This content was originally published by The Hop Review, a digital magazine that joined the Hop Culture family in March 2020.
This piece was written by Jack Muldowney.
AUSTIN, TX
Stumble into just about any taproom in the US built in the last five years, and you’re likely to notice a theme: reclaimed wood, dim lighting, chalkboard beer menus, and those ubiquitous gunmetal barstools… It’s almost as if there was a defined template for opening up a public brewery space. So, when you cross a space–and a beer brand–that bucks that aesthetic, you take notice. Such is the case in Austin, Texas at Blue Owl Brewing, where bright and colorful are king.
Brewer Jeff Young co-owns Blue Owl with Suzy Shaffer, and when it came to giving their sour-mash brewery a distinct and playful look, they turned to Jessica Deahl Design.
The brewery’s whimsy, along with their creative beer style remixes, are what have come to define the brand, according to Jeff Young. “Our packaging is intended to be simple, clean and inviting without losing or sacrificing style and creativity. Jessica perfectly captured that on our cans.”
And when it came to combining design and illustration, Jessica Deahl (who also happens to be a recently published beer author) pointed out this ideal intersection of her talents. “Blue Owl has been a dream project. Helping Jeff and Suzy craft a brand and carve out a space in the Texas market as unique as their sour-mashed beers has been tons of fun and incredibly rewarding. We keep it quirky, and never take ourselves too seriously.”
“Our packaging is intended to be simple, clean and inviting without losing or sacrificing style and creativity. And Jessica Deahl perfectly captured that on our cans.”
“Blue Owl has been a dream project. Helping Jeff and Suzy craft a brand and carve out a space in the Texas market as unique as their sour-mashed beers has been tons of fun and incredibly rewarding. We keep it quirky, and never take ourselves too seriously. ”
Design and illustration by Jessica Deahl. Photography provided by Springbox.
