FAIRHOPE, Alabama - Some call it "Hugh," others "Chester," but the pelican mascot that has become ubiquitous with the Fairhope Brewing Company name is about to get a much bigger spotlight.

Because now the bird, which perches on the company's tap handles throughout Alabama, will be featured prominently on labels when the Eastern Shore brewery's bottled beer hits shelves sometime around summer 2015.

In an AL.com exclusive Tuesday, company owners revealed the label designs for their three flagship beers, which have been very successful in bars and restaurants and soon will share space on shelves in retail stores in Mobile and Baldwin counties, and beyond.

""There's something about his look. He knows something you don't," said Brian Kane, co-owner of Fairhope Brewing Company.

The labels feature the pelican in three different costumes, depending on the type of beer.

For the Fairhope 51 Pale Ale, which has blue packaging, it's wearing the brewery's trademark red, white and blue trucker cap.

Take the Causeway IPA, draped in green, features the pelican in a classic fishing hat and vest (craft brew fans should make sure to look for hidden items on this one).

The I Drink Therefore I Amber brew, highlighted in scarlet, has an upper-class bird with a monocle, suit vest and bow tie.

The colors are specifically used to help drinkers identify the different types of beers if the labels weren't visible, say, in a cooler or such.

The label art, designed by former Red Square Agency partner and Eastern Shore resident Matt Whitfield, is just the most visible part of the company's near million-dollar expansion, already under way. The brewery, which sits off of U.S. 98 on Nichols Avenue, will be installing new equipment in a larger, adjacent building which should increase its output by about 600 percent, according to the owners.

That means more kegs of Fairhope Brewing Company beer, and especially, more bottles. That's a more efficient way of getting the beer out, Kane said, since empty kegs that haven't been put back into circulation lose money, and once bottles are gone, they're gone.

According to co-owner Jim Foley, the new bottling line, which will accompany the brewery's newly expanded system, can produce upwards of 500 cases of beer per day.

And all will wear the new labels, which have been met with cheers of approval from staff members.

Assistant brewer Tim Heath, the brewery's newest employee, said the design's simplicity is its strength.

"A lot of beer labels now are getting over the top," Heath said. "A lot of them are cool, and there's a lot of artistic value in that.

"But I definitely like a clean, simple design."

Head brewer Dan Murphy, a former graphic designer, said he was "ecstatic" when he saw Whitfield's designs.

"The pelican epitomizes our spirit here," he said. "It's a little bit serious but a good bit goofy without being cartoonish."