Bath creative agency Mr B & Friends has built on its work with acclaimed London craft brewery Fourpure by designing the packaging for two new seasonal brews.
As one of the first UK craft brewers to can its beer for freshness, Fourpure leads the way in innovative brewing practices and can designs with shelf appeal. 
The brewery, founded by brothers Daniel and Thomas Lowe in 2013, is known for producing speciality beers with curious flavour notes inspired by the brothers’ travels.
The brewery’s core range, also designed by Mr B & Friends, is sold by Mark & Spencer stores nationwide as well as bars and restaurants across the country. The two new seasonal brews are Shape Shifter and Flatiron.
Shape Shifter is a West Coast IPA inspired by Dan and Tom’s travels through Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco although the inspiration for the can design came from much further north in British Columbia
Mr B & Friends design director Sheena Mistry said: “Dan and Tom shared with us a mythical story from the shores of Lake Okanagan of a 50ft sea serpent-like lake monster. The illustration featured this scaled serpentine meandering round the can lurking in the depths of the lake seemingly unknown to the casual rower. The combination of black and gold was chosen for a striking effect against the textures of the sea.”
Flatiron is an American Red Ale inspired by winter road-tripping through the blizzards of Yellowstone and the icy passes of Wyoming. Sheena added: “Wherever the adventure takes you, days are long and tiring in the mountains and this red style gives the right combination malt and hops.
“The illustrations draw influence from the landscape – featuring contours and the flatiron rock formation in Colorado which symbolise those hiking adventures. The warm colour palette hint towards the mahogany red beer and flavours of caramel and toffee.”
Mr B & Friends has also recently refreshed Fourpure’s core can range to increase shelf standout and help reinforce the brand’s unique positioning of ‘inspired by adventure’.
Mr B & Friends founder Simon Barbato said: “The inspirations gathered from the founders’ travels around the world have been brought back to the brewery and blended with their own way of doing things. The spirit of what the brand is about is beautifully embodied in the design of both the core range and the new seasonal cans.”
Mr B & Friends was first appointed by Fourpure in 2014 t to undertake a major branding and design exercise for the brewery Fourpure.
The agency worked on a complete naming, brand strategy, packaging design and website design-and-build for then start-up brewery.
Mr B & Friends was launched by Simon Barbato in a bedroom 11 years ago and has grown to become Bath’s largest firm of its kind and one of the fastest-growing in the region, employing 36 people.
Its clients include blue-chip companies such as Intercontinental Hotel Group, Principality Building Society, Unite Students and SSE.
Fourpure has been named the UK’s Brewery of the Year 2017 by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) in its annual Business Awards 2017.
