Everything old is new again? I recently saw a new beer offering from Olde Mecklenberg Brewery in NC that reminds me of old school labels on beers from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. This one reminds me of the old beer ads. I really like to see this and wonder if there is a mini trend on. One plus in my book is they are more readable than a lot of modern labels with too much artwork. They also tend to stand out (at least for now) because they are so different. Any one else see any they like. Or maybe you don't like it. All comments welcome.
Atwater in Michigan did one a few years back in obvious tribute to beer that once was their state's best known beer.
That's a great label. I love that. I guess I'm at the age where I'm getting overly nostalgic about these things!
Here is a very good addition to Troegs year round lineup that too falls in what you’re getting at. It’s a great beer, they also have a light version but so far only at brewery. Von Trapp has a new light lager, year round as well, still waiting…but it doesn’t haven the old classic vibe label that you’re getting at.
I drank a lot of Schmidt's of Philadelphia back in my younger days. It didn't give me a headache like Budweiser and Iron City. I will seek this out.
Some person posted on the internet their attempt to 'old school' Von C OG Pils (see photo below). This photo was taken at the Von C Brewery Taproom. The three brothers that own Von C Brewing have family ties to the Schmidt's of Philadelphia Brewery: "The von C family is part of the family that started C. Schmidt & Son brewing in 1860. Our grandfather, Carl von Czoernig, was the great-grandson of Christian Schmidt, who came to Philadelphia from Machstadt, Württemberg, in 1851, with the famous strain of lager yeast that made Schmidt’s so popular back in the day. Our father was a master brewer, our grandfather was a master brewer and so on, all the way back to the founding father of Schmidt’s. Brewing great beer in Philadelphia is in our blood. At one point in time, two out of three drafts that were poured in Philadelphia were Schmidt’s beer. To the Philadelphia tavern customer, Schmidt’s and beer were practically synonymous. Even though it was only distributed in 14 states, Schmidt’s was able to sell over 2 million barrels of beer a year to an incredibly loyal customer base. People remember Schmidt’s being the biggest and best beer brewed and served in Philly. von C Brewing Co. will not only be tapping into that history, but it will bring it back and make history of its own." Cheers!
Pfeiffer Brewing near me revived not only old labels but the beer itself. They did a great job reviving both, as well as their small but nicely appointed taproom. Any beer history aficionado who might live in or is visiting the Anaheim California area would enjoy this place, or anyone who simply would like some nice beers at a reasonable price. https://www.pfeifferbrewing.com/
At the Philly German Bierfest I attended a few weeks ago I had the chance to speak to Kyler Gretz who is reviving his old family beer name. Gretz brewing was a good sized regional brewery that closed in Philadelphia in 1961. Kyler and his father opened a brewery in Elverson, PA (about an hour west of Philly) last October. As I drank a sample pour of his beer we discussed his plans for re-entering the Philly area market. You can read more about this revival effort here: https://breweriesinpa.com/generatio...-revives-a-historic-philadelphia-beer-legacy/ My recollection from our conversation is that presently these beers are self-distributed. A photo of the can below. Cheers!
That's cool. I think I remember seeing those old labels here even though that beer was never down this way. There is a restaurant/tourist trap in Destin, FL that has a wall with old cans. I think that's where I've seen it.
I always love to hear when some beer history returns too. That's great that breweries can self-distribute there. The breweries have been fighting for that right here in GA for several years now but Big Distro has a lock on the politicians. It sucks for sure.
I'm not sure if this belongs in this thread but there's a Greek craft brewery called Anastasiou that creates some really cool (in my mind) retro-esque labels, mostly resembling the labels of Greek products (beer but also non-beer) from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. I absolutely love them. Good beer too.
Love it! Did not even associate Creature's Classic City with vintage until you pointed it out! Thanks!
Yep. Those count. I'm not familiar with those beers but there may be some BA who are. And those are some really cool labels!
That's immediately what I thought of the first time I saw it - "Hey, that label looks old school!" It just jumped out at me.
Maybe there is hope that Sam Adams will bring back their "classic" labels instead the current, generic ones?
