Remember two years ago when we blogged about the new bowtie can design for Budweiser? The iconic beer brand has released some brand new packaging for this beer can that centers around the bowtie graphic. After a three year design and testing phase, the company proudly introduced their first bowtie shaped beer can! Each can is manufactured to be slightly tapered at the center for a bowtie effect that is portrayed in the graphics. The cans are an innovator in the market for being one of the first mainstream beers in the U.S. to be manufactured in a tapered can. Since the can is slightly thinner that the traditional 12 oz can, it holds only 11.3 oz and is about 9 calories less.

Anheuser-Busch, the company who owns the Budweiser brand, comments that the cans will be popular with young adults as they are innovative, easy to hold, and trendy. VP of innovation for the company Pat McGauley commented, “This can is incomparable, like nothing you’ve ever seen before. The world’s most iconic beer brand deserves the world’s most unique and innovative can. I think we have it here.” These new bowtie shaped cans will be available in addition to the traditional 12 oz cans across the U.S.

Check out another of Budweiser’s most recent product releasers in our previous blog, “Budweiser’s Black Crown Wins Project 12 Competition.”

For some, baseball is the most anticipated opening sports season of the year. Budweiser, the official beer sponsor of Major League Baseball, created team and MLB branded packaging for the 2013 opening season.

Budweiser created limited time only cans and bottles inspired by the look of a baseball that includes the official MLB colors (blue and red). The cans feature the official Budweiser and MLB logos along with baseball “seam” graphics to make the can look like a ball. Along with this MLB design, 23 of the 30 teams have custom designed cans with their team’s logo and colors. These limited edition cans and bottles were made available on shelves starting April 1^st with more than 142 million available worldwide. Budweiser and MLB also announced a six-year renewal of official sponsorship.

What other baseball inspired packaging have you seen on the market in honor of opening season? Leave us a comment today!

The process to create a delicious, hand crafted beer is extensive. One of London’s hottest new microbreweries, Brew by Numbers (BBNo), has created some unique beer labels that reflect the craft that goes into producing beer.

Started by two young London brewers, BBNo. was founded in early 2012 and opened later in the year. BBNo. has over 6 hand-crafted beers and focuses on uniqueness, drinkability and quality. The brewers have spent time doing research, testing and tweaking to get these fine brews perfect.

Their beer labels are a true reflection of the quality and craft that goes into creating their beer. Each label is printed with deep brown ink on a cream colored textured paper for a natural look on the brown beer bottle. Graphics for the label is minimalistic, bearing no images, but rather informative information to the consumer. The numbers featured on the front of the label relate to a numbering system created by BBNo. owners Dave and Tom. As described by Dave, “The first two digits represent the beer style (Saison, Golden Ale, Witbier, etc.), and the second two denote the recipe (Citra, Pacific Hops, Classic, etc.).” Notes about the beer are located on the back in a hand written font which is a unique design element for the hand crafted beer.

Interested in printing your next label project on textured paper similar to the BBNo. labels above? Request a label quote today!

Flavor enhancing liquids have blossomed in popularity over the past few years as we talked about in our previous blog, “Flavor Enhancing Drops Trending on the Market.” Kraft Foods introduced Kraft Mio back in 2011 which has become one of the most popular flavor enhancing liquids currently on the market. For 2013, Kraft Foods has expanded on their already popular low calorie drink brand, Crystal Light, and created Crystal Light “Liquid”. According to Packaging World, Russell Dyer of Kraft Foods Corporate Affairs commented, “As a pioneer of this category with the launch of Mio, we can tell you that we are dedicated to growing in this exciting new market across a variety of our beverage brands.” The zero calorie drink enhancers come in six flavors including Strawberry Lemonade, Blueberry Raspberry, Mango Passion fruit, Iced Tea, Pomtini and Peach Bellini.

The top photo shows the packaging used for a few of the varieties. Each squeeze container is manufactured in a full body shrink sleeve allowing for 360 degrees of design space. A perforation is included around the cap of the container so the shrink sleeve can be removed from that specific section but not damage the rest of the sleeve. Brightly colored graphics cover the sleeves with color pallets matching the flavor of the liquid enhancer. Below is a photo of the bottle’s outer packaging created for the retail shelves. The paperboard outer packaging securely holds the bottle in place and has the ability to be hung from a display post or stand up on a product shelf. Notice that similar bright graphics are mimicked in the outer packaging for an eye-catching look sure to draw the eye of the consumer.

What other flavor enhancing products packaged in shrink sleeves have you seen on the market? Leave us a comment today!