Breckenridge Brewery Announces New Packaging and Labeling Design
'Beer at its Peak' remains the main theme
August, 1999by Tony Todd
The Marketing staff at the Breckenridge Brewery, one of Colorado's largest and most successful brewing companies, have decided to change the packaging and labeling design on their popular brand of ales. "The design we chose, while being a little more expensive and considerably different than our original design, still conveys an image of Colorado, Breckenridge, and the Rocky Mountains while maintaining our main theme of 'Beer at its Peak.'" Krisahn Gren, Director of Brand Marketing explained to me in an interview.
In contrast to the old packaging which showed a rendition of the town of Breckenridge and the surrounding peaks and slopes of the famous town's ski area inset on a tan to brown background, the new packaging makes it easier to distinguish between the different styles of Breckenridge Beer. Whereas the old packaging had subtle differences in the shade of tan or brown that was used on labels and six packs for each, the newer labels and six packs use different colors below a mountain scene to make it easier for consumers to tell the styles apart. The new package still shows a scene of the town of Breckenridge and the surrounding peaks and slopes of the ski area, not to mention the lightning bolt reminiscent of those found on various Grateful Dead memorabilia. The town now appears however, somewhat larger, somewhat more defined and is more the centerpiece of the creatively designed packages that were developed by the Denver advertising firm L.C.I. International. The colors black, red, yellow, and blue are used effectively to make the distinction between their Oatmeal Stout, India Pale Ale, Mountain Wheat, and Avalanche, respectively. The color green will be used on packaging for some of the various seasonal beers that Breckenridge releases at various times throughout the year.
"While making it easier for customers to discern between styles was one of the reasons for the change, changes in a growing market made us want to come up with a design that was a little more eye catching and that could compete better with some of the breweries that have come along since we first started bottling and packaging our beer," Ms. Gren explained further. As Breckenridge Brewery was one of the first breweries to begin packaging their beer for distribution and sale in liquor stores next to the big three's (Anheuser-Busch, Coors and Miller) packaging, their somewhat simple design, that conveyed an image of plain cardboard and or burlap sacks, was unique enough to catch the eye of consumers to get them to try the beer at first. It was what was inside of the bottles and six packs however, that kept customers coming back for more. Now that there are more micro-type labels and packages to compete with on liquor store shelves, Breckenridge Breweries felt it was time to research what a change in their packaging could do to keep sales as strong as they have been, while trying to stimulate even more sales by drawing customers away from their competitors with their attractive new design.
Anyway you look at it you will still be getting the same quality handcrafted beer that you have come to expect from Breckenridge Breweries. The recipes haven't changed a bit. The only difference is their new look.
The new packaging will be distributed first along Colorado's Front Range and then later to the Mountain areas of Colorado and beyond to the outlying states that carry Breckenridge Brewery's beer. It's not too late to stock up on some of the old bottles and six-packs before they are all gone. They are sure to become collectors items among beer collectors and historians in the years to come. Look for the total phasing out of the older classic label to be complete by the end of the year.
Breckenridge Brewery-Corporate Headquarters 471 Kalamath Street Denver, Colorado 80204 Phone (303) 623-BREW Fax (303) 573-4877 www.breckbrew.com
