Opinion BY Armin

Redhook, Line, and Sinker

Founded in 1981 in Seattle, WA, Redhook is a craft beer brewery with a devoted following not just in the northwest of the U.S. but nationwide as passion for craft beers has grown over the last 30 years and as Redhook has increased its distribution reach. Its flagship beer is the ESB (Extra Special Bitter) but it counts with a few other year-round selections, like an IPA, as well as seasonal offerings. In March Redhook introduced a completely new bottle and packaging.

Evolution of the ESB bottle and label.

I love short neck bottles with stubby bodies (like Red Stripe) and I find this new Redhook bottle extremely cool. There is a certain boldness exuded by the shape and seems to have more grab-ability, like the hand belongs along the label and in between those two small budges. The label almost looks like something you would find adhered on an old motor oil can: no frills typography, simple color coding, and one overarching graphic. The overall new packaging is bold and contemporary and a strong contrast to today’s mainstream beers who want to look more friendly and consumable.

Although the logo didn’t change its form, its application is far better than the previous one that relied on awkward bevelation. The distressed look is perhaps a cliché for Northwest-down-to-earth brands, but it pays off here giving Redhook an appropriate “aged” look. I would have given them bonus points for actually distressing the logo (even just biting some off the edges) rather than jus applying a texture on top the sharp vector logo.

Thanks to Tyler Thompson for the tip.

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners