Shine on you Crazy Ruby

Lockdown brewing and the birth of a beer label design

It was the end of week 1 of the Coronavirus lockdown and the initial fears and anxieties of these extraordinary and testing times were beginning to settle. Social distancing was taking effect and everyone was stocking up on groceries, though Boris Johnson had ended up in ICU. I now found myself with more time on my hands than I have had for a while, what to do? Brew some beer? Design a beer label perhaps?

With supermarket stocks of toilet paper rapidly draining away and alcohol evaporating into thin air from the shelves, it was time to start brewing. (Not sure what the connection between toilet paper and alcohol is?!) This was something I could do to fill the time and take my mind off of the current situation. Oh, and it went some way to alleviating my fears of running out of my favourite drink. Beer.

What better thing to do on a Sunday morning than start the brewing process for a batch of Ruby Ale.

Still in PJs listening to Dave Gilmour on the stereo along with a bit of air guitar, the end of week 2 had arrived and the initial fermentation was over, it was time to bottle my prized ale. 65 bottles later, all filled, capped and stored, the wait to sample the brew began.

What name for the beer label design?

While waiting I posted a few photos on Facebook and invited people to suggest a name for the brew. The suggestions came in: Whole Lotta Ruby, Comfortably Ruby, Zoom Beer, Careful With That Bottle Eugene, Ruby Sunday, Red Covid!, Is There Any Ruby Out There, #isolation, Rich Red, Wish You Were Ruby…

Well the ruby ale has turned out nice, very nice in fact. It’s disappearing at a rate of knots, especially when it’s chilled in the hot weather we’ve been enjoying recently. The longer it’s been in the bottle the better it gets, subtle malt undertones and a slightly spiced and peppery aroma have made this pure joy!

So the Pink Floyd theme prevailed and Shine On You Crazy Ruby suggested by Pete Jenkins from Gamification+ won through, encapsulating the feeling of the light at the end of the tunnel in these crazy times.

Naturally it was only right to design a label for this special occasion, which you can see in the main image. There is a limited edition with labels, so Pete Jenkins watch out for the post… 

If you’d like some help with designing a beer label, or you’d just like to talk all things beer, then we’d love to hear from you.

Cheers!