Skip to Content

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links.

Why a Great Label Can Make or Break a Beer

In which we survey the recent craft beer boom, from the classic to the truly outlandish.

By Harvey Shepard
this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

Like a lot of the books hitting stores these days, Oh, Beautiful Beer (The Countryman Press) started out as a blog. But the musings shared by Harvey Shepard, a writer and graphic designer based in Seattle, weren't quotidian: The recent craft beer boom impressed him, in no small part thanks to breweries' labels and logos. Shepard took it upon himself to form a sort of visual history of beer, and for anyone who loves good design (and good beer, naturally), it's a sight to behold. Here, we reprint a few of his favorites, curated from brewers around the world. — Jill Krasny


Shiner

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

SHINER, TEXAS, USA • DESIGN BY MCGARRAH JESSEE

In 1909 the Shiner Brewing Association opened in Shiner, Texas. Six years later, German immigrant Kosmos Spoetzl bought the company, renaming it Spoetzl Brewery. The Bavarian beer recipe Kosmos brought with him to America would soon become Shiner Premium Beer. At the end of the day, the German and Czech cotton farmers of Shiner would find bottles of Shiner Premium on fence posts strategically placed by Kosmos. This helped make the beer an immediate local favorite.

Krueger

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, USA

Anticipating Prohibition's demise, the American Can Company was at work developing the first beer can. There were two main hurdles in this process. The can needed to be strong enough to handle stacking as well as the pressure of carbonated beer. Also, the inside of the can needed a safe lining that would preserve the beer's flavor.

By 1931, American Can Co. finally had a can that was ready to hit shelves. Large brewers Pabst and Anheuser-Busch were both interested in the product. However, fearing consumer reaction, neither wanted to be first. Thus, history was made by Krueger Brewing Co. of Richmond, Virginia. On January 24, 1935, tin cans of their Krueger Cream Ale hit shelves. They were incredibly popular, and Krueger's sales increased 550 percent.

Nijenrode

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

BREUKELEN, NETHERLANDS • DESIGN BY POSITIVITY

This Dutch brewery draws its name from the nearby castle. "Nijenrode" means "newly developed ground," which is appropriate, as design firm Positivity recently broke ground on a redesign. They retained the coat of arms and the steinie bottle shape and tore everything else down. The resulting label is classy, but not snobby—and immediately recognizable. Yellow, incidentally, is the primary color of the Breukelen coat of arms.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Anchor Brewing

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, USA • DESIGN BY JIM STITT

The history of Anchor Brewing begins long before Fritz Maytag, at the California Gold Rush of 1849. Many of these fortune-seekers were Europeans who brought their thirst for lagers. California was too warm for the traditional lager brewing process, so brewers had to get creative. Without ice to cool the wort, beer was placed in large, shallow, open pans on the rooftops of the breweries. As the beer cooled, clouds of steam lifted from the buildings and gave name to a new beer style.

By 1900 there were over a hundred steam breweries in California. Anchor, however, was the only one left standing after Prohibition lifted in 1933. Wary of lesser-quality beers ruining their reputation, Fritz trademarked "steam beer" in 1981. Similar style beers are now classified as "California common beers."

Brooklyn Lager

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, USA • DESIGN BY MILTON GLASER

When Steve Hindy and Tom Potter were creating Brooklyn Eagle Beer (as it was going to be called) they interviewed dozens of design firms. All along, the guy at the very top of their list was Milton Glaser. After calling every day for two weeks, Milton's secretary finally let Steve talk to the designer. Steve told Milton that he was looking for a logo that every guy in Brooklyn would want tattooed. Glaser quickly talked the pair into a name change. "Call it Brooklyn! Why do you want to be represented by a bird, when you can own the whole borough?"

Bauhaus Brew Labs

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, USA • DESIGN BY HELMS WORKSHOP

Believing in a balance between seriousness and fun, the influential Bauhaus school was well known for both their groundbreaking design work as well as their boisterous parties. Bauhaus Brew Labs extends its namesake's spirit into the beer-making world. These musicians, scientists, and artists work together to create German-style beers. Their brightly colored cans add an element of fun to their thoughtfully crafted beers. Each style's peculiar name is the product of translating conventional names into German and then back into English.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Bomb Beer Co.

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA • DESIGN BY BILLY THE ARTIST

Bomb Beer Company identified New York City's starving artists, gamers, and hipsters as their market. To reach this demographic, the brewery focused on keeping the beer affordable, offering "craft beer without craft beer prices." Bomb Lager turned to Billy The Artist for their graffiti-inspired cans. The owners had long admired murals of his in their neighborhood. When they were introduced to Billy at a favorite bar of both of theirs, they knew he was the right fit to create their brand.

Mateo y Bernabe and Friends

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

LOGROÑO, SPAIN • DESIGN BY MORUBA

Santiago is a Belgian-style abbey ale. It is numbered for Saint James' Day, celebrated annually on July 25th. Saint James was one of Jesus' first disciples and his remains are believed to be buried at the spot of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela Galicia in northwest Spain. Many make the pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago (or Way of Saint James) to visit this shrine, a route which passes through Logroño.

Fullsteam Brewery

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

DURHAM, NC, USA • DESIGN BY HELMS WORKSHOP

Durham's Fullsteam Brewery has created a distinctively Southern beer culture in this once-booming tobacco town. Their "plow to pint" brews utilize produce from local farmers and are intended to pair well with Southern cuisine. Ingredients include local honey, sweet potatoes, basil, persimmons, pears, chestnuts, and figs.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

BrewDog

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

ELLON, SCOTLAND • TAXIDERMY BY TONY ARMISTEAD

In 2010, Scotland's BrewDog grabbed headlines by releasing the highest alcohol content beer on record—and they put it in roadkill. Seven stoats and four grey squirrels, if we want to be precise. Aside from weighing in at 55 percent ABV, this freeze-distilled Belgian blond ale also set the record for the highest-priced beer at about $750 per bottle.

Spruce Tip Stout

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

VANCOUVER, CANADA • DESIGN BY SAINT BERNADINE

In honor of 2013 British Columbia Craft Beer Month, R&B Brewing, Brassneck Brewery, Red Truck Brewing, Main Street Brewing, and 33 Acres Brewing gathered for a special collaboration. Like a scout troop these five breweries set out into the wilderness collecting fresh spruce tips for their brew. Design firm Saint Bernadine embroidered a merit badge to mark the achievement. The label easily peels off as a keepsake.

Omnipollo

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN • DESIGN BY KARL GRANDIN

There are a few things you assume every beer label will contain: brewery name, brewery logo, and the name of the beer. Karl Grandin made a lot of distributors sweat by throwing all of these out the window on the way to creating a wonderfully bizarre, and oddly cohesive, collection of labels. As Grandin explains, "Most of the Omnipollo images come from daydreams and I try to bring that psychedelic logic into the artwork."

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Austin Brewery

this image is not available
Media Platforms Design Team

AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA • DESIGN BY HELMS WORKSHOP

Let us introduce you to seven feet, 86 pounds of history. Peacemaker Extra-Pale Ale was not performing as well as expected. Consumers were finding the "extra pale" classification confusing. The first step of Helms' solution was renaming the beer "Anytime Ale." The new name clearly implies that this is a light, easy-drinking beer that isn't so strong that you'll be displaying your karaoke version of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" after three or four. They then created the world's first and only 99-pack.

Reprinted with permission from OH BEAUTIFUL BEER: The Evolution of Craft Beer and Design, by Harvey Shepard, The Countryman Press 2015

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Drinks

a black and gold hat

The Best THC Drinks for a Happy Hour High

a glass of beer

29 Can't-Fail Gifts for Whiskey Enthusiasts

Dark beer in glasses

9 Irish Beers That Go Beyond Guinness

whiskey glasses

11 Best Whiskey Glasses For Your Top-Shelf Pours

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Logo
tiktok
youtube
facebook
instagram
pinterest
Hearst Men's and Enthusiast Media Group - A Part of Hearst Digital Media

A Part of Hearst Digital Media

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy NoticeCA Notice at CollectionYour CA Privacy Rights/Shine the LightDAA Industry Opt OutTerms of UseSite Map