Bad Seed Brewery’s Chris Waplingto (left) and James Broad, with photographer Vistoria Harley
Bad Seed Brewery, opened in Malton in 2013 by Chris Waplington and James Broad, has unveiled a new look and revealed new plans at an event in York.
The brewery’s old branding, inspired by luggage tags, has been replaced by striking imagery from photographer Victoria Harley. There will be a separate image for each new beer, at a rate of around four a month.
The brewery held a launch event at The Rook and Gaskill, in Lawrence Street, York, on Saturday afternoon and evening, with nine of its beers on the bar, including three new releases.
Waplington said: “We’ve grown a lot in five and a half years, and we feel it’s time to reflect that in our pumpclips and can labels.
“Our luggage-tag style labels have been popular, but they grew from the swing tags we used to have on our bottles. We wanted to move to something that really embodied where the beers are now, and where we’re headed as a brewery.
“Victoria’s an incredible freelance photographer. Each new beer will have a unique image, and with our cask badges we have chosen oversize clips to allow the image to really sing out on the bar. This has been a fun process — we look to be innovative as a brewery and this has been a collaboration of creative people.”
He added: “We also wanted a logo that was easily recognisable and would work on all formats, and Simon Ellis from Flexibubble, in Malton, has done a fantastic job for us. The first beers with the new branding will be going out across the UK this week.”
Victoria Harley said: “It’s really exciting to be given such creative freedom on this project. Beer cans and pumpclips are the new album sleeves — a great opportunity for an artist to showcase their work. I look forward to seeing where we take it over the next few months.”
John-Jo Cunningham, manager of The Rook and Gaskill, added: “Bad Seed’s beers have always been popular with our customers, so we were delighted they chose to hold their re-launch event here. The beers look and taste excellent.”
Brewing collaborations
Bad Seed Brewery grew out of Chris and James’ background in home brewing, which has evolved into a successful business, and they wanted a new look that reflects the business’s current direction.
Since its formation, Bad Seed has worked with some leading national and regional breweries, including Northern Monk (Salted Lemon Wit), Left Handed Giant (Cookie Monster), Track (Troika), and Abbeydale (A+B).
It has also worked with the Tate Modern, in London, and with James and Tommy Banks, from the Michelin-starred Black Swan, in Oldstead, and Roots, in York, creating an exclusive beer to be paired with one of their dishes.
Several collaborations and new canned specials are planned for the spring, and the brewery’s first big event of 2019 will be at Craft Beer Rising, at the Old Truman Brewery, London, from February 21 to 23.
