Meet the First Beer Crafted to Teach You Guitar

As a craft brewery named after an iconic guitar design, SingleCut has just released its most innovative brew yet: Notes IPA. Every detail of the beer’s packaging and user experience has been designed to get consumers to pick up guitar. Even the pull tabs on cans of Notes IPA have been fitted with a custom-made guitar pick that not only opens the beer, but also pops off for you to play guitar with.

A four-pack of Notes IPA comes with four distinct beer labels, each displaying a foundational guitar chord: C, D, G or E-minor. So, when you grip a can of Notes IPA, the can mimics a guitar in your hand and teaches you finger positions for one of the chords. 

“Whether you’re crafting a great IPA or a piece of music, it all comes down to the notes,” says Rich Buceta, Founder and Head Brewer of SingleCut Beersmiths. “This beer innovation has been two years in the making and we love that Notes IPA can now inspire our fans to learn guitar or even become the next Jimi Hendrix.”

Toronto-based agency Zulu Alpha Kilo developed the entire 360-degree campaign and concept behind the beer – from branding to design and digital extensions. Beyond the chords, each Notes IPA label also includes a Snapchat code that unlocks an augmented reality guitar lesson right on the can. By activating this experience, consumers can hear how basic chords should sound, see how a fretboard should be gripped and even create original guitar licks to share.  

Zak Mroueh, Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Zulu Alpha Kilo, says, “Notes IPA is the purest distillation of what the SingleCut brand is all about: craft beer and rock ’n’ roll. Even if you’ve never touched a guitar before or you’re one of the all-time greats, this beer speaks to the guitar hero in all of us.”

As part of the campaign rollout, SingleCut is sending custom-made cases of the beer to some of the world’s greatest guitar players, including Jack White of The White Stripes and Canada’s Robbie Robertson of The Band. These cases also include the pull tab picks, original guitar licks and a handwritten thank you from SingleCut Founder Rich Buceta for inspiring Notes IPA.