Few weeks ago I got Citra India Pale Ale from Septem microbrewery as a treat from a special friend, Amalia. I have to admit, it immediately but subtly grabbed my attention because of its warm, earthy colors and its retro design codes. Beer communication on pack mainly plays with heritage, with medals of distinctions, with bold recognizable names and fancy tag lines such as “probably the best beer in the world”. Howeve,r this beer was not as loud as its relatives and had something humble.

Last night I took a hold of it and went through the marketing text, which reads in between others: “Septem’s Hobby Hoppy Series” and on the back of the label “...we are very pleased to brew the single hop Citra IPA with Panagiotis for two reasons: on the one hand because we found out that he is an excellent brewer and on the other because we strongly believe that the Greek craftbrewing industry can be hugely boosted by the ideas and inspiration of each homebrewer“.

My key take away points are two: this beer is a “hobby” project therefore brewed with love (nothing more to add) and second this is a joint effort of a homebrewer with the company which believes in synergies and is “humble” enough to rely on the knowledge of external experts to bring the best to their consumers.

Marketing texts on pack always play a crucial role in the user experience. They prepare the grounds for the moment of truth, elevate the user experience or even sometimes are a self-fulfilling prophecy for what is going to follow.

Citra had indeed an excellent bitter taste with a citrus aftertaste as a result of the extra hops in it (hoppy beer). India Pale Ale (IPA) has a long brewing history. When transferred from Great Britain to India, brewers had to insert more hops in the beer in order to be more robust during transportation which ultimately brought the result we know today as IPA beers. The Latin word for hops (ελληνικά: λυκίσκος) is Humulus Lupulus or literally translated “humble wolf”. No surprise we find beauty not only on the outside but also in the “humble” DNA of the product.

Humbleness and knowledge. Two values we rarely see in pair.