Reinventing the old-fashioned root beer barrel

The custom glass bottles for Red Birch Beer, Root Beer, and Orange Cream resemble barrels, recalling a time when the company sold its soft drinks in wooden draft barrels. Designed in conjunction with Zullo Associates (Princeton, NJ), the pressure-sensitive paper labels also deliver a feeling of nostalgia, strengthened by minimalist coloring and an antique script brand name. “We have received an unbelievable reaction from consumers and retailers alike,” says Guy Battaglia, vice president of sales at Briar’s. “The new bottle design, combined with old-time flavoring and pure cane sugar, is sure to be a tremendous hit.” The 1-L bottles of soda retail in the northeastern United States for $1.69.