Half Beer was a standalone project from the team behind Trail Beer Refinery. Having come up with a particularly delicious recipe for a series of radlers, they felt it would be better served under its own brand, and so asked us to come up with something that would stand apart from their product line, as well as the competition.
Working from a blank slate gave us the opportunity to really get under the skin of what was happening in stores, and design accordingly. Craft beer is a permanent ‘fight for the fridge’, and conducting a number of field visits and interviews with sales staff helped us determine the direction for the product.
A radler - having similar benefits to RTDs while still being beer-based - is not especially well understood, so the name was a cheeky nod to literally explaining what the drink is. Choosing a predominantly white can also moved it further towards the trend for RTDs at the time, which would help to separate the idea of a radler from a fruity IPA in the minds of the shopper.
From a couple of local stores, you’ll now see Half Beer stocked in liquor stores all over BC when summer rolls around.