Cellar to Glass: Bold new font for Holts

Amid the din of fancy countermounts on today's bar tops, Manchester brewer Joseph Holt has gone back to its solid industrial roots to make its voice heard.

The new font for Holt's Smooth boldly mixes real wood with metal to set the brew apart and evoke both craftsmanship and heavy industry; the timber and ironwork so commonplace in the city.

Built by Drinks Dispense Group (DDG) to a design by packaging specialists The Lock 23, the countermount will be installed across Holt's 130 pubs.

"Traditional materials are used in a stylish design to show this next generation beer is modern but crafted with care and experience," explains tied trade director Tom Dempsey.

"The result is a perfect fusion of contemporary elegance imbued with a strong sense of tradition."

The Lock 23 wanted to capture the feel of a factory workshop through the juxtaposition of raw iron girders with skilfully carved wood.

The brief called for a coarse finish and a real wood centrepiece and DDG created a cast aluminium unit with a textured anodised finish, laser engraved with the Joseph Holt crest, with a plastic injection-moulded housing for the illuminated badge, and a turned wooden handle.

Various options and finishes were put forward for the genuine wood centrepiece before the brewer settled on native European ash, stained to achieve an antique look.

The contrasting red branding, illuminated by a pair of white LED downlighters, aims to add character and increase impact on the bar.