Harrogate-based Rooster’s Brewing Co are marking a decade of canning their beers with a refreshed look for the year-round range.
In late 2014, the brewery became the first of its size, outside of London, and the first in Yorkshire, to install a canning line. Three beers were the first to come off the line, launched into the market shortly after. One of these was Baby-Faced Assassin, Rooster’s flagship IPA, which has gone on to become a bestseller.
The Citra IPA is also set to launch with a new Sainsbury’s Yorkshire and North East regional listing in March. It has become the brewery’s most decorated beer, picking up awards at small pack competitions both on the national and international stages.
Rooster’s has unveiled a new look for its core range of beers, covering cask pumpclips, keg badges. This includes updated four-packs of Baby-Faced Assassin, available in ASDA. With a ‘modern classic’ approach at the heart of the rebrand, the new artwork features a bold new typeface, and block colouring.
“Rooster’s branding has evolved several times since being established in 1993,” explains operations director Tom Fozard. “The latest update is sympathetic to what’s been in place for the past five or so years, drawing on what’s worked for us up until this point, but with an injection colour and a stronger set of fonts to help our beers stand out that little bit more.
“Separately, we’re working on a completely new concept for the design of the next beer to be released in the Assassin family, currently in development, which we’re really excited about.”
Quality control
Set for launch in April, a gluten free offshoot of Baby-Faced Assassin will be released in 440ml cans. Hazy-Faced Assassin (5.7% ABV) will the carry the same deceptively-drinkable clout as its namesake, but delivering a much softer and lighter experience.
A cask-focused brewery until 2014, the installation of Rooster’s first canning line helped to spearhead growth and played a large part in the decision to upscale and relocate the brewery back to its original hometown of Harrogate in 2019.
“At the time, many viewed cans as an option only for larger breweries,” Tom recalls. “Inspired by the initial craft beer scene that developed in the US, investing in a canning line to be able to package our beers ourselves aligned perfectly with our desire to control the quality of our beer from start to finish, grow the business, and reach more drinkers.
“A decade on, we’re proud to have been at the forefront of what went on to become an industry-wide shift towards cans being the preferred package type when it comes to independently-brewed craft beer.”
