Rooster’s Brewing Co. is marking a decade of canning its beers with refreshed look for the brewery’s year-round range.
In late 2014, the Harrogate-based brewery became the first of its size outside of London, and the first in Yorkshire, to install a canning line.
A small range of three beers were the first to come off the line launched into the market shortly after. One of these beers was Baby-Faced Assassin, Rooster’s flagship IPA, which has gone on to become a bestseller and is currently listed by ASDA, Booths and Morrisons.
The Citra IPA is also set to launch within a new Sainsbury’s Yorkshire and North East regional listing in March. The IPA has also gone on to become the brewery’s most decorated beer, picking up awards at small pack competitions; both on the national and international stage.
And with a ‘modern classic’ approach at the heart of the rebrand, the new artwork features a bold new typeface, and block colouring.
Tom Fozard, Rooster’s operations director, said: “Rooster’s branding has evolved several times since being established in 1993.
“The latest update is sympathetic to what’s been in place for the past five or so years, drawing on what’s worked for us up until this point, but with an injection colour and a stronger set of fonts to help our beers stand out that little bit more .
“Separately, we’re working on a completely new concept for the design of the next beer to be released in the Assassin family, currently in development, which we’re really excited about.”
Set for launch in April, plans are in place for a new, gluten free offshoot of Baby-Faced Assassin to be released in 440ml can. Hazy-Faced Assassin, a 5.7% hazy IPA, as the name suggests, will the carry the same deceptively-drinkable clout as its namesake, albeit delivering a much softer and lighter experience appropriate with the style.
In the decade since canning for the first time, cans have become a staple of Rooster’s business and have proven to help revolutionise the brewery.
A cask focussed brewery until 2014, the installation of Rooster’s first canning helped to spearhead growth and played a large part in the decision to upscale and relocate the brewery back to its original hometown of Harrogate in 2019.
“At the time, many viewed cans as an option only for larger breweries,” Tom Fozard recalled.
“Inspired by the initial craft beer scene that developed in the US, investing in a canning line to able to package our beers ourselves aligned perfectly with our desire to control the quality of our beer from start to finish, grow the business and reach more drinkers.
A decade on, we’re proud to have been at the forefront of what went on to become an industry-wide shift towards cans being the preferred package type when it comes to independently brewed craft beer.”
