by musicians who’ve had their tours cancelled (paid London Living Wage) and delivered via courier nationally. You can see Signature’s main driver, Josh from The Skints who’ve had their US tour cancelled, as well as their Glastonbury slot.

April 2020 also sees Signature Brew team up with the women behind Manchester Punk Festival to launch a hoppy and hopeful Nightingale New England Pale Ale. Originally brewed with a celebratory kick off gig at Signature Brew’s Walthamstow brewery, the collaboration beer was due to be served up at the festival in April 2020. Co Founder Sam McGregor comments, “When the festival got cancelled, we knew we had to dedicate the beer to the staff of the NHS. For every beer sold, we’ll give a £1 donation to NHS Charities Together, because no one deserves support right now more than those on the front line.”

When this all blows over, Signature Brew are also selling tickets for a proper piss up in a brewery, as well as two Skints gigs (their first in E17 for 10 years) as something for everyone to look forward to – we can all raise a glass to that!

Source: Signature Brew

Led by founders Sam McGregor and Tom Bott, the brewery team is made up of musicians and music fans alike and – with an unwavering commitment to quality – Signature Brew has channelled the spirit and energy of live music into a brewery that stands for craftsmanship, artistry and passion. Their SIBA win enabled the small team to scale up, launching a successful crowdfund, enabling Signature to build the UK’s most state-of-the-art brewery for its size, immediately quadrupling capacity to an initial annual output of 20kHL (4 million pints) – a significant step up from their previous 5kHL brewery.

Carefully timed to coincide with the launch of the new brewery, the rebrand draws on the art, energy and passion of live music. Each can riffs on a blend of genres from punk rock, to jazz, to the psychedelic and comes with expanded gig poster artwork. The cans are now as vibrant, characterful and exciting as the beer contained within them and the range of art styles mirrors the brewery’s love of all genres, the creativity of their brewers and the diversity of the musicians they work with.

An ideal entry into the world of Signature Brew is The Lineup (£10 per 4-pack of 330cl cans), Signature’s four multi award-winning beers combined into a tasty gift pack ready to drench your senses and satisfy every beer drinker’s tastes. Saluting the unsung heroes of the music industry is Roadie, a refreshing beer, loaded up with citrus notes – fit for road crews the world over (All-Night IPA, 4.3%); offering all the notes of an instant classic, Studio is a clean and crisp Czech-style pilsner with unmistakable floral hits and a deliciously bitter finish (Pilsner, 4.0%); an access-all-areas experience like no other, Backstage IPA welcomes you into a world of tropical flavour (India Pale Ale, 5.6%) and lastly, taking you on a journey into the night, just like its tour bus namesake, is Nightliner, intense coffee tones with notes of dark chocolate (Coffee Porter, 5.7%). There are no support acts here, just headliner after headliner.

At the heart of the Signature brand are their groundbreaking collaborations, taking respected, genre-spanning bands and working with them to create their ideal beer. The most recent band collab was electrifying punk band, Idles. ‘KRFSHT!’ (AKA the almighty sound of a can of beer opening) was launched in December ’19, the beer’s unconventional name was conceived by the band’s frontman, Joe Talbot. The singer also designed the artwork and the beer’s style, a toasted lager, was decided on by the band and developed by Signature Brew’s award-winning brew team. Already sold out, KRFSHT was available to drink and take away on the weekend of the band’s Alexandra Palace show from Friday 6th December onwards and exclusively via Signature’s venues and website.

“Our band collaborations are always fun,” explains Signature Brew co-founder Sam.
“We always start with a tasting with the artists, we drink beer and decide on a style that suits them. The band then gets hands-on helping our brewers to make the beer itself. And we love a good secret show to launch it. It’s a unique and creative process every time. Our collaborations reinforce our unparalleled relationship with music through a series of online and in-bar campaigns, and they directly connect us with beer and music fans in a meaningful way.”

The new Walthamstow brewery is set to be a killer venue for new launches and celebrations, Signature are planning four seasonal parties a year, releasing new collabs and supporting their favourite bands. Located inside the brewery, The Brewer’s Bar allows drinkers to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the brewery, with tours on the cards for 2020 and film nights running every other Thursday. In March 2020 the brewery will be taken over by the front-women of the Manchester Punk Festival who will collaborate with Signature on a beer made for International Women’s Day, to be sold at MPF, and celebrated with a day of female-fronted performances.

Signature’s original venue is based in a railway arch next to the Regent’s Canal in Haggerston, East London; The Signature Brew Taproom & Venue is a place where great beer and great music collide.

Seven days a week the space serves up huge tunes, live events and, of course, the freshest Signature Brew beers available, straight from the brewery; new for 2020, hot pizza will be delivered by Yard Sale all week long.

Greedy Signature Brew fans won’t go hungry; Walthamstow is also the location for The Collab, a suitably named beer & burger bar, Signature Brew united with We Serve Humans to deliver champion beers alongside world-class burgers, wings and more. Winner of The Best Burger In Britain (Inapub Magazine) and Best Buffalo Wings (Wing Fest), We Serve Humans’ only mission is to dish up the greatest burgers, wings and fries on Earth. All of their food uses only the finest ingredients including aged Suffolk beef and free-range chicken. They’re also dedicated to offering incredible vegetarian and vegan options – there are absolutely no half measures here. Sit in and pick Signature Brews from the taps, order The Collab to your table at The Brewer’s Bar or Deliveroo the lot to your house, E17-ers are fully covered.

Signature is also central to a new wave of beer havens in the up-and-coming Blackhorse Road area of Walthamstow; The Blackhorse Beer Mile is gearing up to rival South London’s Bermondsey Beer Mile’s crown for London beer devotees. Start your session with Signature Brew’s new home for beer and music, The Brewer’s Bar, take the short stroll to Exale’s brand new bohemian microbrewery, stop in for a swift one at the Wild Card Brewery Taproom, wend your way back to Pillar’s Untraditional Pub at Crate’s new shipping containers of beer & street food and end your pilgrimage at The Collab with a juicy burger & fries. With breweries including Trumans, Forest Road and more incoming, the Blackhorse Beer Mile is already proving itself as East London’s must-visit location for craft beer drinkers in 2020.

Signature Brew’s beers are rolling out now around shops, bars, pubs, venues and festivals around the country, with more stockists and ground-breaking collaborations to follow from Spring 2020.

Source: Signature Brew

“My family and I moved to Waco just over two years ago to enhance the craft beer scene.  We chose Waco for its beauty, global notoriety, growing population and its fledgling craft beer scene,” says Kevin Yackley, CEO of Two Rivers.  Yackley continues, “Bare Arms was the first brewery I visited and knew instantly that I wanted to be a part of the craft growth in Waco.  I am proud to call Waco home and very excited to roll up my sleeves, bare my arms and work hard side by side with the Bare Arms team.”

Kevin Yackley will become the new CEO of Bare Arms, and Keith Collier will remain Head Brewer.  The public can expect a refreshed brand, new and existing craft beer recipes, and new enhancements to the taproom in the near future.  The taproom will be open as usual, so visit often to experience what’s new at Bare Arms.

Keith Collier, Founder and Brewmaster of Bare Arms Brewing reflects: “Bare Arms helped launch the craft beer movement in Waco, and we’ve seen significant growth.  Wacoans enjoy four breweries, a distillery, multiple wineries and other craft beverage companies now.  We don’t just want people to visit Waco for the Silos but also for the craft – drink local, drink Waco.”  Collier continues, “With Bare Arms’ longevity, Two Rivers’ business experience and marketing capabilities, plus our collaboration on recipes and processes, this alliance will help grow craft in Waco, and Bare Arms will remain at the forefront of that growth.”

Source: Two Rivers Beer Company

Let’s start at the very beginning. How did you come up with the idea of Santa Monica Brew Works?

The idea began with one of my partners, Carl Sharpley, who worked at Ye Olde King’s Head, a very popular Santa Monica bar, he was repeatedly asked by patrons for a pint of the “local beer.” After hearing that request hundreds of times, he realized that there should be a brewery in Santa Monica. Carl and I met through a mutual friend. I thought it was a great idea and worked around the clock for two years to make it a reality. I’m told that others have tried to build a brewery in Santa Monica and LA’s Westside but for one reason or another could not get it done.

In addition to dozens of specialty beers, SMBW has five different core beers to choose from. Can you tell us a little bit more about each? What’s the most popular? Do you have a personal favorite?

In Santa Monica we celebrate summer year-round, so we had to offer a crisp & refreshing option that could be enjoyed 24/7/365. That was the inspiration for our 310 CALIFORNIA BLONDE ALE. It’s appropriate for any occasion – which is probably why it become our top seller.

Our MODERN WITBIER (WIT) was the first style of beer we produced. It’s our contemporary take on a Belgian wheat beer. Brewed with orange peel and coriander, you’ll get floral and citrus notes with a hint of clove. The tart finish is seriously thirst-quenching.

XPA (XTRA PALE ALE) is our full-flavored American-style pale ale. We use choice New Zealand Wakatu hops which gives it a really interesting earthy character with notes of grapefruit and honeydew. It’s a hoppy beer without the overwhelming bitterness.

As a Southern California brewery, we knew we had to brew a terrific West-Coast-style IPA. Our INCLINED IPA is generously dry-hopped with a blend of five American varieties. Balanced & approachable with a zesty nose – it’s a left-coast classic. I love it when people tell me they don’t like IPAs and then fall in love with ours.

Our most unique offering is our PCH GOLDEN MILK PORTER. The PCH might share a name with the iconic seaside highway, but in this case, it stands for “PALE CHOCOLATE HEAVEN.” Brewed with over 100lbs of cocoa nibs per batch, the chocolate flavor is real. And you’ll surely be surprised by its golden color. Insiders tip; top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Decedent and spectacular! My daughter and I love that combo – so for that reason, I’ll pick it as my personal favorite although our IPA is a close second.

Releasing a brand line is difficult, not to mention running a tasting room as well. What difficulties have you faced thus far?

Our difficulties are probably the same as most other breweries:  (1) maneuvering through the bureaucracy and abiding by the rules and regulations of the TTB, ABC and Santa Monica; (2) distributing our products – first on our own (the logistics) and then via a distributor (standing out among the crowd); and (3) competing with the big beer companies who control the marketplace.

Having a tasting room gives a huge advantage to gather feedback from your customers. What are the biggest trends among beer lovers you have noticed recently?

The “haze craze” is an undeniable trend. Hazy or juicy IPA’s are characterized by their fruit-forward aroma, hazy appearance, and a full-bodied mouthfeel. In non-beer-nerd speak, they’re less bitter, outrageously fruity, and look like a glass of OJ. Totally Instagram-able! We’ve whole-heartedly embraced the hazy explosion through our series of great-tasting, well-hopped IPAs – and the sales prove their popularity. Our Tasting Room top seller is our Award-Winning juicy double IPA “Head In the Clouds”. And our most successful can releases have both been hazy IPA’s (Super Senior DIPA, and Next Day IPA).

A big juicy hazy is best enjoyed ultra-fresh, so that encourages appointment drinking experiences. We invariably see a bump in Tasting Room sales on release days when customers rush to experience these special beers at peak freshness.

In your opinion, what makes Santa Monica Brew Works unique? Why should beer lovers choose SMBW instead of other bars and pubs?

We are Santa Monica’s first and only independent craft production brewery. We’ve made a commitment to authenticity that we didn’t just slap the name of a popular city or marketable name on our label. Every beer we sell is brewed and packaged right in the heart of Santa Monica, “California’s Most Celebrated Beach City.” Our employees are all local. Everything we do is inspired by a love of craft beer and the City we call home. That’s what living the “Beach Brewed” lifestyle is all about.

Consumers demand that brands walk the talk. If a brand is making a promise, consumers expect that brand to keep its promise. That’s why we go the extra mile to source high-quality ingredients for those who seek an elevated drinking experience.

We encourage craft beer drinkers to be inquisitive about what’s in their glass – do you know where your beer is brewed? If you’re at Santa Monica Brew Works, you need only look a few feet away to see the brew kettle and tanks that produced the great-tasting beer you have in your hand.

Milestones are a way to understand the progress of your business growth. What is the biggest achievement you plan to reach in 2020, and what makes it an important achievement for SMBW?

Expansion! Specifically, the expansion of our brewery/tasting room footprint and our sales territory. First, we leased the space next to us and will grow to a little more than double our space to almost 30,000 square feet. We are going to become a landing point in Santa Monica.

Second, we plan to expand into territories outside of Southern California. We initially focused our business on sales locally in Santa Monica, and then slowly and methodically expanded into LA and Southern California. We could have done things faster, but we wanted our initial growth to occur organically. This month our brand premiered in Nevada and the early signs are very good. In 2020, we plan to expand into Central and Northern California and two more States to be named later.

Both are important achievements for us because they represent growth on both a local and a regional basis.

What advice do you wish you had given yourself before you started out in the beverage/craft beer industry? What advice do you think is important to share with others working in the space?

I was a bit naive. I truly believed that if you were able to build a brewery and produce great beer, everything would simply fall into place with hard work. I never realized how many impediments there would be (and still are) along the way. My advice would be to truly understand why you want to be in the craft beer industry; then set your goals; do a lot of research; and make sure you understand the financial, time, and emotional commitment that is necessary to make it all happen.

Having said all of that, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Especially seeing where we are today, and where we’re heading tomorrow.

For more information visit Santa Monica Brew Works’ website.

Annual craft beer production in Mexico is expected to reach 290,095 hectolitres by the end of 2019, up from 189,240 hectolitres in 2018, according to the report. Although equivalent to 0.23% of the 119,970,320 hectolitres which includes the produced by multinational-owned Cervecería Moctezuma and Grupo Modelo, independent breweries are experiencing significant annual growth. According to Matías Vera-Cruz Dutrenit, Head of Statistics for AcerMex and founder of Mexico City-based craft beer business Cervecería Monstruo de Agua, between 2011 when volumes totaled 10,594 hectolitres and 2018, the industry has achieved an average annual production growth rate of 53%.

But the growth was not only confined to production output. In 2010, only 14 new independent breweries opened each year. By 2018, this figure had risen to 460. The number of craft beer companies in Mexico is also expected to increase from 940 in 2018 to 1,400 by the end of 2019.

Announcing the report at Cerveza México 2019, the annual Mexico City-based craft beer industry showcase, which took place from 25-27 October, Vera-Cruz Dutrenit revealed that total investments in the craft beer industry were likely to reach USD$415,000m by the end of 2019, although he stressed that profitability as a whole remained problematic.

“It is indisputable that we as an industry are growing very quickly – there are a lot of breweries who are investing a lot of money but very few are making money,” he said. “It’s clear Mexicans love craft beers and we are selling a lot, but we have a big challenge ahead of us that we as an industry need to work together to overcome.”

One possible solution could well be found in export markets. Despite Mexico’s status as a leading beer exporter, only 4% of companies surveyed for the report ship their bottled beers overseas, and Vera-Cruz Dutrenit believes there is enormous export potential still to be realized. “Although only 4% of craft beer is currently exported, at the same time Mexico is the world’s largest exporter of beer, so there’s a huge opportunity for all of us as an industry because Mexico as a brand and a mark of quality is growing worldwide,” he added. Of those companies that export Mexican craft beer, the US (47%), Europe (27%) and Central America (13%), followed by Asia at (7%), dominate sales.

Export success

Much of the growth of Mexico’s craft beer industry is being driven by innovation and a risk-taking, entrepreneurial spirit. One such entrepreneur is Alejandro Magallanes, founder of one of the country’s most successful craft beer start-ups, Cerveza Loba. Founded in 2012, the Guadalajara-based business, which exhibited at this year’s Cerveza México, has grown from brewing in a domestic kitchen to being a leading exporter with a major presence in markets such as the US and the UK.

Although Cerveza Loba has since been awarded medals for excellence in Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Australia, the company’s first batches were produced using a traditional, false-bottomed ‘tamalera’ cooker, more typically used for steaming ‘tamales’ (Mexican corn snacks). Despite this, over the past seven years, Magallanes and his fellow associates have transformed Cerveza Loba into one of the biggest independent craft breweries in Mexico, exporting up to 40% of its volume at different stages of the year.

One of the key elements behind this success, said Magallanes, has been a deliberate move away from the three styles that dominate Mexican craft beer production – Pale Ale, IPA and American Stout – into fusions and obscure, heritage beers. “None of our beers fall within the 10 most-produced styles in Mexico, but despite this, we are among the best-represented brewers across Mexico and export to the UK and the US,” he said. “Instead of copying styles or being one more company producing the same beers, our focus is on beers you can’t find anywhere else. This grabs the attention of consumers because people that buy craft beer want to try new flavors and styles.”

The result of such innovation, continued Magallanes, is that the company now sells more beer in export markets than in its home city where it operates a restaurant and offers brewery tours. “We sell a lot Porter in the UK, which is a real source of pride to us because of course, Porter is a signature style there,” he said. “Paraíso – our beer with guava – also sells a lot in the US. In fact, it’s a phenomenon now in California.” As well as being the first Mexican brewery to bring sour beer to market, Cerveza Loba has introduced gluten-free beer, a little-known German heritage style, Lichtenhainer, and Clandestina, a recipe based on a Prohibition-era beer produced before the US alcohol ban took force in 1920.

Source: Cerveza México

As a limited-edition initiative for 2019, the special release series consists of twelve new beers in can and keg formats, with each being released monthly. The range, which challenged their brew team to come up with twelve completely new recipes, started in January with ‘Seeing Dubbel’, rich and decadent plum and vanilla Belgian Dubbel. Hot on the heels of Seeing Dubbel was February’s release, Tough Nut, an imperial nut-brown ale packed full of earthy English hops. During the summer they released ‘Summer Saze’, an elderflower and honey saison, and ‘Pool Party’ which was a sour IPA. The latest release from the series is ‘Bocktoberfest,’ which is a rich German-style doppelbock. The compelling series is exclusive to independent retailers.

The Label Makers’ new nine labels for the series to-date, have been produced in relatively low volumes of between 2,500 and 4,000 units for each can design.

Alastair Fielding, key accounts manager at The Label Makers, said: “It has been great to work with these playful and vibrant designs. The labels have been printed digitally to achieve a quick turnaround to accommodate the short lead-time and limited volumes of this monthly range.

“The labels were finished on the AB Graphic Digicon Series 3, creating a mix of tactile finishes and cementing the quirky yet fun nature of the products. High build screens and spot gloss varnish finishes have been used to give the completed product added value and a heightened experience for consumers.”

“We have also supplied labels for Vocation’s ‘Hang Loose’ craft beer release, which is stocked by a major retailer. To create another unconventional finish, we used a sandpaper varnish, which feels exactly as it sounds! It is fantastic to work with a brewery with such a diverse range of products, variations in volume and who push the boundaries in design and finishes to the limit.”

Rachael Pinder, head of operations at Vocation Brewery, said: “It has been great to bring together three thriving companies in West Yorkshire, with our brewery in Hebden Bridge, our designers, Robot Food, in Leeds, and the experts at The Label Makers in Bradford.”

“We chose The Label Makers because we were extremely impressed with their flexibility and ability to react to whatever the designers threw at them! They deliver quality in a timely fashion, always quick to respond to our needs. Following the response to this series so far, we are now looking to produce another specials range, so watch this space!”

Source: The Label Makers

In July, Bud Light had pledged free beer for all aliens who escaped and promised to create a limited-edition alien pack if this tweet received 51K retweets. While the tweet fell just short of 51K RTs, Bud Light aims to please and the consumer response was so great, they decided to make it anyway. The favorite light lager of American Earthlings has followed through and created the Bud Light alien cans for legal drinking aged humans and extraterrestrials to enjoy together.

A Bud Light operative unable to disclose their name for security purposes said, “The way we see it, we’d much rather people crack open a crisp Bud Light with alien visitors rather than storm Area 51. Nothing says we come in peace like sharing a beer with friends from another place or another galaxy. We promised to have beer waiting for any alien that wants it and we plan to deliver on that promise. Our hope is that humans stock up too because you never know when you might need some Bud Lights to welcome intergalactic neighbors.

Starting today, fans in Nevada, Arizona, and California will be able to purchase the Bud Light alien cans to celebrate the potential release of our otherworldly friends. The special-edition aluminum cans feature a green alien and black background as well as a new crest welcoming all extraterrestrials from near and far to crack a cold one.

For any aliens that escape or decide to visit Earth, Bud Light produced an alien-friendly fridge that’s stocked with plenty of Bud Light alien cans. The fridge is locked and includes an alien finger scan in order to open, to ensure the beer supply is available only to our extraterrestrial friends. Bud Light is staging the fridge in a coveted Las Vegas club’s VIP section at the Luxor Hotel and Casino that will be roped off and reserved exclusively for aliens to live it up. The VIP table invites aliens, 21 years or older, to join the party from September 13 – September 20 and toast to their escape while making a few new human friends over alien-themed Bud Lights. Bud Light is also sponsoring the Area 51 Celebration music festival on September 19 at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center.

To bring the raid to fans everywhere, Bud Light is also producing a line of limited-edition merch to match the alien-themed Bud Light Cans. Starting today, legal drinking aged fans can purchase items online from the www.abgiftshop.com. Merch includes koozies, shirts, hat and bomber jackets and prices range from $100 or less.

Source: Bud Light