Andes Beer “Teletransporter”

Andes Beer in Argentina has just come up with a novel ambient campaign to give guys a leg up in the battle of the sexes. A sound booth installed in bars for guys who are short on excuses to calm down their girlfriends…

I wonder what Louis Gossett Jnr. would say about all this?

Smartphone’s tackle beer

On a recent trip the Europe and the US we spend some time playing with an Augmented Reality app from Stella Artois. Mashing the iPhones’ GPS capabilities with the internal compass and video, Stella Artois have made a location aware application that allows you to find your nearest pub serving Stella on tap. A smooth, simple interface and useful features like contact details for the various pubs, social tools to share with friends and smartest of all a direct line to a choice of local taxi operators ensure that you can co-ordinate and enjoy a pint of Stella with mates. All important in a busy city like New York.

Stella Artois App

Mapping interface

AR interface

Success

On that note here are 10 other iPhone apps for the beer aficionado. http://mashable.com/2010/01/13/iphone-beer-apps/

6 Pack carrier design

Dutch design firm OOOMS has developed a novel take on the 6 pack carrier. Great for those BYOB occasions, it brings an element of design and sustainability to transporting your beer.

Reduce, re-use, recycle

Six up.

Source: http://www.oooms.nl/sixpack/

The drinking chip

Quite a clever idea here. Think about it. When you drink beer you are more likely to be tempted to eat a bag of crisps (or chips). So creating the perfect chip to accompany your beer is quite a clever idea – esp when it’s a nice and spicy flavour which makes you that much thirstier. Droga 5 Sydney came with these VB chips to promote more beer drinking. You get a free bag of chips with every case bought.

Fast bourbon

Burger King Tokyo is planning on serving bourbon highballs’ as part of it’s value meal menu.

Selling American made Four Roses Bourbon in conjunction with their Bourbon Burger, Burger King is selling the Highballs at a cost of ¥350. This is a fraction of the cost of what you’d pay in the expensive bar scene, and creates a strong American association.

With Heineken also available at Burger King, it seems like the chain is tying themselves quite nicely to the Tokyo nightlife.

Source: CNN GO <http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/drink/burger-king-your-new-watering-hole-711074>

A short note on: Hanger tea

So this one’s not alcohol, but this one courtesy of Creativity-Online was cute enough and original enough to share.

Designer Soon Mo Kang puts tea in whimsical new packaging with Hanger Tea. The tee-shaped bags are suspended in the box from mini hangers, which can then be hung on the rims of sippers’ mugs.

http://creativity-online.com/work/soon-mo-kang-hanger-tea-(3)/18392

New Guiness interactive campaign

Here’s an interesting blend of fantasy and reality, online and offline:

http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=141145

It’s the new digital campaign from Guinness conceptualized by AMV BBDO in London. In partnership with Google Earth they provide the tools for their fans to create a fantasy Guinness planet. Users pick their piece of mother earth and craft it to suit them, with the resulting space looking as real as the real world on Google Earth. The more diverse the landscape, the more water droplets Guinness will embed. And the more water droplets you gather the more likely you are to win. It’s not all an intangible flight of fancy though – while the action may take place in the online world, you do win real beer. And I guess real beer (with a nod to Windhoek) is really what it’s all about!

For beer lovers (almost) everywhere

Now you need never be caught hot and thirsty without a clear idea of where to get a nice cold one. http://beermapping.com shows you exactly where to find a beer store, pub, bar or brewery in any one of several countries worldwide including New Zealand, Australia, the USA, the UK and several countries in Europe. Clicking on the map pulls up the name, contact details and user reviews of the listed establishments. It’s got more detailed maps for several cities too. Plus the site has links to all sorts of other beer fan sites, magazines, blogs and podcasts.

Could be a thought for us to do and own something similar in South Africa, especially ahead of the World Cup.

The rise of small domestic distillers and microbrewers

Something we’ve noticed happening in Cape Town for a while now is the gaining traction of the locally brewed/produced trend. Jack Black Beer seems to be taking off, and I’ve spotted a local apple cider now as well. & UNION, the beer salon and charcuterie is another emerging Cape Town force selling their Portuguese brewed house brand COLLECTIVE SAO GABRIEL.

This short piece from the blog design sponge highlights the upswing of small-production, domestic liquor producers in the United States. Gin, vodka, brandy, whiskey-you name it, someone is making it. A number of new distilleries have opened, and the interesting thing is that many of them are using locally sourced and organic ingredients.

It’ll be interesting to see if this rise of local distillers using organic ingredients catches on in South Africa. So far we’ve yet to see anything that wasn’t destined for cheap cocktails…

‘NZ Pure’ Advertising

“Brewed by brewers. Not chemistered by chemists. “

Small New Zealand based brewer Independent Breweries has launched an interesting billboard campaign to push their brand of ‘NZ Pure’ beer.

A strong beer(5% ABV) with a strong ‘skunk’ taste, NZ Pure has chose to play on its New Zealand heritage and ingredients to build its image.

NZ Pure Billboard

NZ pure billboard