We’re excited to share a fresh update to one of our longtime favorites: Pacific Magic IPA is now available in cans! Pacific Magic has been part of our lineup for a while, previously only available in bottles. Now, with the addition of cans, it’s easier than ever to bring along for the ride… whether that means a backyard hang, a day at the river, or wherever the sunset finds you.

But the story of Pacific Magic isn’t just about the beer. The artwork on the label has its own story: one that reflects the same creativity and character that goes into brewing the beer itself.

Where the Beer Label Began

The story behind the Pacific Magic label goes back to 2021, when a North Coast Brewing Company employee suggested the marketing team check out the work of an artist they’d come across. Curious, the team pulled up the artist’s website. The artwork immediately stood out, with a sense of movement and atmosphere that felt like it could translate perfectly onto a beer label.

The artist behind the work was Michael Zontos. In a funny twist of coincidence, Michael used to live right here in Fort Bragg. These days he’s based several hours up the coast, but that unexpected local connection made the discovery feel even more fitting.

Not long after that first look at his work, conversations started about what it might look like to collaborate on a beer label. The idea was simple: pair a great beer with artwork that could capture the same sense of place and personality. To help tell the story, we asked Michael to share a few memories from the process:

“One day I was standing in front of the beer case at the local grocery store when I found myself admiring the artwork on all the different beer brands. There are a ton of great designs out there with some unique styles, but it really made me want to create a label of my own. I quickly wrote it off and thought maybe one day if a new brewery in town opens up I’ll reach out and see if they need some artwork.

The very next day I receive an email on my phone with an inquiry for some label artwork for a new beer! At first glance I thought it was a generic email, but after closer inspection I realized that it was from North Coast Brewing Company. NCBC is my all-time favorite brewery for so many reasons, and I really couldn’t believe they had randomly reached out to me especially after day dreaming about an opportunity like this the day before. I immediately responded that I was interested and it was game on!”

Bringing the Beer Label to Life

By December 2021, the first concept sketches for the Pacific Magic label were starting to take shape. What began as a simple idea quickly became a collaborative creative process between the North Coast Brewing Company team and artist Michael Zontos. Back and forth conversations helped shape the direction, focusing on how the artwork could capture the same feeling the beer delivers in the glass. The vision centered around the atmosphere of a sunset: warm colors, a sense of calm, and that moment at the end of the day when everything seems to slow down.

Michael remembers it this way:

“After meeting with the great people at the brewery, it was time to create some concepts for the new beer label. The overall request was to capture the magic of the Pacific Ocean with a beautiful sunset, vibrant colors and some sort of ocean scene. The first thing that came to mind was a split scene above and below the water surface. We also decided a whale would be a welcome addition to the design. I chose to draw a Gray Whale because I’ve had so many amazing encounters with them, one in particular has always stuck with me and that’s the one I drew. I was kayak fishing off of the Noyo Headlands when a Gray Whale without warning came straight up out of the flat ocean and then leaned back into a great splash.”

As the artwork came together, Michael added one final personal touch: his signature. If you look closely at the Pacific Magic label, you’ll find it tucked below the waves, a subtle reminder that the design began as a hand-drawn piece of art. It’s a small detail, but one you may enjoy spotting the next time you pick up a bottle or can.

A Place That Shaped the Inspiration

For Michael, the connection to Pacific Magic’s artwork runs deeper than just the beer label collaboration. Before moving up the coast, he spent time living in Fort Bragg, getting to know the landscape and the small moments that make a place memorable.

Fort Bragg is also where some of his most personal milestones unfolded. He and his wife hosted their wedding rehearsal dinner at the Pub at North Coast brewing Company, surrounded by friends, family and the familiar hum of a place they loved. And they celebrated their wedding just up the road, a keg of Scrimshaw stood proudly among the festivities, a small detail, but one he still mentions with a smile.

Those experiences stayed with him and helped shape the mood and feeling behind the artwork.

When it came time to create the beer label, some of that sense of place naturally found its way into the design. Michael reflected on his time here and how it influenced the inspiration behind the Pacific Magic artwork:

“I found inspiration for each component of this design based on my experiences living in Fort Bragg, CA. I spent all my free time down there exploring the coast. I would go spearfishing, abalone diving, kayak fishing and surfing. There was one evening of diving down there in Fort Bragg I will never forget. The water was incredibly flat and very clear. The sun was getting low and it illuminated the shallow reef. It was the most beautiful display of ocean life I had ever seen. The kelp, surf grass and algae were lush and vibrant. The rocks were covered with large abalone and there were fish everywhere you looked. It was complete magic. After getting out of the freezing water and climbing back up the cliffs, I turned around to see one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever witnessed. This design representation of that moment in time, in my favorite place on the planet.”

To see more of Michael’s work, visit his website.

When Beer and Art Come Together

Now, a few years after those first sketches and conversations, Pacific Magic is starting a new chapter in cans. And Michael Zontos’ artwork gets a new kind of canvas, as the same sunset scene and breaching whale that helped define the beer’s identity now wraps around every can.

So the next time you pick up a bottle or a can of Pacific Magic, take a moment to appreciate the artwork. Behind that label is a story of creativity, collaboration, and a shared connection to the place that we call home.