From a pale ale to an imperial stout, beer comes in a panoply of colors. Stout is dark, for example, because it is made with roasted malt or barley, whereas pale ale gets its lighter color from the pale malt used to brew it. Add in more brightly colored, less traditional beers, like a Lambic kriek or a blueberry ale, and you've got an entire rainbow of beers that the Technicolor alcoholic can drink his way through.
And hey, you know the Internet. If something comes in a variety of colors, well, someone's going to be compelled to match it with its corresponding Pantone color. In the case of this beer packaging by Spanish creative agency Txaber, I approve. They have designed a conceptual lineup of beer cans and bottles that matches the color of the beer inside each can with its Pantone swatch. I get thirsty just looking at them.
These beer labels are well-executed, though I'm not sure they could ever actually come to market. First, you've got to get Pantone licensing. Then, you need to get the design past the insanely powerful autocrat who single-handedly approves 30,000 beer labels for sale in the United States each year. And then, you've got to hope you can a clientele of beer drinkers who are more focused on the Pantone swatch number of their beer than what actually went into brewing it.
But if Txaber or some other brewer gets these labels out there, there are 1,114 spot colors in the Pantone Color Matching System. Who's willing to try to drink their way through them with me? Sounds like a fun night.