Since the opening of its brewery in Huddersfield (Yorkshire) in 2012, Magic Rock has been motivated by an ambition to match modern, flavoursome beer with an eccentrically northern flair. Armed with a motif to do more than purely excite and dazzle, Magic Rock wants to educate people in all the flavour possibilities of beer. The team’s success was so immediate that the brand was named second best new brewery in the world 2012 on the independent ratings site Rate Beer. Determined not to be another in a long line of craft beer that’s all style and no substance, Magic Rock was inspired by the burgeoning US craft beer scene that was all about the inventive hoppy ales sorely lacking in the UK at the time. Not content with simply imitating the US models, Magic Rock’s secret is its ability to apply modern interpretations prime for the UK pub market. Don’t ever underestimate a brewery that can boast a core range packed with more grapefruit and gooseberries than Willy Wonka’s wallpaper.
Marketing itself as the ‘same but different,’ (which I’m definitely stealing for a dating profile), Magic Rock want to be everything and nothing that you’ve had before from craft beer. Their branding is all smarts and character; simply take a look at the products below to see the influence of illustrator Richard Norgate (who can boast previous collaborations ranging from Bradley Wiggins to the Arctic Monkeys). The bold and lively nature of the beer harmonises sweetly with the distinctive colours and cartoonish designs adorned on each can, the designs littered with playful odes to the carnival and gothic nightmares. Scroll down and see for yourself a collection that looks like a hipster-magpie’s nest.