The new look is all part of Redhook’s effort to get back to its roots. “There seems to be a movement within the craft beer community where a lot of breweries are trying to ‘out craft’ each other,” said Robert Rentsch, brand manager of Redhook Brewery. “Redhook isn’t about that. Of course we’re brewing great beer, but we’re just as interested in having a great time. We think our new look reflects our personality well.”

The Beginning

Just like other pioneering brands such as Starbucks and Microsoft, Redhook was born out of the energy and spirit of the 80’s.  In 1981, founders Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker (who happened to be a co-founder of Starbucks) thought the people of Seattle deserved their own beer; one that offered more flavor than the lighter tasting domestics and imports that were available at the time.

Redhook started brewing beer out of a converted transmission shop in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. After achieving local success with Ballard Bitter (known today as Long Hammer IPA) and ESB, Redhook became the first nationally distributed craft beer brand. Then came the identity crisis. “We realized we weren’t celebrating the big personality that Redhook is in the way it deserved to be celebrated,” said Rentsch.

The Evolution

After some soul-searching over a few beers, Redhook decided it needed its exterior to match its personality. The new look includes:

·            Packaging/Labels: Easy-to-spot labels and packaging across all Redhook beers helps consumers quickly grab and go in the beer aisle. Every beer style is identified by a unique color scheme and Redhook’s simple beer-o-meter on the side helps pick between refreshing, smooth, bold, or dark.

·            Bottle/Bottle Caps: To go back to basics, Redhook created a no-frills bottle, while the bottle caps all depict iconic images and phrases of Redhook’s colorful 30^-year history, so you can drink while you reminisce. Genius.

About Redhook

Redhook was born out of the energy and spirit of the early 80’s in the heart of Seattle. While the term didn’t exist at the time, Redhook became one of America’s first “craft” breweries.  From a modest start in a former transmission shop in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard, to the current breweries in Woodinville, Wash. and Portsmouth, N.H., Redhook has become one of America’s most recognized craft breweries.  While Redhook has “grown up” over the past 30 years, one thing has never changed – it’s still brewing great beers like ESB, Long Hammer IPA, Copperhook, and seasonal brews.  Most importantly, Redhook makes sure it has fun doing it.   Redhook’s beers are available in both draught and bottles and are distributed nationally through a network of wholesale distributors. For more information, visit www.redhook.com

Find Redhook on Facebook

There’s a lot going on here, true.  But check out what the grand prize winner gets and it all makes sense that this is a sweepstakes worth dropping one’s John Hancock for.

One person will win the grand prize – and will get to bring along five friends for the following:

1. Whisk off to Whitefish Montana, where you and your crew will:

• • Meet master brewers and take a tour of the Great Northern Brewery
  • Make your own brew
  • Design the label for your signature suds

2. Learn to fly fish with the masters and walk away with rods and cases as gifts

3. Go on a multi-day river rafting trip for your party of six

4. Spend a night in Glacier National Park at a mountain chalet where you can take a load off with a luxe spa package

5.Fly via private plane to California for two practice sessions with the Sacramento Kings

6. Hop back on the plane and heading to Las Vegas, where the group will stay for free at a world-famous hotel and resort and enjoy:

a.VIP poolside cabana

b. Dinner at a five-star restaurant

c. VIP table service

7. The winner also gets:

a. Complimentary Flip video camera and a Canon camera

b. Black Star Beer gear and other swag (hoodie, hats, shirts)

8. GET THIS:  The winner and his/her five friends who went along for the ride will receive round-trip airfare tickets in order to take a vacation from their Black Star Beer vacation.

Readers can enter the sweepstakes at www.facebook.com/blackstarbeer.  All they have to do is “like” Black Star Beer on FB and they’re in.  Deadline is August 19 – there’s three-and-a-half weeks left to take a crack at living a summertime dream.

“Given our family history of brewing – which dates back to 1856– Black Star is a true legacy beer and I am thrilled to return it to the marketplace,” said Wessinger. “Black Star is a traditional European-style Pilsner beer, refreshing with lots of taste, and the perfect beer for summer.”

Black Star is a double hopped (dry-hopped) golden lager based on traditional European Pilsner beers made with both Bavarian Mittelfrüh and Czech Saaz hops and two row malting barley.

“By hopping it in the kettle and then again prior to finishing, Black Star opens with a distinct hop aroma and a rich, full-bodied flavor while remaining remarkably crisp and refreshing,” noted Wessinger.

Black Star is brewed at the Great Northern Brewing Company in Whitefish, Montana, a traditional gravity flow style brewery built by Wessinger in 1994.  The mostly automated brew house is one of the most complex for its size in the country.  The Lauter Tun filter screen was custom designed and manufactured in Germany for the expressed purpose for creating fine lager beers. The fermenting and packaging area, known as the Cellar, is open and roomy, allowing for many brewery operations to take place at the same time.

Consumers will recognize Black Star by the distinctive bright gold labels, meant to “reflect the golden color of the beer inside,” said Wessinger.

As demand for Black Star grows, it will continue to be brewed at its original home in Whitefish, Montana as well as in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  “Black Star is a true passion project and something I’ve always wanted to bring back when the timing was right,” Wessinger says.  “Providing a beer to consumers that combines flavor and the refreshment of traditional lagers is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.”

Black Star retails for $7.99 for a 6-pack and $14.99 for a 12- pack and will be available in select bars and upscale natural and organic grocery stores.  Black Star is available in both 12 oz bottles and cans.  Consumers can also find Black Star cans onboard a young, rapidly growing and trend-setting California-based domestic airline.  For more information and a list of accounts where Black Star beer can be found please visit Black Star’s Store Locator http://blackstarbeer.com/beer-locator/.

About Black Star Beer

Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager was first brewed in Whitefish, Montana at the Great Northern Brewing Company in 1995.  The beer was created by Minott Wessinger, a fifth generation brewer and great-great grandson of West Coast brewing pioneer Henry Weinhard.  After seven years of brewing Black Star, Wessinger chose to stop production in 2002 when other projects prevented him from giving Black Star the time and energy it deserved.  In February 2010, Black Star returned to the kettles at the Great Northern Brewery and was first reintroduced in Montana.