Best beer labels ever? You decide

Don’t really remember which blog, Tweet or Facebook link led me here, but it was fun to scroll through this Cool Materials post of the “Best. Beer Labels. Ever.” It’s fun to check out the style of these other creative beer makers around the globe.  Some of the American craft brands featured include Austin Beerworks, Sam Adams and 21^st Amendment.

Check them all out for yourself at Cool Materials. See what you think. Afterward, if you feel so compelled, send us images of your own cool packaging at [email protected]. If we get enough in, we could feature them in our own best beer labels post.

In other label news, in case you missed them, check out some of our own label features that have been popping up throughout our first month in operations:

Label solutions: Pick the right process, paper for your brand

After all of the fine-tuning of recipes, chemistry and brew process production, it all might be for naught if a beer’s label leaves the buying public feeling flat. Let’s break down some of the label options and crucial decision points for brewer’s looking to make their brand pop. The labeling world for brewers divides, for the most part, into two specific categories: cut and stack and pressure sensitive. Cut and stack labels are typically less expensive to purchase than pressure sensitive labels, but the overall value proposition is more complicated, as the overall production and application process for cut and stack paper labels create other costs. There are design implications as well.

Ten seconds to grab attention: Craft beer label design trends
Do you need a paper or poly label? Estate look or high gloss? Laminated label or varnish or raised varnish? All of the available label design options could drive a brewer to cracking one open instead of settling on the right mix of paper, coating, colors, etc. We asked our label sources to talk about what trends they are seeing and what options they recommend.

From label to bottle: What’s your application process?
The day comes and the delivery man drops a package of fresh labels at your door so you can share your creations with the world. So, now what? The label application process presents another set of decisions that need to be considered in terms of cost, efficiency and look in order create an overall value proposition that makes sense for your brewing business.

Screen printing labels: Is it right for your beer brand?
If you caught our earlier feature on craft beer labels, you’d know that the main label decision for a craft brewer is choosing between pressure sensitive or cut & stack and then working through a million options from there. We spoke with Robert Howerth, owner of Bottleprint, about craft brewers entering the brave new world of screen printing.