NEWPORT, Ore.— Dead Guy Ale, Rogue Ales & Spirits’ flagship beer, turns thirty this year and to celebrate Rogue is challenging fans to ‘Paint the Can Dead’ by creating their own original Dead Guy can art. Since its debut in 1990, Dead Guy Ale has been an iconic Rogue brew, recognized by many for its bold artwork.
Dead Guy Ale was first brewed for a Day of the Dead celebration at a now defunct Tex-Mex restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The beer was an instant hit and Rogue brought it to shelves in a silk screened, tie-dye 22oz bottle that featured a skeleton sitting on a barrel with arms crossed and a beer in hand. For the first few years, every bottle of Dead Guy was unique depending on how the silk screen ink was applied.
Over the years, the Dead Guy label has had several memorable iterations. The silk screened bottle with the tie-dye background was replaced with the classic red background version, there have been various seasonal bottles featuring orange backgrounds and glow in the dark ink, and today’s bold label features a large, sleek black and silver skeleton with no words whatsoever.
“The label art on Dead Guy Ale has always been what initially draws people to the product,” says Hagen Moore, VP of Marketing and Creative. “So much character and expression are packed into that tiny piece of art on the label. It really resonates with people and has been awe-inspiring for us to witness all the emotions and connections it has generated over the years. We wanted to celebrate that by challenging others to share their own Dead Guy inspired art on a special blank Dead Guy Ale can. We can’t wait to see what people create.”
“Three decades later and Dead Guy is still one of our all-time favorite beers,” says Rogue President Dharma Tamm. “While the packaging has evolved, the beer in the can has stayed the same and withstood the test of time. We love Dead Guy all year-round, but there is something truly special cracking one open this time of year, the season when we brewed our first-ever batch of Dead Guy Ale.”
For a limited time this fall, Dead Guy will once again sport a new look and contain a white can and ‘Paint the Can Dead’ art contest packaging. Fans are encouraged to create their own Dead Guy art and submit their creation for the chance to win prizes. Visit deadguycontest.com for more information and rules and use the Rogue Finder to find Dead Guy near you.
About Rogue Ales & Spirits
Rogue Ales & Spirits, the only farmer-brewer-distiller-cooper in the United States, was founded in Oregon in 1988 as one of America’s first microbreweries. Rogue has won more than 2,000 awards for taste, quality and packaging, and is available in all 50 states as well as 54 countries. Proudly rooted in Oregon soil, Rogue’s beers, spirits and sodas are made with ingredients grown on Rogue Farms in Independence, Oregon. Rogue Spirits are hand-distilled on a 550-gallon still in Newport, Oregon, aged in the thick ocean air of the Yaquina Bay and bottled by hand. Since 2008, Rogue has remained committed to sharing the terroir of Oregon hops, honey, cucumbers and pumpkins one acre at a time by growing its own.