Beer in the new era

I'm drinking most of the time while I'm parenting.

you guys are crazy for not digging bourbon barrel-aged stuff btw! i'm not sure imperial stouts are the best thing to put in a bourbon barrel tho - scotch ales, barleywines, belgian strong darks, etc are a much better fit. those styles are all pretty sweet to begin with, the bourbon taste adds a bit of sweetness but the other smokey/leathery flavors usually stand out way more ime

it's not like i want that much sugar in my beer all the time, but it's a nice treat in the winter or as dessert or w/e

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/03/30/magazine/mag30-Glaser-beer-sidebar.html

Shiner is by far the best-looking bottle on that page

yea. ommegang has always had a nice sense of design too. most of the others are terrible, though i like sixpoint and lefthand

dogfish is just awful though

yeah milt otm about that one, but I think he's also onto something about how standing out and not looking like a beer beer is more important than good design

the uinta one is almost nice but the colors make me hurt

I think this is one of the nicest beer bottles (and a delicious beer too)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n_7gOdboq2w/T25UX_jVGgI/AAAAAAAACvI/i-evjfm2z3s/s640/uintababablacklager.JPG

that's a good looking bottle

the uinta ipa one i don't really like. it kind reminds me of the vermont brewery wolavers:
http://wa.worldclassbeer.com/wp-content/beer_spy/images/prodimages/Wolavers/lOatmealStoutLogo.jpg
which is kind of like, i don't, generic "good design" but just kind of blank and doesn't leave much of an impression

ha i take back the "good design" comment

do not like that farmer guy

it's definitely a little generic. I'm not a designer but to me something about it is weak design-wise. Maybe it's that there are too many words. "VERMONT'S OWN WOLAVER'S FINE ORGANIC ALES BETTER BEER BETTER WORLD OATMEAL STOUT RICH AND CREAMY STOUT" kind of seems like a lot to be saying when you line it all up

like all those phrases are all-caps, they all attract the eye. my eye bounces all around the label with all the different text all over the place, yet it looks like it's not supposed to be busy. It's "clean style" that's not actually clean.

feeling these new throwback-ish cans from amnesia

https://untappd.s3.amazonaws.com/photo/2014_02_09/ac484d68987a5c99c18e669d85f54ed2_640x640.jpg

also like the super-basic look of occidental cans

http://spiritsofmtseymour.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/o/c/occidental_kolsch.jpg

woah, apologies for HUEG pics

I never liked the sixpoint cans as much as I like their beer. It could be worse. But they look so "I'm a bro, but I'm a CITY bro" and their beers always struck me as a little more interesting than that.

also I don't get that wild west theme park logo, wtf is that doing in brooklyn

Best beer with worst logo/label:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SLzVdygFDLg/Uw13BePqj9I/AAAAAAAAfPc/G1zcmU3HdXw/s1600/pliny-the-younger_large.png

lol

heady topper can is pretty dope imo

lol @ pliny. i think statistical analysis would probably show a correlation btwn shitty graphic design and delicious beer

crux probably has my favorite bottle look. cool die-cut shapes, decent background patterns

"I'm a bro, but I'm a CITY bro"

lol perfect

yea carne xp the heady topper can is awesome:
http://uncrate.com/p/2013/05/heady-topper-xl.jpg

One of the breweries I see everywhere now is No Li out of Spokane, which used to be Northern Lights until they re-branded themselves a couple years ago. Their old stuff was just terrible while the new ones are much better (and screenprinted bottles which I am a sucker for) but it'll probably look equally dated in a couple years:

http://justbeer.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/northern-lights-winter-ale.gif
http://www.ohbeautifulbeer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/no-li-wrecking-ball.jpg

Also I had no idea Unita changed the name of "Hop Notch" until I saw it in that Glaser piece. I have apparently been buying it for months and not noticing.

new Ballast Point stuff looks sharp, if very "modern artisinal". love the Sculpin painting.

http://www.glibeer.com/images/products/272/sculpin_6pk__large.jpg

^ same typeface as that Baba up there i see

I think maybe a bold or xbold version of the same thing -- it's a bit fatter

I like Anchor Steam's label designs. also nice texture iirc

Let's be clear, no one can beat Oskar blues in the "great beer terrible packaging" fight

I'm a big fan of the Peak brewery and their packaging basically looks like store-brand yuppie beer.

This could be a box of almost anything natural -- quinoa, fruit leather, biodegradable adult diapers

http://greatbrewers.com/sites/default/files/images/Product%20-%20Peak%20Organic%20Variety%2012%20Pack.preview.jpg

I think Uinta stuff has a very distinctive look. Unfortunately haven't cared for their beer.

http://static.wine-searcher.net/images/labels/73/32/mcneill-s-brewery-warlord-imperial-india-pale-ale-beer-vermont-usa-10377332.jpg

always been too put off by mcneill's terrible labels to actually try their beers

http://beerpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/reagingovsample1.png

If it helps, all the mcneills stuff is actually as terrible as the labels imo

And wow yeah that peak package jesus

that's funny about mcneill's. the packaging is horrible but i spent an evening at the brattleboro brewpub and every beer i tried was outstanding. i've seen their beer in stores but due to the ugly packaging i never have given them any thought or even associated the bottles with the brewpub -- i didn't even know they bottled stuff!

and fwiw as good as the beer was, most of the beer i tried didn't strike as me as stuff that would translate well in the bottle. not sure how to phrase it but there is often a difference in quality between draft and bottle and just tasting the draft i feel like i could anticipate it not working in a bottle. i'll have to test out my hypothesis though

ah xp jjjusten i guess i don't have to do any testing then!

Struck out at 2 of 3 KBS spots thus far today, but the place that's the best chance for some hasn't gotten their delivery yet.

Binny's Lincoln Park lasted an hour and 15 minutes. Limit a surprising 1 4-pack per customer. Previously I believe they did one bottle.

I do like those Jon Langford DFH designs, but then I would.

Binny's HP put all theirs on hold for individuals, I'm pretty sure. I got there 4 minutes after they opened and the beer guy said it was all gone.

honestly i kind of hope that my local didnt squirrel any of that away for me - its good, but ive got a million other beers id rather spend money on right now

a bar in the boston area put on a ton of out-of-distro stuff today (crooked stave, russian river, three floyds, etc.) and used april fools day for the purpose of plausible deniability

oh wow that is a dick move

naw it's cool they're just trying to not get in trouble--basically they printed menus with the actual taplist and a disclaimer saying some of these are april fools jokes/please don't post on social media

skunked on KBS in my 'hood, might as well kill myself