If you follow me on Instagram (which you should) then you know that my favorite place to drink is at home. While I love visiting breweries, it doesn’t happen nearly as often as I would like. Which means packaged beer is the primary way I am exposed to craft beer. And I’ve noticed that packaging design has a huge impact on my perception of a beer and a brewery. Outside of logos and design, a can/bottle can have a ton of information on it. Which led me to wonder, what information do I want to find on craft beer labels?
The question seems nearly irrelevant at first but consider all of the information that is involved in a single beer. There’s a small novel that could be written about why a beer was created, the ingredients used, and how the final product tastes. Breweries have different mindsets when it comes to what information they provide along with the level of design that goes into it.
Here’s what I want to find on the label of craft beer that I purchase; listed in order of importance.
Independent Craft Brewer Seal
The Independent Craft Brewer Seal is a relatively new program from the Brewers Association. It is an image that craft brewers (as defined by the Brewers Association) can use in the marketing, like craft beer labels, to identify themselves are independent.
The use of the seal is designed to educate consumers on which breweries are independent versus those that are owned by “big beer”. Since most beer is sold at grocery stores, it is imperative that consumers are provided with tools to help distinguish brands that fall in line with their expectations.
The seal does exactly that. It is the easiest way to determine if a brewery is small, independent, and craft. For many (including myself), this is an important part of the buying decision so I’ve listed it as the first thing I want to see on the label. It has been amazing to see how many breweries have adopted this seal so make sure you look for it when deciding which beer to try next.
Want to know more about who owns who in the beer world? Check out my list of breweries along with who owns them. Then visit the Brewers Association to learn more about how to get and use the seal.
Beer And Brewery Name
I know it sounds insane but there are some beers that I’ve struggled to find the name of the beer on the label.
This can be caused by the design being so overly done that the words are illegible. Or there have been a few cases where it’s just really hard to find or not there at all.
I’m not an art critic but from a beer drinking perspective, I want to be able to quickly know the name of what I am drinking. And in the same way, I want to know the name of the brewery. Bonus points if the city and state are clearly noted as well.
Style
Much like the name of the beer, I want to know the style. There are so many different styles of beer and most people want to know the style prior to drinking it.
This is especially important during the beer buying process. While I browse the beer aisle, I am often attracted to new and unique beer artwork. But if I can’t tell what the style is, then I’ll probably pass on it.
It is worth noting, that even if a beer is a specific style it doesn’t mean it will taste anything like other beers you’ve had in that style. This can be quite frustrating for some while others love how each brewery has the ability to interrupt a style with their own unique perspective. But either way, I want to know what style the brewery believes that beer is so I have some indication of what to expect.
Flavor Profile
Much like the style of the beer, I want the brewer to tell me what I should be tasting. Guiding drinkers in the actual flavor recognition process is key to making better drinkers of everyone.
While the ability to pick up on different flavors will differ, we are more likely to recognize flavors in the beer if we know what to look for. Some will disagree with this as they believe that discovering flavors on their own is better. They feel the power of suggestion is too strong and can influence the experiences too much. That can be true but in my experience, people have told me they want some guidance to help find the flavors.
In many cases, this can be tied into the description of the beer but I prefer to see it listed separately. Some breweries do this via a few bullet points which is both helpful and simple.
Stats
Seems like an automatic but the “standard” stats need to be on craft beer labels. I want to know the ABV and IBUs of a beer.
Some may include the SRM (color) but I don’t think that is nearly as important as ABV and IBU. While it seems like the appearance of beer is more important than ever (living in the world of Instagram), the SRM doesn’t really impact the flavor. So if there is one stat that I won’t miss, it is SRM.
The other stat that is needed is the best by or bottled/canned date, preferably both. Customers deserve to know if they are buying fresh beer as shelf life is important. Regardless of the style, freshness matters and the lack of a date can be an instant deal breaker when picking which beer to buy.
In addition, I want these listed near each other and in a spot that makes sense; please don’t hide them among the design of craft beer labels.
Ingredients
This is probably the one item I want the most that isn’t given very often. I want to know what’s in the beer.
From the hops to the malts to the yeast to any adjuncts added, I want to know what has been used to create the amazing flavors I’m about to taste.
Some breweries do this flawlessly but most provide either nothing or at most the hop and adjunct information. And while these are by far the two items that craft beer fans tend to care the most about, listing all of the ingredients becomes an opportunity to educate beer drinkers.
Knowing what is in a beer compared to another beer helps develop a working knowledge of what a beer should or could taste like based on what was in the recipe. Over time, craft beer fans will begin to recognize specific hops or malts that they enjoy more than others.
Description
Finally, craft beer labels should include a description that tells me more about the beer and why I should buy it in the first place.
What the description contains can be wide ranging. It can focus on the origin story of the beer which helps me get connected to the brewer’s mindset or it can tell me what to expect from the appearance, aroma and flavor of the beer. The goal should be to bring me along in the story of the brewery and this individual beer.
The description can be just about anywhere on the bottle/can but most of us are accustomed to finding it on the back.
Final Thoughts
That’s a lot of information to fit onto a bottle/can unless the entire label is just information. So I understand that there are limitations as to how much can be put onto craft beer labels before it is overrun with words.
And I love great design so I don’t want to sacrifice an appealing can/bottle for more information. However, There are many breweries that successfully include lots of details on their beer labels. And they do it while still have a great look to their brand.
An example of this is Platform Beer Co. While simple, their branding stands out and provides more information than most. Platform Beer Co. utilizes design to talk about their beer in a way that helps us enjoy it more. And at the end of the day, that’s what counts.
Some may say that Platform Beer’s design is a little boring or simple. However, when shopping for beer, it stands out and helps the potential customer understand what they are buying.
What I want breweries to remember is craft beer labels are an opportunity for education and a sales tool. For many, they do not visit breweries or do much research prior to buying beer. So the label is the only way they interact with the brand. Which means the label design is the most important piece of a brewery’s marketing strategy.