Code-X (75)

By: Joshua Glenn
October 14, 2015

Call this craft beer code: Beer Fear.

Definition: Brand positioning that is dark, menacing, dangerous — though in such an over-the-top way that it’s fun. Sends a signal that the experience of drinking this beer is intense, yet rewarding to precisely the same degree.

Notes on this code: Rebellious imagery drawn from heavy metal music, fantasy, comics, sci-fi. Language that is dark, explosive, menacing: Invasion, On the Wings of Armageddon, Anti-Hero, Nitro, Palate Wrecker. Midwestern craft beers (e.g., Pipeworks Citra, Surly Brewing Darkness, Three Floyds Dark Lord) tend to push this code to its edgiest extremes.

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