Historically speaking, Swedes and Danes haven’t always been the closest of friends, so it’s always reassuring to see the two cultures play nice—especially in the name of good design. And beer. Danish brewery Mikkeller enlisted the help of Swedish design house Bedow to design a series of labels for its 2012 collection of seasonal beers. The end result is a minimalistic and uncomplicated—yet playful—take on Scandinavia’s changing seasons. Literally.

Case in point: Mikkeller’s current release, the Wild Winter Ale. Designed with bitter temperatures in mind, the label features an apple tree that with the help of heat-sensitive ink, loses its leaves as the bottle warms to room temperature. The early editions of the design shows a snowflake transforming into a sun and dandelion seeds morphing into raindrops. Who said drinking beer can’t be a high-design (and uniting) experience?