Which brewery needs to change their packaging and labeling

To try to be positive - I will say that Angry Chair has some amazing artwork on their bottles and the artwork alone may be enough to get someone to buy bottle. That being said, the beer inside of the bottle is also pretty darn tasty too.

Cheers!

 

With the sea of craft beers at a store like Binny's, if I am looking for something new to try and I don't have a particular brand that I am searching for the label standing out makes a difference to me picking up the bottle and giving it a look.

Two Brothers labeling to me is just not there and they just re-branded two years ago and ..... man....

 

I never buy a beer because of the labeling, but some beers I either pass on or am less likely inclined to buy because of it. Three that come to mind are Flying Dog, Against the Grain, and Three Floyd's.

 

Aw I love the Hunter S Thompson art style on Flying Dog, the beer not quite as much but the art gets me. I don't understand all the hate for those killer labels!

I'll go ahead and jump on the pile, and I'm a HUGE supporter of Frog, but it's just cheesy and turns newcomers off--especially at their price point. I doubt it will ever change though.

It's because they hand-bottle pretty much everything. Until that changes, no format changes are likely.

lol...

Have you see their tap handles though? They are 100% cooler looking, I'm not sure why that art style isn't used, at least on the bottle cap, but it's a total departure from the bottle art.

In spite of the artwork they seem to be doing well, and regardless I'll continue throwing money at their huge stouts that are about as thick and creamy as chocolate pudding.

That being said, there's not much of a refined artistic eye in Akron--Thirsty Dog's style is pretty shite as well, but it kind of goes more with the city, and the musty brewery and brick basement feel of their bar.

Weyerbacher really needs a lifeline. I think all of their stuff is just plain ugly. Look at Jester King, you can have a court jester be part of your image and not be cheap or cheesy.

Boulder, Alpine, and Shorts also need some help. Although with Alpine it's kind of nostalgic, it still comes off as a cheesy scenic Thomas Kinkade in grandma's kitchen.

 

Not a fan of Alpine labels.

 

even though they just changed them...Troegs. Ill take the old labels over the new in a heartbeat.

 

Odell's and FFF.

I had a bottle of Odels IPA for 3 weeks that I got in KC. Delayed drinking it because the label was so uninspiring and I had other stuff that looked more exciting.

FFF: I can never read their crap. Someone asks what I'm drinking...."I don't know, I think it says...." because their art/text are so out there. (I'll probably get shot for this one).

 

I agree that Smuttynose needs some reworking. Some of their beers (like Old Brown Dog) have a timeless look and I like the personal stories behind them. But ones like the one pictured...yeesh.

 

I really like Green Flash but so many of their bottles look the same. Time for a change, green Flash !!!!!!!!!!

 

Finally an original and great new thread!!

great topic... let me think ...

What comes to my mind are:

• Speakeasy (I do like the concept and theme, but it just doesn't look as good as it could be)
• Green Flash, the new format/look I think is even a step backwards.
• Coronado, love the Mermaid but somehow the graphics just aren't giving it justice and it looks cheap
• Duck Rabbit. Time for a reboot
• Hoppin Frog. See above
• Maine Beer Co. The simplicity of the labels at first was nice, but it's worn off on me, and it's looking empty these days, add something just a little more. Also your font is too small, I don't want a magnifying glass to read the bottle.
• Ninkasi . Too much teal on every bottle, love the beer but the labels strangely all seem to blur together, mix this up a bit

Just off the top of my head. Other breweries have I think room for improvement in their labeling and design but their beers are so popular I don't think anybody cares.

 

I like the Lagunitas dog as well as their vintage pinup girls, but I hate their typeface. The font designs on their labels look like something designed in a middle school computer class.

And Alltech out of Lexington, Kentucky, could use a little help, too. Is that a unicorn?!?

 

I wish some beers had better descriptions. I don't always buy based on the label, but it may cause me to read the label to learn more.

I'm a fan of Lagunitas, but some of Lagunitas' beers are so damn ambiguous. I learned to love Lagunitas Sucks, but I must have passed over it a dozen times in the store because I didn't realize it was a 2IPA. "Brown Shugga Substitute" didn't mean anything to me.

Omnipollo is another beer that spends too much time on the creativeness of the artwork, but then doesn't explain what I should expect when drinking the beer.

 

The first thought when I saw this was well this is creepy. 2nd thought was is that shaq? 3rd thought was is that Justin Long?

 

This. Seems like bottles a german beer would be in like a Hefe or something. When I think IPA's I don't think mountains, old gothic style buildings and mugs of beer clanking together.

 

As a graphic designer, I have opinions about most package design, but I have to say - of all the products I see on store shelves, craft beers are probably the most creatively labeled!

 

Three pages in and no one has mentioned Dark Horse yet? Along with Knee Deep they share that "I like their beers but the label is so godawful" category in my mind.

 

New Glarus labels look....quaint, rustic, rural. Some look like they were drawn by a 4th grader. While their labels work for them now, if/when they expand distribution they might consider cooler labeling.

 

Thanks for the love <3

 

I miss the old Ballast Point labels (especially Victory At Sea)

 

Alpine's labels are pretty awful. Victory is a close second. Personally, labels don't have to be super fancy or feature top-notch art and design to be effective and visually-appealing. I am a big fan of Maine Beer Company's simplistic labels. Simple and clean, with just enough on the bottle to get thumbs-up from me.

Personally the biggest annoyance to me more than any awful beer label are breweries that don't date their stuff.