Meet the artisans, discover their expertise, and share their passion.
A dive into our exclusive collaborations and special partnerships.
From coast to coast, local microbrewers share their love of beer and their brewing expertise, deftly blending tradition and innovation. As a tribute to them, we collaborated with four of our favourite microbreweries to create some unique graphics to be printed on a soft organic cotton jersey. Each graphic is accompanied by a short description and the microbrewery’s logo. Simons is proud to showcase the talent of Canadian companies with this exclusive collection of four made-in-Canada T-shirts.
Four Winds
“Motivated by the limitless potential of beer, we aim to craft bold beers with character, depth, and balance.”
In 2013, brothers Brent, Adam, and Sean Mills joined forces with their father Greg to found Four Winds, a family-owned brewery in Delta, British Columbia. They've made a splash in the local craft beer scene by providing a unique experience that combines meticulously crafted beers, delicious culinary experiments, and community involvement.
According to Adam, the brewery gets its name from an old nautical expression meaning “going in many directions.” To the Mills brothers, the name symbolizes their never-ending quest for inspiration from around the world and their desire to infuse their creations with flavours from all walks of life. Their specialty, Nectarous, is a dry-hopped sour with distinctive tropical fruit notes that has won numerous awards including Beer of the Year at the Canadian Brewing Awards in 2016.
For our collaboration, Adam Mills, Co-Owner and Head of Sales and Marketing, and Justin Longoz, Creative Director at Four Winds, chose a timeless visual that's both modern and colourful. They drew inspiration from Old World maps that trace sea and land routes, as well as the celestial bodies that helped navigators find their way during long sea voyages. Aeolus, the god of winds, is at the centre of this elaborate design, blowing towards the four cardinal points. The figure echoes the company's logo, as well as the series of limited-edition beers the microbrewery releases periodically. The series are named in honour of Greek gods: Boreas, the north wind; Eurus, the east wind; Zephyrus, the west wind; and Notus, the south wind.
Brasserie du Bas-Canada
“Our goal is to brew the best beer in the most beautiful cans designed by artists from the Outaouais region.”
Brasserie du Bas-Canada is the dream of brewers Gabriel Girard Bernier and Marc-André Cordeiro Lima. It became a reality in 2017 when the microbrewery opened on Boulevard de la Gappe in Gatineau. Driven by a desire to showcase the Outaouais region, the pair craft original beers in cans featuring stunning graphics from local artists.
Gabriel and Marc-André chose the name Brasserie du Bas-Canada because they wanted to embody the unique culture of their region and dispel the myth that Gatineau is just a suburb of Ottawa. Their microbrewery specializes in aromatic IPAs with creamy textures and pastry stouts with carefully incorporated fruit, cocoa, vanilla, and coconut flavours.
The company’s ever-evolving visual identity is a mix of eclectic images steeped in esoteric influences. Thanks to images by graphic designer Alexandre Mercier, beers dubbed Dryade, Portail, and Pendule promise an evening of black magic and incantations, while Matter and Entropy evoke an astral journey with their colours and suspended shapes. This feeling of airy weightlessness is at the heart of the design chosen for this partnership with Simons. Created for Brasserie du Bas-Canada’s 2021 spring launch, the graphic celebrates the summer solstice and spring equinox in a composition that incorporates floating elements.
Emporium
Emporium is a relatively new microbrewery with Italian flair based in Quebec City. Its passionate owners have taken the time-honoured brewing tradition and made it their own.
When they founded Emporium in 2018, the three brains behind the brewery had an unusual goal—run a microbrewery and an artisanal pizza shop under one roof. The result is a unique space where people come together to try meticulously crafted beers and enjoy delicious, stone-fired pizza.
The Italian influence is reflected in the microbrewery’s name, which refers to the first Roman port of the classical antiquity era. The port was a hub for trading, and over time became a thriving marketplace filled with craftspeople. This is exactly the kind of lively atmosphere you’ll find at Emporium. The co-owners recommend that NEIPA (New England India Pale Ale) enthusiasts try Goon, the very first beer Emporium canned, for a taste of a recipe that has been tinkered with and perfected batch after batch. This fruity, slightly hazy beer contains tropical notes of pineapple and grapefruit with a hint of bitterness.
Emporium has a strong, well-defined brand image. The crow logo is the perfect choice to go with a steampunk aesthetic, which was the main source of inspiration for the brewery’s decor. Olivier L. Pelletier, a.k.a. Fardoche, put his own artistic spin on the crow graphic by using structured long lines and shapes and employing gold for an Art Deco feel, but steering clear of the style’s tendency towards luxury and excess. For our collaboration, Emporium’s bold graphic signature has morphed into the dreamlike visual of a sunset or sunrise over choppy seas.
Messorem Bracitorium
This microbrewery, known for its hoppy products and famous Petit Jus De Mort, opened in southwestern Montreal on August 3, 2019.
It’s the passion project of Vincent Ménard, Sébastien Chaput, and Marc-André Filion, who used to meet every Friday night to discuss beers that were rare or impossible to find in Quebec. They wanted to quench their thirst for exceptional beers without having to go south of the border. That’s how they came up with the idea of starting their own brewing business in the heart of Montreal.
As its logo suggests, the company’s name is closely tied to the theme of death, stemming from the Latin words bracitorium and messor, meaning brewery and reaper, though the latter also refers to the farming equipment used to harvest the barley and hops needed to brew beer. Among the many varieties available at Messorem are Âmes volatiles and Fleurs à l’Athanée, two strong double IPAs that fans of bitter fare will love. Of course, the star attraction is their flagship product, Le Petit Jus de Mort, a smoothie sour with a captivating, fruity aroma.
Despite the somewhat morbid vibe and mysterious aura, the brewery's delightful creations are full of life and dark humour (Fauche alerte, Dying the Dream), made all the merrier by colourful visuals. For this collaboration with Simons, Marc-André Filion, better known simply as Filion, created a design composed of geometric shapes and sinuous lines, in a monochromatic palette with turquoise accents that reflect the popular destination's decor.
A huge thank you to the microbrewers and graphic designers for their talent and creativity. T-shirts featuring this exclusive collection are currently available in stores and online.
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