Temple Brewing's Hello, My Name Is Amber has topped the GABS Craft Beer Can Design Awards. The can art was created by Raymond Lim from Ray L Creative for a beer brewed as a fundraiser to support rehabilitating and re-homing greyhounds.
Hello, My Name Is Amber was launched in April as a collaboration with Amazing Greys: a volunteer-run Melbourne organisation that medically and emotionally provides much-needed care to ex-racing greyhounds before finding them homes.
GABS managing director Mike Bray told The Crafty Pint that, given the different size and scope of the breweries in the top ten, he sees the awards as a showcase of the creativity running through the entire beer industry.
“It’s fantastic to be able to celebrate another part of the industry,” he says. “Those who do all the hard work on the outside of the can; it’s not just the creativity of the brewers that matters but the people who they surround themselves with as well.”
The GABS Craft Beer Can Design Awards has been running since 2020, when it was won by Little Bang's Face Inverter. The competition is opened for a public vote before a group of experienced branding and marketing professionals evaluate the top ten finalists based on a range of criteria. Last year, the title was claimed by Cavalier's Bloody Maria Imperial Gose Michelada.
Joining the Temple beer on the podium in 2023 was Brick Lane Brewing's Last Train Home in second place. The beer is part of their latest Trilogy of Fear series; Last Train Home was an imperial stout brewed with oud: a wood that's often found in perfume.
Aether Brewing's All Australian Pale Ale completed the podium in third; the beer forms part of the brewery's core range, which underwent a rebrand last year.
The full top ten and media release are below.
The Top Ten
1. Hello, My Name Is Amber – Temple Brewing
Designed by Raymond Lim
2. Last Train Home Oud Imperial Stout – Brick Lane Brewing
Designed by Pete Johnson
3. All Australian Pale Ale – Aether Brewing
Designed by Drapl & Zookeeper; Emma D’Anna & Emery Greer
4. Yeah, Go On Then – Lost Palms
Designed by Amanda Baker
5. XRAY HAZE –
Black Hops
Designed by Aidan Howes
6. Yippee Ki Yay MF – Fixation Brewing
Designed by Adam Collins
7. Imperial Stout 2023 – Hawkers Beer
Designed by Christopher Flem
8. RAGE – Blackflag Brewing
Designed by Ross Holloway
9. Delayed Response – Method Brewing
Designed by Elliot Walsh
10. Alliance Of Magicians – Mountain Culture
Designed by Marianne Fagan
For more on the awards, head here.
MEDIA RELEASE: TEMPLE BREWING’S AMAZING AMBER TAKES THE WIN
A delightful drawing of a greyhound reflecting Victoria’s Temple Brewing’s partnership with the Amazing Greys has taken out top spot and the coveted Orora Golden Can Trophy in this year’s GABS Craft Beer Can Design Awards! The winning design called HELLO, MY NAME IS AMBER was created by Raymond Lim from Ray L Creative, who also takes home $1000 in cash.
The annual Can Design Awards, presented by Australia’s largest beverage can solutions provider Orora, in association with Opal Specialty Packaging and Bintani, are a true celebration of the incredible efforts that the creative teams at breweries put into each and every label, as the outside of the tin has become just as important as the incredible liquid inside, in an ever competitive market for consumer’s first impressions.
Australia’s most exciting Craft Breweries each entered one design into this year’s competition with a stunning one hundred and fifty five pieces of art on display in the GABS Digital Gallery.
After thousands of beer and art lovers cast their votes to determine the TOP 10 Finalists, it was over to the experienced panel of expert judges who had an incredibly difficult job of evaluating the finalists across six different categories, being visual & aesthetic appeal, creativity & originality, impact, brand identity, usability & messaging and design brief.
Brick Lane Brewing’s Last Train Home designed by Pete Johnson took out silver and the bronze award went to Aether Brewing’s All Australian Pale Ale designed by Drapl & Zookeeper (Artists, Wall Mural); Emma D’Anna (Aether, Graphic Design) & Emery Greer (Demographics, Graphic Design).
Along with the Orora Golden Trophy, Temple Brewing receive printing plates plus a ton of malt from Bintani. All runners up walk away with great prizes from Opal Packaging and accolades of recognition go to the top designs from each state.
The creativity in this year's designs shows just how far the craft beer label has come. In what has been touted as one of the best craft beer can art galleries on the planet, you discovered inspiration from mystery, sci-fi and punk to pop culture, vintage, nostalgia and everything in between as artists all competed to bring the can to life. With consumer spending expected to being more frugal in coming months, the importance of standing out on shelf will be amplified and expectation is the creativity on labels to continue to evolve into one of the most critical parts of new beer releases.
“Each year the talents of our country's creative designers just get better and better. Craft Beer cans have been transformed into a beautiful canvas and are now home to some of the best artistic designs in Australia. We are thrilled to be the presenting partner of the GABS Can Design Awards and shine a light on local talents,” - Michael Hepworth, Orora Packaging Australia.
Will Ziebell is a history graduate who knows more about The Wire than he does about beer. He was awarded the AIBA Best Media trophy for 2018; HBO have told him to please send his fan mail elsewhere. He can be found on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:
Spending time living in the UK (and backpacking across Europe) when I was 21 certainly gave me a better understanding of the beer and different styles of the world. But I'd say it was a holiday to the High Country a little while later when lunch and a tasting paddle at Bridge Road Brewers created an obsession with Australian breweries and locally made beer.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
-
Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.
-
Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.
-
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: As the father of my oldest friend once said to me: "It's the perfect refreshing pint that smells like they've loaded it with the God's herb."
The last beer you enjoyed:
Garage Project's DFA while sitting at the bar at Miss Moses as the sounds of The Rolling Stone drifting in the background.
Three things that represent you:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Ken Burns
- The State Library of Victoria
