Last week, the folks at Colorado’s Crabtree Brewing introduced me to the label design for their Digital Age Series, a QR code. Now before you start lamenting the demise of art or lengthy mission statements scribed on the side of a bottle, it’s worth checking this out. If you scan this particular beer (which just won a GABF gold medal in the German-style sour ale category) with a QR reader on your smartphone, you’re taken to its online home.

Here, you’re greeted by a video from owner/brewmaster Jeff Crabtree, who introduces the beer. Further videos explore drinking the beer with traditional syrups, the style’s history and a roundtable discussion. All in all, it’s pretty cool stuff, and one of the more creative attempts to educate consumers. Berliner Weisse Ale is the first in the Digital Age Series, and I’m told fans of the brewery can suggest new styles for future releases via Facebook.