On Labor Day, we’re celebrating the work behind the brands and the people who bring it all to life. A recent Packaging Digest feature, “Can Packaging Help Revive Whiskey?”, brought together several sides of what we do at Turn It Up Media: brand development, packaging, content creation and media relations. Our founder, Chad Melis, shared his perspective on how whiskey brands can use packaging to connect with a new generation of consumers. The article also featured two of our

Beverage is deep into the busy selling season, Memorial Day and 4th of July load-in sales have delivered important insight on how the 2026 annual business plan is tracking. Mid-year is when we're heads-down executing that plan while the early outline of the 2027 plan starts taking shape It's an intense time of year, hustling with end-of-summer efforts, dialing in Labor Day sales, prepping for Fall retail sets, and getting Holiday programs ready to execute. In the middle of a

With the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference just a week out and set to land in their hometown, Evil Genius Beer Company turned to Turn It Up Media to help tell the most important story in the brewery's history: bringing 21st Amendment Brewery home. In April 2026, Philadelphia's own Evil Genius Beer Company pulled off a strategic brew-ha-ha: reviving San Francisco's beloved 21st Amendment Brewery. The deal closed just ahead of the 2026 Craft Brewers Conference and with CBC landing

Hoot + Howl’s unique branding, created in collaboration with Colorado-based beverage and outdoor marketing agency Turn It Up Media, also received recognition at the ADI Spirits Competition, bringing home a Double Gold Medal for Excellence in Packaging for Black Tea Liqueur; an Excellence in Packaging Trophy in the off-the-shelf packaging category; and an Excellence in Packaging Double Gold Medal for the Hoot + Howl brand identity.

The Homestead Series is the next, high-proof chapter of Root Shoot Whiskey’s Colorado-crafted whiskey – sown, grown and malted on Root Shoot Malting’s 5th generation Colorado farm

Five Years of Community, Craft Beer, and Live Music in Lyons, CO As we celebrate the five year anniversary of Mainstage Brewing this weekend we’re hitting rewind to one of our favorite local projects, a brand development engagement to develop their look, tone and feel. From brand story to logo suite, we helped Eric Kean and Sam Scruby translate a shared vision into a brand that has been brewing community under the stage lights ever since. Mainstage Brewing is rooted in our sm

Turn It Up Media wins three ADI Excellence in Packaging awards for Hoot + Howl Spirits. See how intentional brand development earns shelf space.

Your website is your digital taproom, the online home where your brand vibe lives, breathes, and invites people in. But a great website is a single note in an authentic path to your brand story. At Turn It Up Media, we don't just build websites (we have never addressed the website as a standalone service before, until 3,2,1...now). We help passionate founders, brewers, distillers, farmers, riders and authentic visionaries show up in a real way, with clarity, creativity, and a

We've been collaborating with our friends at Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting for many years. When they reached out about supporting their five year project of launching a single malt whiskey in 2023 we were quick to respond...hell yes! The Root Shoot team came to us with an aged product and chosen packaging, including bottles and printed labels. From there it was up to our collaboration to develop a strategic path to market and bring their story to life. This whiskey is

Philadelphia's Evil Genius is bringing beloved 21st Amendment beers, including Hell or High Watermelon, Brew Free! or Die IPA, and more back to its coast-to-coast distribution footprint SAN FRANCISCO & PHILADELPHIA (April 17, 2026) – 21st Amendment Brewery will return to coolers coast-to-coast this summer, thanks to Evil Genius Beer Company. The Philadelphia-based brewer, known for its nostalgic and irreverent approach to craft beer, is continuing 21st Amendment’s legacy and

Award-winning Root Shoot Whiskey begins with malt sown, grown and malted on Root Shoot Malting’s 5th generation Olander family farm (photo: Turn It Up Media Loveland, Colo., April 23, 2026 – Root Shoot Spirits’ American Single Malt Whiskey (50% ABV) was named Spirit of the Year, Whisky of the Year, and American Single Malt Whiskey of the Year at the international London Spirits Competition! Incredibly, the same Colorado-crafted spirit also just took home Double Gold at the Am

Why Media Relations Ratio Beerworks celebrated their 10th anniversary in February 2025 without a celebration or event worthy of a decade of award winning beer, a founding member of building RiNo arts district and integral part of the Denver Colorado art/music scene. We collaborated with them in advance of going to 11 in 2026 to reinforce their place in Colorado craft beer as they invested in distributing their beer and bringing the punk rock DIY vibe of their original RiNo t

Branch & Barrel’s lineup of Colorado-made bourbons stack up awards Centennial, Colo., April 10, 2026 — Branch & Barrel Distilling just scored two medals for its Colorado-made bourbon at the Denver International Spirits Competition, adding to a growing list of international accolades. Scoring 96 points, Branch & Barrel’s Wheated Bourbon earned Double Gold designation, and its High Rye Bourbon earned a Gold medal at 91 points at the prestigious spirits competition this month.

Asheville’s original craft brewery to deepen connection with fans in 2026 through support for iconic beers and new on-site experiences Asheville, NC (Feb. 5, 2026) – For Asheville’s original craft brewery, Highland Brewing , 2025 was defined by challenge, change and rising to the occasion. Highland Brewing finished the year strong, with on-premise distributed beer volume up +25.4% and off-premise up +4.4% following a year of recovery after Hurricane Helene. Growth in the pas

Denver’s brewery expands core beer lineup across Colorado DENVER (March 4, 2026) – Denver’s independent brewery Ratio Beerworks , hot off its 11th year anniversary, is bringing its beloved pilsner No Shade statewide across Colorado for the first time. No Shade hits coolers across the square state with the momentum of unprecedented growth, as Ratio was up double-digits at the end of 2025 led by a 25% spike in can sales. No Shade Pilsner (5% ABV) is crisp with a clean profil

Highland Brewing’s packaging update for Gaelic Amber Ale celebrates a rich legacy of craft beer in Asheville Asheville, NC (March 4, 2026) – Highland Brewing is celebrating the vibrant legacy of its flagship Gaelic Amber Ale as Asheville’s original craft beer with a packaging refresh. The iconic beer’s new look reintroduces Scotty, the beloved character who first appeared in Highland Brewing’s logo in 1994. The new packaging is now available in updated 6-pack bottles and c

Customizable American-made and Taiwan-crafted, both frames are built by hand and built to last. March 4, 2026 – Longmont, Colo. – As REEB Cycles celebrates its 15th anniversary, the Colorado-based fabricator is introducing two new steel hardtail frames and international availability for 2026: the Re:Dikyelous and the Hall Pass . Built around the same aggressive trail philosophy and modern hardtail geometry, the two frames offer riders a choice between a customizable Ameri

Denver’s brewery celebrates 11th Anniversary with beer, live music and unflagging support for arts and culture DENVER (Feb. 12, 2026) – Ratio Beerworks , goes to 11 this year as they celebrate 11 years of making meticulously-crafted beer, supporting the arts and remaining unapologetically independent in Denver. The brewery enters its 11th year experiencing unprecedented growth, up double-digits at the end of 2025 led by a 25% spike in can sales and enjoying statewide dist

New Wizard’s Order IPA is the magical result of over a year of R&D by Tennessee’s fastest-growing brewery. NASHVILLE, Feb, 17, 2026 – Tennessee’s independent brewery TailGate Brewery is releasing a new year-round IPA, Wizards’ Order (6% ABV). Wizard’s Order IPA joins TailGate Brewery’s lineup of deliciously independent beers, including award-winning flagship TailGate Orange, at all TailGate Brewery locations and at retailers across Tennessee in draft and in 6-packs of 12oz

For the first time in 5 years REEB Cycles is offering a Colorado made hardtail with an exclusive 15 year anniversary complete build kit February 3rd, 2026 - Longmont, Colo. - REEB Cycles launched its American made Steel Hardtail 15 years ago and quickly grew a reputation for featuring traits previously seen only on longer travel trail bikes. The original bikes featured aggressive geometry, a proprietary tubeset and singlespeed compatibility featuring Gates carbon belt drive