The evolution of beer packaging: the success story of Greene King Brewery and its H! cans. GHEND

Greene King, part of the UK’s most prestigious pub and brewery company, announced its new craft beer canned releases called H! GHEND. It comes in a striking neon green shade for a look that is both modern and traditional.

The distinctive design of Greene King’s new cans, such as Flint Eye Dry Hopped Lager and Level Head Session IPA, is made possible by advanced printing technology, H! GHEND. This innovative technique allows an almost unlimited range of colors. These cans represent a new contemporary take on the Greene King brand; the images reflect historical legends of the brewery’s location (Bury St Edmunds), but with a modern approach for today’s consumer.

The creators of H! GHEND managed to complement the visual aesthetics of two standard 330 ml cans. Level Head, with an alcohol content of 4% ABV, came in an apple green with hot pink text and an amusing image of St. Edmund, who was mythologized as the character whose head had been detached and miraculously reconnected. The neon H! GHEND is the highlight to complete the dominant green hue theme.

Meanwhile, Flint Eye (4.5% ABV), whose eye-catching artwork celebrates Neolithic flint arrowheads found in the local area, takes hot pink as its base color, then adds neon green text and H! GHEND to create a contrast with real eye-catching appeal.

For his part, Alex Radcliffe, Greene King’s marketing expert, said that “in the busy craft beer market, we wanted to have a point of difference, something that would appeal to the modern drinker, while reflecting the heritage and craftsmanship that goes into our beers, which have been centuries in the making. The H! GHEND ingredients in Ardagh Metal Packaging give them that exciting, premium feel.”

Likewise, Gerlof Toenhake, Ardagh Metal Packaging’s Regional Sales Director – Europe, highlighted: “Greene King cans with H! GHEND have such a super high-end look; they are truly unique. One of the things our H! GHEND does so well is help brands create a strong aesthetic throughout the package, and then reinforce that brand for the consumer on every sip when they see the can from the top.”

Since last year, Greene King Brewery has not stopped emphasizing its new craft beers. This has paid off and today the Flint Eye and Level Head packs can even be purchased in major UK supermarkets such as Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s, as well as from the brewer’s own online store.