Designed by The Taboo Group | Country: Australia
“On the 110th day we said ʻlet it be namedʼ. And from that day forward it would be called Nelson.
Itʼs been a long time coming, but the Trial Brew, also known as Batch #15, has finally been dubbed and
officially launched.
Trial Brew began its life in a plain bottle appearing as a silent sponsor of music, fashion, and art events
during the latter months of 2008. At these events, as well as through a website and special information
postcard, we gathered feedback from creative types (approximately 1,000 of them) regarding the look, taste,
and possible names for the beer.
This information was then collated in a neatly labelled ring binder and sent to our brewers and various other
important people. After analysing this information the educated types made a few minor changes to Trial
Brew, resulting in the Nelson we see today.
First up the nameless one was christened.
Up till this point we had managed to keep the project completely BS-free, so we didn’t see any point in
starting here. The hops used to brew Nelson come from an area of New Zealand called – you guessed it –
Nelson. This region of the country (located on the north coast of New Zealand’s South Island) imparts the
beer with many of its distinct characteristics, so it seemed fitting that it should also lend the beer its name.
Nelson had also proved to be a popular choice with consumers, with many suggesting the moniker in their
feedback.
Next up the taste was improved.
Consumer feedback during the early stages suggested dialing down the hops (sweetness) and increasing
the bitterness. Batches #16 and #17 have subsequently received this treatment, and this is the version of
Nelson currently available.
Finally the emperor received some new clothes.
A brief was thrown out to a few Australian based illustrators, graphic artists, and artists to bundle together
some ideas for the bottle. Deciding on a final design wasn’t easy, but Sydney-based design duo Sonny Day
and Biddy Maroney eventually won the day with their piece entitled: Sneaky Rafter.
Since then Nelson has shouldered its way into a choice selection of bars across Melbourne, including
Windsor Castle, Cherry Bar, Argy Bargy, Collins Quarter and Yellow Bird.
Well, that’s about it for now. Them’s the details to date.
Trial Brew is now Nelson. Nelson is available in a select number of bars throughout Melbourne (Sydney and
other states soon to follow). Nelson will continue to wokeep an eye out for the different artworks on the bottle.”
