ODC Recommendations: 10 Beer Designs We’re Diggin’
When it’s time to crack open a cold one with the boys, which brew do you choose? Frankly, it’s never just about taste—when we’re scanning the beer fridge, you can bet we’re looking for that special can. And we know we’re not alone. We’ve rounded up our favorite beer packaging designs for you because there’s nothing better than a drink that tastes great and looks amazing to boot.
OFF COLOR BREWING
Off Color Brewing’s hand-drawn illustrations are whimsical, charming, and genuine. That iconic grain mouse featured in their logo shows up on most bottle labels: He’s wearing a fearsome disguise on the delicious Troublesome goose, and perched atop Sue the T-rex on the Tooth & claw dry hopped lager (a beer birthed in cahoots with The Field Museum, by the way). What’s his story? “It's the only mammal that's at the brewery more than us.” Honesty. We respect that.
YOHO BREWING COMPANY
We’re suckers for cute animals, it seems. Suiyoubi No Neko—or Wednesday Cat—White Beer lives in a can adorned with a welcoming cat and a fun sans-serif font. We can’t think of a better visual representation of this smooth, Belgian-style white ale.
FORT POINT BEER CO.
This San Francisco-based brewery knows how to build an experience. The curvy dark bottle and bright red print on Fort Point’s Manzanita bottles evoke the Northern California wilderness and visually embody the beer’s beechwood-smoked flavor. This is a bottle to clean out, keep, and show your friends.
MIKKELLER
Mikkeller, a Denmark microbrewery, marks their cans with compelling visual elements and collaborates with brewers all over the world to produce one-off masterpieces. Take their Citra Hop IPA series, for example: Vibrant oranges and greens make the playful illustrations jump off the can. Each design has its own voice while being mindful of its place in the set. Truly too good not to try to hunt down for ODC’s next Friday happy hour.
UN ANNÉE
No, these aren’t wine bottles—Un Année beer bottles are just elegant as all get out. This Niles-based brewery keeps it clean, housing their sour ales in sexy glass bottles and dressing them with minimalistic labels.
MARZ COMMUNITY BREWING
Every Marz Community Brewing bottle is a showstopper—but for these purposes, we have to call out the Lost Lake Exotica Maibock-style ale. In their first collaboration with the Logan Square tiki bar, Marz nailed tropical-cool with a bold blue label and Lost Lake iconography. It’s simple, trendy, and boy does it make us want to pop some vacation time on our calendar.
STILLWATER
Ah—finally. The perfect beer to drink with sushi. Stillwater’s Extra Dry is a sake-inspired wonder, and its can is just as easygoing as its flavor. The can’s sophisticated cultural nods and the soothing blue to silver gradient gets us every time.
HALF ACRE
What we love most about Half Acre’s cans is that the aluminum is used as a design element. Whether we’re hanging out in a monochromatic field of Daisy Cutter flowers or staring into the technicolor depths of the universe (the ABV on Deep Space is 10% ya’ll, so it sure does feel like it), we can always count on these cans.
GRIMM ARTISANAL ALES
Grimm has reinvented their best-selling Magnetic Compass beer with Motueka, a type of New Zealand hop. The updated recipe is all smooth edges with melon and citrus aromas, and the can design follows suit with bright gradient ribbons and aluminum elements that jump off the label. Cheers!
O/O BREWING
It’s hard to adopt trends and still maintain some sort of authenticity. Swedish brewer O/O hit the jackpot with Pretty Pale Ale’s design—adorned with jewels, this bitter fruit beer’s dress is regal without being pretentious. These bottles are the type of accessory that complement whatever you’re wearing. If you can get your hands on one, bring it to the next event you attend—we’re sure you (and your beer) will be the talk of the party.
