We’re on the road again to meet another client of ours in British Columbia, this time in the picturesque Cariboo region. Let me introduce you to Barkerville Brewery, re-established 2013.
A bit of history
History tells us that the original brewery was started in 1860. Unfortunately, in 1868, a fire burned Barkerville down in less than 90 minutes. That didn’t stop its hardy population from rebuilding a new, 90 building town in less than 6 weeks!
Fast forward more than a century later, entrepreneur and beer lover Russell Ovans, a Victoria native and a computer scientist by profession, arrived and undertook the project of bringing the Barkerville Brewery back to life. Even though building a brewery within the historic town of Barkerville was not possible, the location of Quesnel, some 80 km west and a popular stop on the Rocky Mountaineer rail route, was chosen to be the ideal spot to brew real Cariboo beer. The beer that helped the hard working gold rush prospector have a good time.
Stake your claim!
Barkerville Brewery offers 8 different brews all named with some sort of historical reference. See for yourself: 18 Karat Amber Ale, Mucho Oro Lager, Hound of Barkerville Brown Ale, Wandering Camel Ale, 52 Foot Stout with Birch Syrup, Sternwheeler Scotch Ale, Promise to Sophia Valentine Ale, Prospector’s Peril Blonde Ale.
Its 18 Karat Amber Ale won the Silver Canadian Brewing Association prize in 2014 in the “North American Style Amber/Red Ale” category.
Design, canning and shrink sleeves
Like many craft brewers, Barkerville Brewery offers its products in stamped bottles each with its unique name and theme related illustrations. The rustic design and packaging is very much in the spirit of the history behind the gold, amber and dark beverages it carefully produces.
As much as glass bottles are part of the craft brew tradition, aluminum cans are accepted, even requested by consumers. Cans have the advantage of being lightweight, affordable and easy to take out on a hike out in the great BC outdoors (when searching for gold maybe??).
In this context, shrink sleeves on blank aluminum cans are a natural. The design can easily be adapted to take full advantage of the can’s real estate and display all the information and history of its product, safeguarding its bold personality.
Conclusion
So for those of you out west, I invite you to go to your local brew specialty store and “stake your claim” on a pack of Barkerville Brewing beer. Whether kicking back at home, while camping or even looking for gold, take a selfie with your can in hand and share it on Twitter with us at @IMS_Labeling!
Looking forward to helping you discover more brewers and sleeves in the upcoming weeks.
Cheers!
