Here's a nice one in Fakir from Typophile Joshua Lurie-Terrell.

More from Ramiro Espinoza

That first one, Princles, is beautiful.

Grolsch

Beer labels are like Major League Sports logos. Anything originating pre-1980 is great.

To support a local example (maybe not so much for the type, but the overal label):

Littlest Lou 'say's make mine a Pabst'

that's smokin'

Great lettering, great beer, great glass:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Kwak.jpg

Most typographic - has to be "Meta" beer from Ethiopia...

http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/meta_abo_brewery.html

Hmm, I'm not sure that Meta wins the most typographic beer prize, Si… I have two other contenders:

1. Schöfferhofer Weizen. Here is just the logo. But the label uses a nice orange background with nice engraved lines, etc. Aside from the German blackletter coolness, this beer has a picture of Peter Schöfferhofer on it. Mr. Schöfferhofer apparently worked with Gutenberg in Mainz, and then helped take over the business. The Schöfferhofer family was involved in printing and typography from the beginning, and this is their beer. How do you beat that?

2. Frankfurter. Schöfferhofer Weizen is brewed in Frankfurt am Main now, I believe. The Frankfurter beers comes from the other Frankfurt – Frankfurt an der Oder, which is on the German border with Poland. This beer doesn't use any of that traditional blackletter stuff, but rather Akira Kobayashi's Calcite.

Both of these images are from FontBlog.de

this beer label thread doesn't count?
http://typophile.com/node/3545

This label isn't that extraordinary, but the taste...

Paul, sorry bout that. I thought I did a thorough google search for previous threads but I missed that one. Course that was 4 years ago... let's consider this the follow-up.

Paul, this topic is always worth una mas! :-)

And any microfoundry looking for a visual identity would do
well to look at "Labels of Distinction" by Drate and Olejar.
(More on that in that other thread.)

hhp

I wish I had a photo of the inside of my local, it's brimming with some fantastic beer labels all over the walls and obviously some not so fantastic.

I found this on the web a while ago, made from beer labels

http://mazaika.tripod.com/grafika/dog_of_beer_big.jpg

I love the ligature on this

http://www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk/

and some more

http://www.eurobrews.com/wychwood.html

Out of curiosity, could anyone suggest some particularly BAD beer labels? Redesigning them could at least make for some fun practice work, maybe a challenge.

Out of curiosity, could anyone suggest some particularly BAD beer labels?

I can't stand the C-o spacing on Corona Extra bottles, for what that's worth.

Old Russian beer labels

"I’m surprised this hasn’t come up before..."

"this beer label thread doesn’t count? http://typophile.com/node/3545"

If dat treads 4 yrs old by now, it means we have a new generationette of beer drinking typophiles.

"Personally, I like the Leinenkugel logo."

Leinies' de defending champ, inside and out, 'n I ain't seen nor tasted nothin' that's gonna change a beer that's older than Bilbo, in this new thread.

Gimme a 2-4...and a brat to wash it down.

Cheers!

From Brazil!!!

www.fabioaugusto.net

Here's one of the more original Gonzo inspired Brewery logos:

Was lecturing in Michigan and found this at least 8 years ago.

Edit: almost as funny as Arrogant Bastard Ale out of San Diego.
Michael

Michael,
That Bad Frog is my kind of stuff :-)

Gotta find some somewhere!

ChrisL

Chris

I think it is made in NY. They will not sell it here in central Virginia. Like I said I found it in Michigan. Sometimes when I am in Michigan I stay with an order of the Poor Sisters of St Clare of Saginaw. We are great friends and I have done work with them for many years, designing cards etc. It is always fun because I bring a different perspective to the cloister. After I had one in a pub and told them about it they went out and found it in one of the ABC stores and sent me a six pack. They think I am a hoot and I always accuse them of wreaking Catholic Havoc on the Community.

P.s. their ages are 56, 60, 75 and Bernadoni (the elder) turned 90 this year : )

Michael

Thanks Michael! I will Google them. If they don't sell it in Richmond, they won't sell it in Falls Church either :-)

I'll bet you bring a different perspective to the cloister! I am sure the Sisters enjoy your good company.

ChrisL

Hey Chris

I had to put this up. When I did this card for the Sisters they said that I should sell this to a distillery as a brand. The Sisters said it was a brand and a slogan that could be shouted after downing a pint!

Michael

LOL!!! it should read "in excess this day, Oh!" :-)

ChrisL

Very very creative. You got my giggle.

Michael

I love this one:

Here’s a cool one from Germany, a low budget beer in Times and Helvetica - quite clever actually:

But, being German, I’d never touch a brew with a non-blackletter label.

http://www.tug.org/texshowcase/BarnstormingBitter.pdf

Günther, I can attest to the surprising ok taste of the cheap Helvetica/Times beer. Fortunately, since I haven't been naturalized, I'm free to enjoy both with- and without-blackletter-labelled beers ;-)

I love that Quilmes script, Günther!

ChrisL

http://baronsbrewing.com

Old Tuborg Export.
Maybe not good, but still really good.

Not much of a beer when it comes to its taste but the label is..

I love type!

I've always enjoyed Pilsner Urquell beer and label:

Here the wordmark isn't the best but I like the overall look (and it's made in my homeland!):

________
AL ▪▪▪▪

Love and like the taste and looks of Rochefort ...

The brewery is located inside the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy, near the town of Rochefort, and has been brewing beer since 1595. There are approximately 15 monks resident at the monastery. As with all other trappist breweries, the beer is only sold in order to financially support the monastery and some other good causes. The monks will not increase production based on demand or profit motives, but only enough to support themselves, resulting in a fairly limited supply of beer availability.

Somewhat an alternate style but I like it. Native of Sweden of course. :) Thirsty?

I love type!

DAMN! It is frustrating to read this over lunch on a busy day, with only a V-8 in front of me.

Can someone send me a can of beer as an attachment?

powers

New Belgium, home of Fat Tire Amber. In Copperplate Bold, too!.

I love New Belgium, but their logo would be many times better if it was hand lettered or used a less common typeface. It only makes them look more run-of-the-mill.

I love New Belgium, but their logo would be many times better if it was hand lettered or used a less common typeface. It only makes them look more run-of-the-mill.

I'm on the East Coast, so I don't have access to New Belgium, but when I was in California, I had it a few times and really liked it. I also like the idea that they're a sustainable brewery and I think their logo should reflect that better. Copperplate doesn't scream "Earth Friendly" to me. Lundgren's above, does.

You're right, Stephen, but I really like the label because it uses a font I'd normally find pretty ho-hum in a very effective way.

I agree there are better reasons to like a label's type, but I thought I'd throw this one in the mix.

Soon enough hand-lettered will stop saying "eco-friendly" and "independent film" again. What comes around goes around.

But isn't it knee-jerk to execute earth friendly as hand lettered? I think at this point it's a bit cliche to pair eco-friendly and hand lettered fonts, or that "naive" style like (lundren's lager).

Tiff - Oh but you can hand letter in any style. Even to the point of it not looking hand lettered. What I meant was custom lettering rather than type.

less is more.

Stephen I don't disagree with you at all. But, I was responding to Andrew.

But isn’t it knee-jerk to execute earth friendly as hand lettered?

That is what I was hinting at, yes.

Not the best as far as typography goes but still makes me chuckle.

And one I have always liked the design of the label for:

p@rick

Well, considering the current flair for "GREEN" design, it's probably quite cliche to expect a sustainable brewery to follow the trends of hand-lettering to symbolize that they're eco-friendly, blah blah blah...

I was just remarking that I don't associate Copperplate with that whole "Green" motion.

I do like the New Belgium logo, and the type selection does work well. They must be doing something right because I wish I had more access to their beers. I've even commented directly to them about getting more of their beer in PA. They said that because the distribution distance is so great, they couldn't justify shipping that far. It goes back to their earth-friendly approach and desire to reduce their impact on non-replenished fuels. I guess I'll have to wait until their are more electric freight trucks on the road till I can have a cold New Belgium in PA.

"Soon enough hand-lettered will stop saying “eco-friendly” and “independent film” again. What comes around goes around."

Miss Tiffany, are you speaking of naive forms or refined lettering solutions. Better yet, what are the perceived differences between the two? Is not suitability the discerning factor? Should I start a new thread or are my questions stupid?

Michael

Two of my favorites:

Jayyy, you beat me to the punch with the Carlsberg, clearly one of the best.

And who can forget Generic beer?

Here's mine... it's got chutzpah, even if the layout is a bit confused.

Maybe it's more the logo than the brand or hand type. (white ale)
It's immediately memorable.

One of the nicest Finnish ones:

and two other popular ones:

Mili, send one of those over, any beer with such good taste in labels surly must be good tasting!

ChrisL

Here is a Portuguese beer label.
Not the most popular beer but with a nice label!

António

Miss Tiffany, are you speaking of naive forms or refined lettering solutions.

Today the OT tech is so advanced that we can be tricked. But I'm speaking of the façade, so perhaps refined lettering solutions. I'm generalizing, of course, as there are honest and appropriate reasons for using this style of typeface/lettering. I'm mostly bored with it becoming a go to sort of way to achieve a look without really considering if it is the best and/or most appropriate answer for the problem at hand. So I do agree with your second statement.

I guess what I am asking is how can hand lettering speak to eco-friendly. Sure you can use naive (or rather ill-informed letters) to suggest "I am green" but that is a graphic ruse that has been perpetrated for many many decades. You can also bore potential consumers with minimalist "Less is better" (see above) and say the same thing. It is the whole generic brand fad. As to it looking elegant or rough around the edges, it is a "product of the product." It is not green or sheen, just job specific.

I guess I am surprised by some of the comments about lettering. It is almost as if it is thought that lettering is a flash in the pan. Nick even said something the other day about the script "fad." Scripts have been being produced one after another, AND applied to product, since I have been at this, several decades. I have always perceived what we lettering artists do is enhance the "product" when nothing else will do.

No argument from my side just pure curiosity as it affects what I (and others) do and how lettering is perceived by people of "the tangential letter mind."

Michael

Ah. Ok, first while I do agree there is a huge "fad" right now with script fonts, I don't think it will die out, but mutate into new styles.

Second I didn't mean to say that lettering is a flash in the pan. Not at all. What I do think is there happens to be a lot of people using naïve looking fonts/typefaces/lettering on indie films and products where they are trying to convince us that it has been hand-held (cared for?) from the beginning. As if to say the slicker it is somehow the less authentic it is. Does that make sense? Maybe we should start a new thread.

Considering the hand-crafted nature of beer, a signature script seems most appropriate. I agree with Tiffany, standard out of the box fonts, just don't seem right on a label. They need a touch of character.

It's like setting wedding invitations with Times New Roman on a word processor. Just doesn't have that extra care and diligence that makes me think there was some actual thought and talent put into it.

I don't think beer labels have to be script or hand lettered. A good graphic designer can easily make type work.

ChrisL

as of me this is interesting

and hear many more if interest is
www.nubo.ru/pavel_egorov/new98.html

ChrisL

Is that my mouse pad? Nice improvisation Chris. Can one get warts from handling the bottle?

Miss Tiffany, it does make sense. It was just difficult bouncing between the posts and putting it together in my brain in a cohesive fashion.

Michael

Here you are, Chris!

Hope you won't be disappointed, they're all pretty basic lager.

I like your Froggy bottle btw, you should get it into production.

Thanks, Mili! Now I have a fine foam mustache! :-)

ChrisL

Am I speaking a foreign language? :^P

I think fonts can be used just as well as lettering. It is the designer who has to make the correct decisions and understand how best to get to the final solution.

This is just soo funny - not great typography... :-)

It's a Danish brewer called Ølfabrikken (Beerfactory) ... On the label it says: "Because life is too short to crap-beer" :-)

On the top of their website (http://oelfabrikken.dk/hvad/faste-bryg/) you can see what graphics they use on ther beer can... Unfortunally I only have theese small photos and closeups...

I have been admiring all the great labels here in Germany for some time now... Here is a small variety from my collection:

For a more international bonus: Cobra rocking some funky Devanagari :)

Cobra is easy to find in Reading. The bottle is nice, too… not just the label. It has Hindi text on it that you can feel with your fingers and hands, adding one more sensory pleasure to the drinking experience.

Some of my favorite German labels (and one Mexican)

How bout this one,

LOL!!!
is that for real?

ChrisL

is that for real?

Of course it is, it's my favorite beer!

I'm just kidding. It's actually a marketing gimmick from Grand Theft Auto IV.
http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/04/gta-ivs-amazing.html

Dezcom... your cheating with that Froggy thing.. isnt that your own typeface? ;o)

Mark

Carlsberg is the best!

Cheers mates

Yes, Mark, I must admit, that is my own typeface. I couldn't help but cheating;-( it was all because of my troubled childhood... abandoned by an orphanage...picked on in school...ridiculed for being bald...rejected by tall women for being short...life of poverty... grew up drinking Iron City Beer

ChrisL

Hahahahah Chris, that funny! I do like your typeface though!

Haven't tried this, but love the type...

Thanks Mark!

ChrisL

I'd like to promote Steel Reserve here, one of America's cheapest beers. It tastes pretty rough* but it's got a great can! I got intimately familiar with the Reserve in my early college years after we figured out it was better tasting, stronger, and cheaper than most malt liquors. That's right.

*In fact, it tastes pretty close to awful.

That's good to know. I almost bought some the other day, based on the design, but had second thoughts since it was down next to all those other big brewery beers.

Epic is associated quite a bit with fail nowadays. I'd think Epic isn't such a good name for a beer.

Epic is associated quite a bit with fail nowadays.

True, but Epic still stands for gigantic, humongous, extremely proportioned... Which could equal good or bad for this beer. Having never tasted it, I can't say if it's a true FAIL on a massive scale or not.

But for the requirements of this post, I think it does well. Me likey type.

Here are some brutally honest beer labels I did awhile ago for a blog. I showed them to some people and they didn't even notice that the words were changed. Pretty close to the originals I guess.

http://tinyurl.com/bw4yhb

Enjoy... I think they are better with a few beers in you.

Baltimore local! -

Shiner Hefeweizen - such great packaging, labels and type.

Brooklyn Brewery, designed, I believe, by Milton Glaser

Wow.

hhp

Wow indeed. That may be my favorite on the page.

Here's a few from my collection.

Not the best japanese beer for my taste, but a remarkable typographic label:
http://www.mountfuji.co.uk/acatalog/4101-case.jpg

You don't like Asahi Extra Dry with your sushi?!
That's a killer match-up for me.

hhp

Btw, this one was designed by Akira Kobayashi and Matthew Carter:

The Suntory logotype doesn't look very "beerish" but that's because the company does everything from water and tea to beer and whisky.

That’s what I call a great topic!

Here is also some vintage beer action:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasianed/sets/72157623004871988/

You don’t like Asahi Extra Dry with your sushi?!

Actually I prefer the rounder taste of Sapporo (which, while not so memorable as logos go, had one wonderful mug-shaped can):
http://gregorysiegal.com/gregarious/?p=43

Sapporo's can is indeed both beautiful and functional: less vertical slippage!
BTW, Suntory used to have my favorite can: shaped like a beer barrel!

hhp

Sleeman clear (with Beaufort font):

Tongue firmly in cheek for this Boulder one :-)

Here's a couple I did.

The "Shiner" above is great.

dr

http://re-type.com/notaweblog/?p=27

Well I stumbled upon this posting while doing research for a friend's beer label that i'm designing. Here is my favorite:

The first version of Goose island's Matilda line was gorgeous. The type covered the secondary packaging as well. Eventually they pulled back and simplified though.

Kona beer has a great design company working for them. Always have. It's always been an inspiration to me. Their color palettes are genius too.

One thing I would like to see them do though, is create custom type, instead of just using the Lithos font. The label below is one of their best because the type looks pretty original and doesn't use the now common looking Lithos font that most of their labels use.

http://www.konabrewingco.com/beers

Quite fond of the bottles of new(ish) swedish microbrewery Sigtuna Brygghus, especially their specialty hops "Mohawk vs" beers:

Whoops

Label-wise, it's St. Pauli Girl.

I think some of the people posting here are going by their tastebuds and not their eyeballs.

Except tastebuds doesn't explain the St. Pauli Girl choice either...

hhp

Re: St.Pauli girl. True about taste. And maybe the typeface itself isn't very distinguished, but I said label-wise, meaning the whole design, which is not overwrought, but nicely composed with one key color in each case, and has great movement - a cheerful effervescence, you might say.

The 10 Fold Collective redesigned the entire line of one of our local microbrews, I think they did an amazing job.

Link to the Goods