When we embarked on our rebrand, we knew that Dry Hopped Lager, like Mosaic Pale Ale, was going to require a significant shift before it aligned with the rest of the range. This beer’s refreshing new look would be a real step-change from the templated approach of its previous Jack Brand graphics.
With Dry Hopped Lager, we wanted to embody that hot, sunny day, when you're on the beach and all you really want is a nice cold lager from your cool box. If any product was going to own that moment, it would be this one.
Its bright, refreshing taste is reflected in the low, open landscape where Southwold’s Sole Bay meets Walberswick’s shores. As you head away from town, towards Southwold harbour, the beach opens out and gets wider. Here, the last beach huts meet the grassy sand dunes and on the hottest of days the light can be dazzling. Things feel crisp and dry, just like our lager.
Artist, Vanessa Sorboen is at home on the beach. “I'm on the beach all the time,” she enthused. “Honestly, I don't think I could live anywhere where I wasn't close to the coast.”
"I’ve taken many beach shots in my time. It's quite difficult to do that and not make it look twee. We had the colours we wanted to incorporate, so the brand would be recognised, and I like the way it’s progressed into a bit more of a sandy gold. And it does look hot.
“I like being down on the beach on days like that. The end of that run of beach huts is very open as well, so you just get that glare in the summertime. Painting the beach huts was quite hard because you have to be very precise, with their size and the stripes. I liked doing sand. I was in my comfort zone with that. I think that's the Cornish in me.”
“We wanted to stay true to its brand colours, with their golden, orange and teal tones, while also moving them on a bit. We’ve brightened things up with crisp, yellow splashes, but you still have those familiar warm orange hints. The atmosphere starts to feel bright and crisp, and we’ve freshened it up, but there’s still those notes of familiarity.”
Dry Hopped Lager will also get its first bespoke box, having previously been available in our stores and online in generic Adnams outer packaging. The new design works really well, and we can’t wait to see them on the shelves, once existing outer packaging is exhausted.