Crappy Beer Makeovers

Which is what makes it a great label!

 

Yes, but that one was forced. There's also the original label, but I guess that doesn't really count because the label art didn't really change much:

 

Goose Island Sophie had a new terrible label and went back to a label similar to original.

Original





new



New New

 

I also don’t like what Ballast Point did to their cans/bottles

 

They haven’t bottles this in a few years can only find it at the brewpub.

 

How about this (or am I just too stupid to recognize the irony or whatever)?

 

Speaking of Great Lakes, they assigned Off. Conway to directing traffic
Old:

New:

 

I don't have a photo, but is anyone else old enough to remember those "tulip" bottles of Michelob, with the gold foil necks, that we drank in high school?

 

Kinda depends on when someone went to high school. They looked like this in my era:

But, as industry legend has it, they were hell to run on the high speed AB bottling lines "...every fifth bottle fell off..." (AB's ad agency exec, who referred to it as the "perfume bottle" shape ) and the company eventually tweaked the design and labeling over the years.

 

The ones on the left are the ones I remember. Among the first beers I ever tried.

 

Yeah, the first 3 (left to right) probably date roughly 1961 > 1980s - but notice how the curve at the base of the bottoms gradually got less extreme, starting with the second from left, circa 1966-67.

Lots of folks also referred to them as being "hour-glass" shaped.

 

Troegs is always what comes to my mind for bad refreshes. In fairness, the old labels needed refresh to get the look/branding more consistent across the portfolio, but not the cartoony nonsense they ended up with. They lost something great with the Nugget Nectar label too.

I don't like the current Victory rebranding either, but it's not quite as cringy to me as Troegs.


This is going years back, but I also liked Otter Creek Brewing's classic labels, OCB logo, and the traveling otter mascot before they scrapped it all for the pot smoking hippie and his dog with cheeky drug-related beer names. I don't have strong feelings for or against marijuana use, people can do what they want, but I don't identify with the lifestyle portrayed by Otter Creek, and I doubt I'm unusual in that regard. I drank way less Otter Creek after the rebrand, mainly because they fazed out all of their old beers I liked, but the rebrand didn't make me want to reach for the new stuff either. Ironically, the only Otter Creek beer I remember buying in the last ~5 years is Bonus Stage IPA, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't buy it because they ditched the hippie and gave it a video game (Galaga) theme.

 

Mad Elf and Nugget Nectar were the worst of the Troegs rebranding

 

Nugget Nectar just got softened so much
Before:

After:

Mad Elf went from an actual crazy looking elf, into an egg-headed baby

 

I still don't understand how New Belgium was able to avoid a lawsuit with this change went through when Voodoo Brewing had already been in existence for years (and selling packaged beer). By having deeper pockets, or did they pay off Voodoo to be able to distribute to PA without a challenge?

And the branding is nonsensical to the previous theme of the brewery. It appears like a marketing person just picked a bunch of "poplar" imagery and a cool sounding name.

 

Did Voodoo Brewery file an objection to NB's copyright? Did they not monitor their copyrights? Did they decide it wasn't worth the expense? Did Dixie, brewer of Blackened Voodoo brand since around 1990 object to Voodoo Brewery or New Belgium's copyright?

Man, ain't that the truth... I don't get it.

 

I actually don't mind the Avery refresh. Clean design and they kept the overall theme more or less.

It's the first one that comes to mind for me as well. What is that new logo, a lopsided guitar pick?

Agree about Victory as well. It doesn't look horrible, my issue is that each different offering looks almost identical from far away.

 

No idea, but I am pretty sure New Belgium already distributed to PA at the time, so I can only imagine there either was quietly a licensing agreement, or Voodoo Brewery didn't want to pick the fight with the much larger corporation. But if it was the latter, you think there still would have been some public statements to that effect, for some of the normal "David vs. Goliath" public good will support.

Is Dixie Blackened Voodoo still widely distributed? I had a six pack years and years ago but haven't seen it in Pennsylvania in a very long time.

 

The old Holiday Porter label was a work of art and it always warmed my heart during the holiday season.

Also....How has Flying Dog Brewery dodged a remake?

 

Well, since those labels routinely get mutliple posts in both the "What's Your Favorite Label..." and "What Beer Labels do you hate..." threads, they figure they'd quite while they're ahead!