Sydney-based brewery Yulli’s Brews has launched a new venture, Make My Beer, inviting customers to have their own designs slapped on a can of Yulli’s beer.
Karl Cooney, Co-founder of Yulli’s Brews and Make My Beer, told Beer & Brewer the new venture is a way of connecting with customers on a more personal level.
“We just want people to feel connection. Every time we crack one of our beers we feel the connection to it. We put a chunk of ourselves into everything we do, and the reward is we get to hold our beer in our hands and drink it and it feels fantastic.
“I remember the first time we packaged our beer back in 2014 – hand bottled and labelled back then. The feeling of cracking it and drinking it was one of immense satisfaction and I think other people would really get a kick out of it too. Our whole ethos has always been around supporting independent venues and the connection with our community and if we can have a hand in adding a little extra to our customers’ important days then that’s pretty awesome,” he explained.
Although Yulli’s has been doing customised labels for quite some time now, the launch of Make My Beer is a way for the brewery to streamline the process and make it accessible to a wider audience.
“The entire concept of our branding is about creating a character that represents the beer we are making. There is a story behind each beer and who that character is. And we want people to be able to have the opportunity to have that personalised experience as well.
“We’ve been doing it for a long time anyway without making a thing of it, so we wanted to find a way of consolidating all of the information that we ask for and the questions that we get asked every time we do it, into one place. Production-wise, we’re not too stressed unless it really booms and we have hundreds of different custom beers to produce. Then shit could get real,” Cooney continued.
Cans will be filled with the customer’s choice of three Yulli’s beers, including a light, dry lager at 4.2 per cent ABV, an approachable pale ale at 4.9 per cent ABV and an American-style IPA with flavours of mandarin at 6.7 per cent ABV. The brewery also offers label personalisation for its apple cider, or sparkling water.
Customers can either supply their own designs for the label using Yulli’s template, or have Yulli’s designer whip up a unique label. The only mandatory elements are recycling and drink-specific information and the barcode.
The custom-designed beers are available for purchase in cartons of 16, with a minimum order of 24 cartons, and just eight weeks after having your artwork approved, you can collect your order free-of-charge from the Sydney brewery or have it delivered to your door.
Cooney added: “I think a lot has been lost over the past little period where people have forgotten the simple joy of having a beer with someone, of how it says we are meeting together as equals and sharing a moment.
“There has been so much around alcohol and health and then also about discretionary spending recently that I think we’ve lost sight of enjoying a moment. People get very connected to the beer they drink and I think Make My Beer is an opportunity to take that connection a step further.”