Labels that make you pass up a beer

[duckmanco]

Anywhere on any label for an IPA that says "balanced by a solid malt backbone".

 

[progmac]

I couldn't agree more with most of the comments in this thread. What comes off as trying to hard is really just poor marketing. These breweries specialize in making good beer, not designing labels. So they make labels with whatever they think is cool, and they almost always come out terrible, certainly no better than labels designed by homebrewers. The serious lack of ability with label design was made crystal clear to me in the BYO Label competition, and though they were from homebrewers they were very similar to what the micros are doing.

Seriously, WTF is up with all the dogs. And founders naming things bastard this and bastard that and they go crazy with devilish symbolism. And smuttynose - sure it's an island, but what a terrible name and what terrible labels they have. Old guys and dogs. The name smuttynose makes me think of a taste, but not the taste of good beer, that's for sure.

Lowly Red Hook has some of the best label design and a great name. Straightforward and crisp.

 

[nutty_gnome]

The Aleheads site has done several reviews of the best, worst, sexiest, and most offensive beer labels. Here's a link to their list of the offenders for bottle art: http://aleheads.com/2011/04/14/labelmania-ii-the-dull-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
And here is their top 100 list of the best american craft beer labels: http://aleheads.com/2011/10/19/the-best-beer-labels/
You can find other lists via their search engine.

While the choices are all subjective and personal, its interesting to note that many of the offending breweries mentioned in this thread are included in Aleheads 'worst-of' thread. Both of those links are worth a gander.

 

[bobbrews]

Anywhere on any label for an IPA that says "balanced by a solid malt backbone".

Couldn't agree more!!

 

[progmac]

The Aleheads site has done several reviews of the best, worst, sexiest, and most offensive beer labels. Here's a link to their list of the offenders for bottle art: http://aleheads.com/2011/04/14/labelmania-ii-the-dull-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
And here is their top 100 list of the best american craft beer labels: http://aleheads.com/2011/10/19/the-best-beer-labels/
You can find other lists via their search engine.

While the choices are all subjective and personal, its interesting to note that many of the offending breweries mentioned in this thread are included in Aleheads 'worst-of' thread. Both of those links are worth a gander.

I enjoyed his "worst of" post - but his "best of" post is WAY off. Of those 100, maybe 20 are good and more than that are terrible. This one is in a "best of" - seriously?

it's nasty. looking at it for more than five seconds triggers my gag reflex

and this was number 2 - a character literally blowing chunks.. disgusting

 

[stat]

Any label that looks too nice or clean I usually won't buy. Widmer brothers and red hook are probably the best examples of this. Also dog fish heads paper labels piss me off to touch, just the feeling of the dry paper is like nails on a chalk board.

 

[the_bird]

The Aleheads site has done several reviews of the best, worst, sexiest, and most offensive beer labels. Here's a link to their list of the offenders for bottle art: http://aleheads.com/2011/04/14/labelmania-ii-the-dull-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
And here is their top 100 list of the best american craft beer labels: http://aleheads.com/2011/10/19/the-best-beer-labels/
You can find other lists via their search engine.

While the choices are all subjective and personal, its interesting to note that many of the offending breweries mentioned in this thread are included in Aleheads 'worst-of' thread. Both of those links are worth a gander.

You know what, though? I just looked all of those over, and I kept going to myself, "Oooh, I want to try that!" Sure, the Weyerbacher labels are ugly, but **** it - I WANT THAT BEER! Wasn't a one of those that made me think "I wouldn't buy that beer."

Which to me, says that the marketing aspects are overrated!

Actually, there was one label I wouldn't buy, I wouldn't buy "Wailing Wench" because I don't want to get the stink-eye from the_Wife when she sees it. Got no problem with Little Sumpin' Sumpin, though (and that's a DAMN good beer!)

And, no idea why Rogue's on the list.

 

[CGVT]

Dogs. Get your damn dog off the label. Don't name your brewery or beer after a dog.

I get it. Your dog is cute. You love your dog. I don't.

 

[dwarven_stout]

several times

best label ever

Yeah, I know. I think I was one of the people who mentioned it previously. I just don't think I'll ever see that beer on a shelf and decide to pay for it.

 

[passedpawn]

Anyone say Caldera Vas Deferens yet?

My gawd... read the text on the right.

 

[scottab]

I always have a 6 pack of these in my fridge....delicious!

They're ok, i like rum and i like beer but for some reason the 2 don't taste great together, just ok. The beer had much more rum flavor than i expected.

 

[DPBISME]

This is the superficial beer thread. This is for those labels that you just think are so stupid that you won't pick that beer up on the shelf and just pass it on by. Not necessarily ones you just don't really think about because they aren't creative, but ones that suck so bad it makes you not want to support that brewery. This thread is not for talking about how delicious a beer inside the bottle is, but how poor of a job they did labeling it.

For me, anything involving Aviation or Dogs on the label is never getting bought by my. Some breweries will theme their entire line of beers off of these and I think it's a big mistake. Sure planes are kinda cool and I like dogs a bunch, but what the hell do they have to do with beer? I don't wanna think about your dog drooling and all his hair floating around the brewery when I am drinking your beer...gross. There has also been two breweries in my state that have gone under after using an aviation theme as their entire marketing approach. Coincidence? Not likely.

Pretty much anything sporting skulls or that has like a skull and crossbones on the label. This is the most redneck approach you can take to anything. Just stop.

I have no problem with Dogs or Aviation but am with you on skulls and crossbones ....

I would add Demons, Devil, or sexual themes (I am not religous, maybe just a prude??? HA!).

Not that I have not had a few Arrogant Bastard Ales,; it is just I just am put off by over the top names....

 

[paulster2626]

I find labels with diamonds to be played the F out.

^This beer is awesome though.

These are all craft breweries within 30km of each other! They all look the same! Black Oak is definitely the better of the 3 though. By far.

Good local labels/logos? Well...

This should turn in to a search for the best and worst beer label/logo in North America! Ready.... GO!

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

I bought a 6er of Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale in cans last night. It was the first time I tried that brewery and it was a hell of a beer. I liked the simple logo. I reached for it after passing on the obnoxious art on the flying dog box (it was In Heat Wheat [not a savory name for a beer!]).

I also haven't bought Weyerbacher because of their box art.

I usually also can't get past Ithaca's art; I pondered the Casca-Zilla sixer for a few minutes last night and decided against it.

I am intrigued by the left-hand brewery's labels... I have never had one of their beers, but I like the artwork (the 400 lb monkey and stranger pale ale were available last night). Something about that art reminds me of music albums that I never owned and that makes me want to try their beer. Is that weird?

Leftvhand is good. But iv had several flying dogs....... Not for me. Don't know why they sit on the top shelf.

 

[iambeer]

I have to agree about the Hoppin Frog label. I have read great reviews about some of those beers but I still have not bought one because of the frog graphic. I also am put off by the plain labels like Two Hearted Ale, which I have never tried even though I meant to, because the label reflects my hand.

 

[bobbrews]

Enough with the hatin'...

I love when a brewery lists all this useful info on the carton (the more specific the better)...

Specs:
Original Gravity: 14 P
Alcohol by Volume: 6.4%
Color: 9.0 L
Bittering Units: 80 Tinseth
Malts Utilized: 2-Row Harrington, Caramel 60
Hops Utilized: Centennial, Amarillo, Citra, Rakau, Horizon (dry-hopped: Amarillo, Citra, Rakau)
Yeast: American Ale

"BREWED ON" dates are also VERY IMPORTANT!! Lets move on from cryptic coding & 'best by' dating systems.

Beerometer:

 

[iambeer]

"BREWED ON" dates are also VERY IMPORTANT!! Lets move on from cryptic coding & 'best by' dating systems.

Agreed. I avoid some beer stores because they look like they don't 'move' product. Popular vendors have it easier in that respect.

But a best by is better.... most people aren't equipped to know when that will be. A brewery wouldn't want to lessen their chance of a sale for vague reasoning.

 

[cpatel479]

Guess I'd pass on unicorns and rainbows but there's SO many beers out there I usually try to hit something that I heard someone raving about and never really think about the label.

-OCD

There goes my idea of a unicorn ****ting out a pile or rainbow for my label.

 

[Diaperload]

This one caught my attention and I bought a bomber just because of the label.

 

[Eliterunner1]

I feel like 21st Amendment has some really eye catching cans!

 

[Mongrel]

This one caught my attention and I bought a bomber just because of the label.

I love the label. How full of hop particles was your bottle? Tasted great, but it was chunky.

 

[paulster2626]

Great Lakes 666 caught my eye at the liquor store last night, and it's pretty good - glad I bought two!

 

[pjj2ba]

and this was number 2 - a character literally blowing chunks.. disgusting

Not blowing chunks, but inhaling - AMBROSIA SALAD

 

[nutty_gnome]

Food of the gods or not, that half-acre label stinks on ice.

 

[kh54s10]

#1

#2

I actually like Miller products!

 

[DisturbdChemist]

Technically coors is miller. lol

i cant say that a label drives me away from the beer just gets my attention to look at the bottle and see what's inside and gets me to buy their beer. I'm a big fan of Jester king's labels. It has all the information and a little paragraph telling a little story of the person on the lable

Though i cant stand these lables from this brewery/farm for some reason.

 

[Tenspeed]

There goes my idea of a unicorn ****ting out a pile or rainbow for my label.

I'd buy that beer in a heartbeat.

The more sparkly the unicorn, the better. Write the name of the brewery in glitter? Oh yeah.

 

[mountainman13]

I can't believe anybody who calls themselves a beer lover would pass up something that you could potentially love over what it comes in and what it has on it. If Funkwerks Aurora was packaged in a man-part shaped bottle molded out of Chinese lead, with Osama Bin Laden riding a puking skeleton unicorn on the label, I'd still buy it.

 

[kh54s10]

Technically coors is miller. lol

Haven't had a Coors since the late 70's to maybe 1980. I thought they were that bad.

I remember when Coors first became available on the east coast. Everyone was so excited. I tried some and thought what is so special? This s#*t sucks!

I think Coors and Miller were separate companies then.

 

[DisturbdChemist]

Yes they were. They just merged recently i believe. I dont like miller at all, The original coors (not light) i think its the best out of all miller and bud beers. I havent bought them since getting out of college and have money to spend on quality/local beer and making it. My extened family a big miller fan yet my beer they call "exotic" lol.

 

[RainyDay]

I'm more encouraged to buy a beer I havent heard of or dont know anything about if they give a brief description about the beer on the label/carton. I mean come on, you spend a lot of time making the beer, so sell me on it! Especially if they dont even list the style. With IPAs specifically, I absolutely pass on some that dont list the hops/IBUs/etc because there are so many crappy and light IPAs out there that have almost no hop flavor. I also avoid anything that says balanced malt/solid malt backbone/etc, an IPA should be an orgasmic hop explosion in your mouth.

 

[paulster2626]

I'm more encouraged to buy a beer I havent heard of or dont know anything about if they give a brief description about the beer on the label/carton. I mean come on, you spend a lot of time making the beer, so sell me on it! Especially if they dont even list the style. With IPAs specifically, I absolutely pass on some that dont list the hops/IBUs/etc because there are so many crappy and light IPAs out there that have almost no hop flavor. I also avoid anything that says balanced malt/solid malt backbone/etc, an IPA should be an orgasmic hop explosion in your mouth.

Agreed. Bought this last night as well, and it sucks. It's an "IPA" trying to be a lager:

All it had on it (I think) was some story about an elephant. Sadly the packaging was more interesting than the contents.

 

[ong]

Sam Smith, because that gold foil around the neck is such a pain to scrub off!

 

[EnjoyGoodBeer]

I can't believe anybody who calls themselves a beer lover would pass up something that you could potentially love over what it comes in and what it has on it. If Funkwerks Aurora was packaged in a man-part shaped bottle molded out of Chinese lead, with Osama Bin Laden riding a puking skeleton unicorn on the label, I'd still buy it.

Amen haha buuuut. I like a beer that tells me whats in there before I buy it.

 

[smitty2324]

I can't believe anybody who calls themselves a beer lover would pass up something that you could potentially love over what it comes in and what it has on it. If Funkwerks Aurora was packaged in a man-part shaped bottle molded out of Chinese lead, with Osama Bin Laden riding a puking skeleton unicorn on the label, I'd still buy it.

I'd buy BMC in that packaging... That would be a collector's itwm.

 

[mountainman13]

Amen haha buuuut. I like a beer that tells me whats in there before I buy it.

True. Couldn't agree more.

 

[KPSquared]

I can't believe anybody who calls themselves a beer lover would pass up something that you could potentially love over what it comes in and what it has on it. If Funkwerks Aurora was packaged in a man-part shaped bottle molded out of Chinese lead, with Osama Bin Laden riding a puking skeleton unicorn on the label, I'd still buy it.

So far, that is the best thing I have read on HBT. Sig worthy for sure.

 

[ElCapitan]

If I had to pick a brewery with the most annoying labels, it's Ska Brewery all the way. Their labeles look like a cheesy attempt to be hip that it comes off looking stupid.

Considering I am a fan of the music genre, I went to the website to see the labels and see if I agree or not. They are definitely trying too hard. Additionally, they do another thing that I absolutely hate: play music on the website without asking or having a good way to turn it off. Enraging!

I will never hold bad packaging against a good beer. When presented with 6 coolers full of single bottles at a liquor store, however, presentation makes a difference. Most importantly, I like to know what is inside. I like knowing the IBU, ABV, and OG for sure, and SRM and FG are cool. If a bottle has those, I think it is safe to assume that the brewery cares about their product and respects the tastes of their consumer. An actual description of the beer is icing on the cake. Lastly, great art is or nice aesthetic can make the difference between this one or that one. If I'm torn between two beers as my last for a sixpack, I'm gonna pick the cooler looking one. Simple as that.

 

[lou2row]

First, if dogs have nothing to do with beer, than neither do fish. So don't get on one and then say you like the other. The word you are living is hypocritical.

I enjoy a nice label. I run a bacteria lab, and one of my pet peeves to all my operators is take the time to put the labels on right. They are just blank labels, but it looks amateur if they are askew or not affixed nicely. I think it says a lot for our pride in what we do. I can appreciate a well thought out name or label.

Things that I enjoy:
sexy women
dogs
flying dogs artwork
artistic labels
fun, tongue in cheek humor
Nice fonts fitting to the artwork or beer style
sexy women
Being able to read who made it, what kind of beer it is, and other pertinent info.

DO NOT care for:
so busy they make my eyes sore
hidden beer type
ones that appear to be an inside joke
lame attempts to make words with "hops" in them
so blunt a two year old gets the innuendo
male genitalia

 

[the_bird]

While I'd like to think that marketing aspects don't influence my decisions, I will admit to buying Red Hook's pilsner last night in part because of the stubby bottles (I was really craving a pilsner, but the bottles probably led me to Red Hook over something else). I've bought Anchor Steam at least in part for the bottles as well (and I don't even bottle anymore!).

Does that make me a hypocrite?