Weird question... is label glue regional?

[MrSnacks]

Or do breweries tend to get their labels printed by local printers? Because if so, Minnesota, get your sh*t together. Darn near every label from this state is a pain to get off, even with a generous dose of OxyClean.

I've had trouble with the following, there may be more:
Summit (their bottles don't even cap properly anyway--I don't buy Summit anymore)
Brau Brothers
Third Street
Badger Hill Brewing
Lake Superior Brewing

There are probably others I'm blanking on, but I can't think of any other state with such consistently awful labels.

 

[day_trippr]

I have no idea about the regional thing; if there was some humongous print company in the area it might explain why all the local labels share characteristics.

If they're a major pita to remove, I say toss 'em. When I was still bottling I ran into the occasional brewery that used petrol-based label adhesive that required a solvent to remove. On the last go 'round for that I used mineral spirits on the first one, started on the second bottle and then realized "WTF am I doing?!?" and tossed the whole case. Life's too short for that madness.

Come to think of it - Mad River Brewing was one offender.

Irony. It's everywhere...

Cheers!

 

[eatmorefrogs]

This doesn't answer your question, but Sam Adams comes off fairly easy and should be a fairly guilt free purchase, despite not being local.

 

[MNSmitty]

Schells bottles have labels that fall right off in an oxyclean soak. Leaving very little residue behind as well. Plus the bonus of some pretty good beer inside. Lucid's 22oz bottles have labels and glue that are impervious to nuclear attack. Being that Badger Hill and Lucid are in the same physical brewhouse (for now, BH is moving to Shakopee), I'd assume the glue is the same.

 

[Jsamp]

My personal favorite bottles to use are from Sierra Nevada. The labels come off really easy with a oxy soak. I also like the design of them. I save the empty boxes also to store my beers in. Sam Adams bottles are easy to work with also.

 

[Greyhound]

Based on my limited knowledge of label application systems, here's my theory. Feel free to tell me if I'm way off here:

Smaller breweries probably use pressure-sensitive labels because the cost of the labelling equipment is cheaper, although the cost of the labels is higher. The adhesives used for these labels tend to be very aggressive. The big boys probably use more expensive water-based labelling applications because the cheaper labels will reap benefits over time.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.....for now.

 

[LandoLincoln]

If label glues were regional, then Budweiser would have different label glues depending on which brewery made them.

 

[MDExile]

I have definitely run into different glues.

I have found that washing soda works extremely well as a label glue solvent.

OK, I have washing soda because I was making my own dishwasher detergent for a while.

 

[feinbera]

Think it just varies from brewery to brewery, but I also think Greyhound might be onto something, as, at least out here in California, most of the breweries with big distribution tend towards "falls right off with an oxyclean soak," while the smaller upstarts are more of a mixed bag. I haven't quite gotten to the point of basing craft beer purchases on ease of de-labeling, but when I run into a bottle with one of those filmy plastic labels that's gonna take one application of steel wool and elbow grease to even get to the glue, and another to get it anywhere close to clean, it's going straight in the recycle bin. I got beers to brew and airlocks to sniff, I ain't got time for that s**t.

 

[MrSnacks]

Based on my limited knowledge of label application systems, here's my theory. Feel free to tell me if I'm way off here:

Smaller breweries probably use pressure-sensitive labels because the cost of the labelling equipment is cheaper, although the cost of the labels is higher. The adhesives used for these labels tend to be very aggressive. The big boys probably use more expensive water-based labelling applications because the cheaper labels will reap benefits over time.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.....for now.

That actually makes a ton of sense. The labels that come off the most easily tend to be on the larger end of the micros. Lagunitas, Deschutes, Odells, Sierra Nevada, etc.

 

[LutherVonDude]

You should look to a company that does bottle labeling.
Here is a bottle labeling system that uses a foot pedal.

Labeling and Labels