Brewery plans $100k ‘big bottle’ model

An Australian brewery’s proposal to erect a 30 metre high beer bottle to promote its flagship brew has been criticised for signalling  “a city of drunks.”

Macarthur Grange Breweries, trading as Brewpack Manufacturing Pty Ltd, has lodged a planning application to erect the 30m promotional bottle at the foot of the company’s proposed brewery in Goulburn, New South Wales, according to a report by The Gouburn Post.

The craft brewer is in the process of relocating from Smeaton Grange in Sydney to a former distribution centre in Goulburn.

The big bottle, which would be illuminated 24 hours a day and would promote the brewery’s signature Stockade Beer, is estimated to be valued at AU$100,000, however what it might be made out of is unclear.

In a statement Anton Szpitalik, the company’s CEO, said it was a “statement of presence” and argued it wasn’t near schools or residences and would not distract drivers’ attention because the intensity of the light could be adjusted.

However the plan has sparked concern among residents with one objector claiming it amounts to “excessive” alcohol advertising would not be “very fitting or complimentary to have travellers or visitors comment that it must be now a ‘city of drunks.’”

If the application is approved, Mr Szpitalik said he hoped construction would be completed at the same time as the new brewery, by the end of 2015.