The GABS Can Design Awards, now into their third year, are held in recognition of the fine art of designing a killer craft beer can. At the inaugural event in 2020 we were stoked to make the list of finalists with our limited release Moondancer Hazy IPA, with can designer Troy Cochrane creating a new character, affectionately dubbed ‘Hop Man’, dancing around a campfire under a full moon. Moondancer ended up coming in seventh.
Our 2021 entry was for our limited release Murder Hornet Black IPA can, designed for our Burleigh Taproom fourth birthday celebrations by Dave Heavyside. Once the votes were tallied we were stoked to once again finish as a top ten finalist. From there a judging panel came up with the final rankings and we managed to finish in fifth position.
Related: Taking Murder Hornet To The Can Design Awards
A Podium Finish With British India Pale Ale in 2022
Our 2022 entry was for our British India Pale Ale can, designed by legend Jamie Browne Art in collaboration with the Crafted Beer And Cider Festival and Melbourne indie-rock band British India. We were super stoked with how the design and the brew itself came together, so we decided to release it as our limited release for September/October. You can grab some from our online store here.
Over 150 breweries entered this year’s awards and once the judges’ votes were tallied we were rapt to achieve our best ever result of 2nd position – a silver medal podium finish! This was our third consecutive top 10 finish and puts us as one of only two breweries to make the top 10 for all three years of the competition.
The goal for the design was to capture the band’s bold, positive spirit in conjunction with the laid-back, beachside vibes of the Festival and its surroundings. And with the event being held on the Gold Coast, it was imperative that the vibrant beach landscape was touched on in the design, bringing warmth to the can, with the promise of summer months on the horizon within the beer’s tropical notes.
Be sure to check out the top 10 finalists and other winners here.