Mad River Brewing Company Launches New Label for Flagship Ale

This is a press release from Mad River Brewing Company:

The Mad River Brewery’s award-winning Steelhead Extra Pale Ale will soon be emblazoned with an eye-popping artwork that celebrates the resilience of the mighty fish for which it is named and aims to raise awareness about the urgent need to restore the habitat of this special species.

“The stunning new Steelhead Extra Pale Ale label is befitting of this sensational beer,” says Linda Cooley, MRB Chief Operating Officer. “Filled with symbolism, the spectacular art piece will stand out in the isles of the largest supermarkets in America. Together, the components of the illustration tell a story about the strength of the Humboldt County community and how much we cherish the natural world.”

The bright golden hued Steelhead Extra Pale Ale, a winner of six high profile accolades, is best known for its medium body, subtle floral hop character and subtle mild bitterness. The crowd-pleasing microbrew can be found everywhere from chain grocery markets to corner stores.

With the goal of expanding the business, the Yurok Tribe acquired the well-established Mad River Brewing Company in 2019 and charted a course to bring its highly regarded line of fine ales into new markets. Updating the labels is an important component of the plan to achieve this objective.

The Chief Operating Officer and professional graphic artist, Jessica Carenco, put a tremendous amount of care into creating the label art for the best-selling Steelhead Extra Pale Ale. The new label features a shiny steelhead flying out a sky-blue stream that is flanked by the Humboldt region’s famous redwoods.

“Steelhead Extra Pale Ale is not just a flagship for Mad River Brewing Company, it is an icon in the craft beer industry. Designing this label was by far the most difficult because we wanted to create an illustration that is immediately recognizable to longtime Steelhead lovers, while simultaneously showcasing the future of the tribally owned company,” said COO Cooley, who is a Yurok citizen. “Extending from the traditional sturgeon back design to the steelhead breaching out of the river, there is a meaning behind every aspect of Jessica’s amazing artwork.”

Jessica Carenco is a Humboldt County-based graphic designer who has worked with numerous corporate clients. She has now created multiple works of art for MRB and takes a special joy from her role in bringing new eyes to the company’s top-quality products.

“Working with Linda and the team on developing Mad River Brewery’s visual identity, including the labels for these legendary beers has from the beginning, been an incredibly rewarding passion project,” Carenco explains.   “Linda is a visionary, and an artist, and these threads of design were a part of our collaboration from the beginning.  A sense of place, ecology, strength, and resilience are all a part of the new look for Steelhead, echoing the bright path ahead of Mad River Brewery and the Yurok Tribe.”

Mad River steelhead, the inspiration for the Steelhead Extra Pale Ale name, is the most revered fish in many parts of the Pacific Northwest, including Blue Lake, California, where MBR is headquartered. In the cold of winter, the chrome-colored fish — globally appreciated for its ability to jump more than ten feet out of the water — make an annual spawning migration up the Mad, despite the degradation of its habitat due to historic logging and mining practices.

“The community of Blue Lake supports its local businesses and is a champion for the Mad River. The health of the native steelhead population is always in the front of everyone’s mind. The Yurok people share the same love for our river and our fish,” says COO Cooley. “That is why we are committed to environmentally sustainable commerce.”

The federal Endangered Species Act-listed steelhead has faced much adversity in recent decades. Throughout the maritime northwest in general and specifically in the Mad River watershed, the fish’s habitat was severely degraded during the clear-cut logging era. However, wild populations of this acrobatic sea-run trout persist on the Mad and on the Klamath River, which is where the Yurok Tribe has resided for millennia. The Yurok Tribe and the Mad River Brewing Company are doing their part to protect and restore habitat for the imperiled steelhead.

The Mad River Brewing Company, located in Humboldt County, California has been brewing best-quality beers for more than three decades. MRB employs a time-honored, meticulous approach to hand crafting the finest quality ales. The company has received  four Gold Medals, four Silver Medals and one Bronze medal from the Great American Beer Festival, which offers the most prestigious awards in the industry. The company has also received seven waste reduction awards for its environmentally sustainable production practices.