Canadian brewer Stanley Park Brewing has collaborated with Vancouver-based clothing brand Lululemon on the development of a new craft beer.
Around 88,000 cans of limited edition Curiosity Lager will be made available for the SeaWheeze Sunset Festival and Half Maration this August, and in stores across Canada. The beer is made using chinook and lemon drop varieties of hops, producing a “crisp, bold beer”, Stanley Park Brewing said.
The 4.6% ABV is packaged in 500ml cans and features an illustration of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, which was the focus of the two companies’ collaboration.
Lululemon global events manager Travis McKenzie said: “The design is intended to celebrate the incredible elements that make Stanley Park an iconic venue where we are honored to host our race and festival each year.”
And a company spokesperson added: “We both share a deep hometown pride in our forest-in-the-city, Stanley Park, and an unbridled enthusiasm for cold beer after a sweaty run on the Seawall.”
But the can’s design has drawn criticism from some for its depiction of a totem pole and Russ Napolitano, COO of New York-based brand marketing company Tenet Partners, questioned the relevance of the move.
Napolitano told London newspaper The Guardian: “Maybe they were just insensitive to the totem pole idea and didn’t even think about it, in terms of including it. But if they’re going to go into alcohol, why didn’t they go with a wine? They could have done something very elegant and premium to really reinforce the premium of the Lululemon brand. I feel like they’re sort of denigrating the brand with this extension.”
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