Great Divide transforms brand portfolio

Modern Brewery Age, Nov 29, 2004

The Great Divide Brewing Company of Denver, CO has just completed a full-scale rebranding project. The company says that this "all-encompassing project" includes both a marked change in Great Divide's beer line-up and the redesign of the brewery's entire line of packaging and marketing materials.

During the past year, company founder Brian Dunn says Great Divide has found a ready market for "bigger" beers like Titan IPA, Hercules Double IPA and Yeti Imperial Stout in 22 ounce bombers.

"A little over a year ago, we decided to get back to our roots--to go back to the reasons we opened Great Divide ten years ago. We got into this business to brew the best beers--especially the styles that we as brewers want to drink," says brewery founder, Brian Dunn.

"Over the years," Dunn adds., "we focused on running a business, and tried to tailor our offerings to what we thought most consumers wanted to drink. What I have realized over the past couple years is that a lot more people are asking for the complex, hoppy, assertive beers that all of us at the brewery love. We decided to take a chance and go for what makes our jobs so cool--having the opportunity to brew great beers."

To answer this demand, Dunn says Great Divide added three new six-packs to its line-up. New debuts include Hotshot ESB and Ridgeline Amber. In addition, the brewery has begun packaging Titan IPA in six-packs. To replace Titan in the 22-ounce line-up, Great Divide has added Old Ruffian Barley Wine. Dunn also reports that Great Divide's winter seasonal, Hibernation Ale, has returned to store shelves in six-packs for the tenth year.

In addition to shaking up its beer offerings, Dunn says that the company has also completely revamped packaging and marketing materials. "Living in Denver continually reminds us of the great duality we can all enjoy--the culture and energy of the city and the chance to escape to Colorado's awe-inspiring outdoors," Dunn commented. "We brew assertive, adventurous beers to reflect all of the different aspects of the Colorado lifestyle, so we decided to illustrate many of these characteristics in our packaging," Dunn added.

"Although it's a bit risky to make so many changes, we had a blast dreaming up new beers and a new look," Dunn noted. "This much change brings a lot of energy to the day-to-day, and it reminds me of the excitement we had in opening the brewery."