Design Bridge has unveiled their latest work for British pub retailer and brewer, Greene King. The company is launching a new range of contemporary beer styles alongside its current portfolio of cask ales to appeal to a wider audience. The new range of beers will include both permanent and limited-edition brews, each representing a "fresh take on Britain’s colourful past".

Will Hemmings, Brewing & Brands Marketing Director, Greene King said: “Our new range of premium craft beers is inspired by Greene King’s 200-year heritage, but the recipes and tales have been reimagined for the modern craft consumer of today.” Hemmings added: “We’ve twisted and adapted traditional flavour profiles and channelled some of Britain’s colourful folklore to create authentic, modern, and exciting beverages, perfect for a new urban audience right across the UK.”

“Beer has radically changed in the past decade, with countless start-up breweries launching disruptive and eye-catching brands. However, for most of the UK beer drinking population, these new brands are more intimidating than they are exciting; in fact, only 3 in 10 people would currently call themselves a craft drinker. For the other 7, trying a ‘craft’ brand feels like an expensive risk. These people want to explore, but they also want the reassurance that they’re ordering a good-quality, refreshing beer that isn’t going to blow their head off with its triple-hopped taste.” said Anna Hamill, Head of Strategy, Design Bridge.

The design idea: ‘A vibrant interpretation of Britain’s eccentric stories and rich heritage’, celebrates the stories of Britain that we know and love, whilst upholding Greene King at the centre. The four beers Flint Eye, Level Head, SubTerranea and Western Zeph, all pay homage to aspects of British history and folklore.

●            Flint Eye, a sharp, crisp lager, takes inspiration from Neolithic arrows found near to Greene King breweries, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

●            Level Head, a session IPA, playfully nods to the legend of St. Edmund, who lost his head to the Vikings but miraculously found it again. The design shows his head detached from his body, portraying a "perfectly executed beer".

●            SubTerranea is inspired by the story of a fiddler who loudly played his tunes to ensure that he didn't get lost in the tunnels underneath Bury St. Edmunds; the deep and intense oatmeal stout, which invites consumers to get lost in its depths.

●            Finally, Western Zeph to celebrate the West country pilgrims who set sail for America, accompanied across the Atlantic with the refreshing Zephyr or light wind. This IPA lightly links west country hops with American west coast-style pale ale.

Steeped in folklore, each beer celebrates the eccentric myths and legends of British history using playful, characterful illustrations; all four are inspired by historic woodcuts, with a modern twist of vibrant colour combinations. Some rely on recipes from the brewery’s archives; others mix lost ingredients with contemporary styles and processes.

Design Bridge used individual, bespoke typographical personalities for each variant. Inspired by historic typefaces, playfully accentuating quirks and personalities to give them a contemporary twist. Bold typography and a bright, neon colour palette unify the collection of drinks. Design Bridge combined stand-out imagery with unique narratives to highlight Greene King; making it stand out within the saturated Modern Beer category.

“Both the naming and copywriting cleverly delivers humorous and intriguing insights into the legends behind the beers, giving subtle clues to their different strengths and flavour profiles, telling the stories nobody else could tell, about the beers nobody else could brew.” Added Claire Robertshaw, ECD, Design Bridge London. Robertshaw added “This has all been achieved whilst additionally driving a significant reappraisal of the Greene King brand – a British institution that’s been at the heart of communities for over 200 years. And those 200 years have given it a lot of stories to tell.”

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