Kiss the Bottle...

As much as I love beer, I'm also fairly interested in the design aspect of the packaging. Whether it be the label design or bottle shape, product design is very important in the craft beer industry. Having to compete with multi-billion dollar breweries who spill more on their bottling line everyday than most brewers produce in a year, and have advertising costs upwards of $800,000,000, craft brewers usually focus their efforts on letting their product sell itself. However, I believe a well designed label or bottle can just as easily sway a drinker from one beer to another as a witty commercial aired during the Superbowl can. Not to mention, with how ignorant most of America is towards craft beer, breweries have to compete with each other to catch the eye of someone looking for something other than corn water. Here are a couple of my favorite bottles that I think have just as much taste as the beer they contain.

Deschutes from Bend, OR

Aside from making world class beers, Deschutes labels are always top notch. From their yearly offerings to their limited releases, I think each label depicts the beer extremely well. What is not great, however, is the fact that I can not purchase these beers in Philadelphia.

The Abyss

Luckily enough, I've had a chance to try The Abyss thanks to a couple drunk nights on ebay. The deep black crack spanning the length of the bottle and the black wax-dipped cap are indicative of the beer inside.

Red Chair IPA

Honestly, no label has ever made me want to try a beer more than Red Chair IPA. Like a great painting, I'm sucked into the scene depicted on the label and if the beer tastes anything like the feeling I get looking at the label, I think I'd be spending the night on that chair until someone wakes me up the next morning.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Like the label for Red Chair IPA above, the scene on the label is just great. I've always been attracted to the Pacific Northwest for some reason or another, and I imagine drinking Mirror Pond on one of those nights that's not quite Summer but not quite Fall would be a treat. Also, as one of Deschutes' flagship beers, the label is not too intimidating as to scare off some typically BMC beer drinkers.

The Dissident

This is my favorite label in the world. I'm a pretty big Alfred Hitchcock fan and, for obvious reasons, this reminds me of him. Defined as something that dissents from established conventions, this beer is a far cry from the typical American light lager. The burgundy colored wax-dipped cap just seals (LOL!!!) it for me.

Surly Brewing's Darkness (Brooklyn Center, MN)

Each year Surly does a different label for their extremely popular, extremely limited Russian Imperial Stout. 2009's was my favorite they've done so far.

Orval (Belgium)

Orval is my favorite beer in the world. Living in Philadelphia, I'm lucky enough to have Orval anywhere at anytime. The label is perfect. Elegant and modest, with a lot behind it (love the story/legend of the fish with the ring in its mouth), just like the beer.

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (Lyons, CO)

Who says beer tastes better from a bottle? With the recent 75th Birthday of the beer can, it's great to see many craft breweries giving the can some love (sexual innuendo not intended). Ten Fidy definitely has my favorite label art for a can. It's also great seeing thick, black motor oil coming from a beer can after being conditioned for so many years seeing "fizzy yellow" water.

Russian River Brewing Company's Growlers (Santa Rosa, CA)

Growlers are regaining a lot of popularity recently. The NYTimes recently published an article on the craze. Most are fairly simple, some add a flip top and metal handle, but Russian River has a growler unlike any other I've seen. I love the bulbous shape of the bottom and the finger-hole glass handle. Wish I could get my hand on one of these (filled with Pliny the Younger, of course).

Lastly, and I'm not joking with this...

Miller High Life (All over the country, USA)

As shitty as the beer may be, High Life has its place and time. Unless you are a serious baller, anyone can, or should, enjoy a night out with a bunch of friends at the dive bar in your neighborhood drinking $1 High Lifes. As unclassy as the beer may be, I think the label is classy as shit. It works really well with the clear bottle. Too bad Miller probably spent more money designing the label than they did brewing the beer!

There are so many more that I think are worthy of some sort of praise, but these are just a few off the top of my head that I really enjoy. This link that I found on my twitter feed (thanks @beersage) has a list of 50 really well designed bottles/labels. Most I've never even heard of, but it's a nice list regardless. I really like the Cable Car Brewing (not related to Lost Abbey), Hallertau, Bierbank, and Nelson Brewing packaging a lot. The student designed, reimagining of Westmalle's bottle/4-pack carrier is gorgeous. It's a shame that it just wouldn't work.

50 Beautiful and Stunning Beer Bottle and Can Designs

P.S. Thank you to all the websites from who I stole these images. I'll buy you a round at the bar.

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