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72andSunny break into beer biz with a delicious IPA

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I am a proud, lifelong (well, adult life at least) beer fan. Admittedly more by design than by choice (my father used to work for a brewery), but I digress. Whether popping out for a wee tipple with a few mates after work or sitting down with my other (better) half for a fancy(ish) meal, I’ll always look at the available beers on the menu before even considering the wine list. Ten, or even five years ago, this fact would have probably earned me no small amount of snooty derision, but this is 2015 and beer drinking is not only socially acceptable, but seen as pretty damn cool! So cool in fact, that 72andSunny, one of the coolest advertising agency’s on the planet (in my humble opinion) have decided to develop their very own brew in the form of a delicious IPA.

72andSunny’s in-house creative residency 72U has decided to develop their very own brew in the form of a delicious IPA

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For those amongst you not quite as beer literate as myself, and IPA is an exceptionally hoppy style of ale that’s become immensely popular in the US over the last few years thanks to the uber trendy craft and micro brewing scene. IPA is a beer with a fascinating history; having been made so hoppy to keep the beer that the East India Trading Company was sending to the colonies across the world hundreds of years ago from spoiling on its voyage. The style disappeared for hundreds of years, but was rediscovered in the 20th century and has become something of a buzz word amongst beer hipsters (yes, there is such a thing).

“Yes&” is a light amber summertime IPA with citrus flavours and a slightly bitter hop finish

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It’s undoubtedly this history (and the cool factor of course) that made 72U (72andSunny’s in-house creative residency) choose to craft a special IPA for their latest experimental project.  These projects have taken all sorts of forms, including award-winning short documentaries, interactive music videos and a 60-foot public mural, but for my money, this is the one that really hits the spot!

Yes& IPA by 72andSunny

72U’s “Yes&” IPA takes its name from the improvisational concept of building on progress by always responding with a “Yes and,” which is one of 72andSunny’s operating principles. “Yes&” is a summertime IPA with a light amber colour, forward citrus flavours and a slightly bitter hop finish (taking from both Mosaic and Citra hops for you beer fans). Over a four-week period, 72U’s seven-person team produced 20 gallons of “Yes&” IPA and created a mural to design the 60 22oz. bottles.

72U’s “Yes&” IPA takes its name from the improvisational concept of building on progress by always responding with a “Yes and”

*Before (left) and After (right)

Interestingly, however, for an agency that prides itself on aesthetic value, the bottle design didn’t turn out quite as well as the beer itself. At least not at first. Laying out all the bottles on a canvas, the team painted one large mural, ensuring each bottle was its own unique work of art and still part of a collective art piece. What they ended up with looked a little like an Andy Warhol fever dream, and not in a good way.

The bottle design didn’t turn out quite as well as the beer itself at first

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No one was happy with the original design, but instead of starting from scratch, the team insisted on moving forward and working with the existing bottle designs. After doing some experiments, they sanded down the bottles just enough to obscure the original design, exposing splotches of colour and adding new patterns -- incorporating the initial flaws into a new design, which looks more like the kind of high quality design you’d expect to see on an established craft beer brand such as Brew Dog or Goose Island. Maria Scileppi, director of 72U, said: “Sometimes the best way to handle a mistake is to embrace it. Imperfection is what makes something interesting, it gives the object a story.” Wise words indeed Maria, maybe the design world should learn to appreciate the imperfections a little more, and embrace the mistakes? Or maybe that’s just the beer talking.

Introducing 72U

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer, struggling musician, and IPA aficionado from Kidderminster in the UK.

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