Cowbell incorporates Memorial Hall, Blyth streetscape into new Absent Landlord can design

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Blyth’s Cowbell Brewing Co., fresh off the warehouse expansion in the village, is relaunching its first-ever beer with a nod to its home woven into its design. This marks the first time that the actual Blyth streetscape has been depicted in a Cowbell can design, anchored by Memorial Hall and other interpretations of notable Blyth main street landmarks. 

 

The redesign and relaunch is for the company’s flagship beer, Absent Landlord, a Kölsch that was the first Cowbell product ever tasted by consumers - and it was Blyth residents who were the first to partake... twice.

 

First, after local stakeholders and community leaders were exclusively invited to the announcement of the new brewery, residents were welcomed to the “First Batch Party” at the Blyth and District Community Centre where they became the first 1,000 people to taste Cowbell beer.

 

Then, when Cowbell opened to the world in August of 2017, it did so with a special local opening day which saw the brewery filled to the brim with locals - as Blyth residents were the ones who received invitations to the special day in the mail. The brewery opened to the rest of the world the next day.

 

Now, the design changes have been undertaken to reflect the company’s ongoing relationship with and commitment to the community. 

 

Working with an in-house designer, as well as one of North America’s leading beer design firms, the new Absent Landlord cans feature an artistic interpretation of the Blyth streetscape in which locals will surely recognize buildings they’ve known for years, centred around Memorial Hall, the village’s living cenotaph and the home of the Blyth Festival, with which Cowbell has a multi-year partnership.

 

The beer’s namesake, residents might remember, is an ode to the man who named Blyth, but never actually made the trip to visit that village that bore his name.

 

The new cans are now available at the Cowbell General Store and will roll out through LCBO stores later this month and early into February.