According to brewery operations manager Karl Ockert, brewery expansion and upgrade-including the installation of a new Krones (Franklin, WI) bottling line-was an added impetus for designing a bottle exclusive to BridgePort. "We were investing $3.5 million in upgrades and new equipment with two goals: to establish and maintain a high standard of quality and to set ourselves apart from other regional microbreweries," says Ockert. "Our new bottle, with its traditional shape and full dress label, helps communicate that high quality image." Embossed on the shoulder of the bottle, which is made by Ball-Foster (Muncie, IN), are the words "BridgePort" and "Oregon's Oldest Microbrewery." Design work on bottle and label was executed by Anstey Healy Design (Portland, OR). The custom-shaped bottle presented certain challenges from a machinery perspective, particularly where the Krones block-style rinser/filler/capper and Krones labeler were concerned. "The machines had to be fitted for our specialty bottle, which is not a stock long neck," says Ockert. Management felt strongly enough about the custom shape and its ability to make the product stand out to work through this added complication and absorb whatever upcharge it caused. Every bit as attractive as the bottle itself are its cold glue-applied labels, supplied by Inland Printing Co. (LaCrosse, WI). Front, neck and back labels are all 51-lb wet strength paper printed offset in four or five colors. Special treatment is given to neck and body labels of the India Pale Ale and Porter brands. First, a gold hops emblem is hot-stamped onto the neck labels. Gold hot-stamping is used even more elaborately on the body label, and then it's run through embossing tools that give the bridge logo an embossed feel. Krones Inc., Phone: 414/421-5650.
