Sawtooth Ale by Left Hand Brewing Co.

If you’ve driven up Highway 119 to Longmont, Colo., to get to Left Hand for a pint of Fade to Black, you’ve taken in the unforgettable view of the Front Range mountains. Among them, jutting into the sky, is Sawtooth Mountain, the namesake of Left Hand’s flagship brew, an American-style ESB.

“Our brewery is named after a 19th-century Arapaho chief, Chief Niwot, who wintered his tribes in the local Boulder Valley,” says Emily Armstrong, Left Hand’s spokesperson. (“Niwot” means “left hand” in Arapaho.) “So the label is a harmony of these two influences—our indigenous namesake, and Colorado’s natural beauty and landmarks.”

The Sawtooth label on shelves now—a vibrant landscape where the trees and animals bend toward the sun rising over Sawtooth’s jagged peak, creating a sense of motion that brings the scene to life—is a revamp of a 1994 design. Still recognizable are the four saws forming a diamond, and the four hands spelling “left” in American Sign Language.

“There was some apprehension about straying too far from the original art and putting off existing customers,” says senior designer and label creator Charles Bloom, adding that the design went through many incarnations as a result.

In fact, explains Armstrong, “This label and Milk Stout were the only two that have retained similar design elements over the years, whereas with other labels, we’ve done a complete redesign.”

A common motif across all Left Hand labels is the subtle details that demand a closer look: the silhouetted flora and fauna, leaves that are actually Left Hand logos, and 11 hands hidden within the image. “This reflects the fine attention to the brewing craft and subtle flavor notes that elevate Left Hand beers above the rest,” says Bloom.

And of course, the Left Hand signature: “At least one hidden face,” Bloom says. (That’s vice president of brewing operations Joe Schiraldi’s mug in the upper left side.) “The practice began by sneaking an image of the artist into the illustration, but once the secret was out, employees of the brewery were requesting to be hidden in the label of their favorite beer.” ■