09
May
2012
San Diego, CA - The buzz at the annual Brewers Association convention is all about canning craft beer, the segment of the industry that seems to be growing, as bottle and tap sales lag. Today's Canny Awards announcment, showcasing the nation's best designed cans included Davenport's Great River Brewery Hop·A·Potamus Double Dark Rye Pale Ale. The can placed first in the Best Illustration of Name Catagory, one of seven catagories awarded. The competition included 231 entries from 83 craft breweries. The Hop·A·Potamus can was designed by Quad Cities designer Larry McDonald who is responsible for much of the GRB packaging and branding, and features illustration work by Kevin Deichmueller.
The Canny Awards honor craft beer and the distinctive graphics created in an industry known for unique brands and brews. The competition is sponsored by four leading suppliers to the canned craft beer industry - Ball Corporation, Cask Brewing Systems, Hi-Cone and Mumm Products. Besides Great River Brewery's award in the Best Use of Illustration category, other awards included Best Shelf Presence, Best Graphics, Best Use of Color, Best Seasonal, Best Character, and Best Local Tie-In.
According to McDonald, "The competition allowed each brewery to submit only three entries and GRB's products are strong in so many ways, it was a job to pick which category to enter which product. This product is brewer Scott Lehnert's baby and I know Kevin really worked hard, it's really their award."
