Beer Bottle Labels: Bones

Ok, bones and skeletons I understand.  Just a few of my favorites:

Cheers,

Zymus

Beer Bottle Labels: Gnomes, Elves, Gobblins, etc...

Small, mythical creatures are also popular...not sure why.  Examples:

Cheers,

Zymus

Beer Bottle Labels: Trains

Trains also seem to be the subject of many beer bottle labels.  Here's a few from my collection:

Cheers,

Zymus

Short's Brewing Company

With so many unusually named beer in the Short's pantheon of beers, there were many that I was curious about.  Recently, I came across one called "Key Lime Pie."  This one, in particular, made me nervous.  The label indicted that it was made with marshmallows, lactose, lime, and graham crackers!

The Short's website describes it as follows; "Made with fresh limes, milk sugar, graham cracker, and marshmallow fluff, we were able to recreate this popular dessert into a heavenly drinkable version. The prominent flavors are immensely sweet, yet tart, with subtle hints of graham cracker coming through in the nose and remain on the back of the palate." Source:

http://www.shortsbrewing.com/

So, I shelled out my $2.69 and purchased a single bottle.  It sat in my refrigerator for weeks while I waited for an occasion that seemed appropriate for trying this unusual beer.  Then one day last weekend, my wife said, "When you open that bottle of Key Lime Pie I want to try it." An occasion had presented itself.  

That night I opened the bottle and gave it a try.  It did taste a bit like lime, graham cracker...maybe some marshmallow, but it was way too sweet for me, to my great disappointment.  I gave the rest to my wife, who took one sip and had the same reaction.  Although it is a rarity in my home, we poured out this rest.  Fortunately, I had recently purchased a six-pack of "Ale la Reverend," also from Short's, so I had an excellent alternative.

Cheers,

Zymus

Frog Island Brewery

There is a mystery circulating around Ann Arbor, Michigan.  For years, us Michiganders have seen "Frog Island" beers around.  They have been nothing too special, but for those of us who go to the annual Michigan  Beer festival, held at Frog Island Park in Ypsilanti Michigan, the name has a fond appeal.  I'm always curious about where beer is actually brewed, as opposed to where you might think it is brewed.  One might think the Frog Island brand, for example, was brewed somewhere near Frog Island.  Indeed, there is a shack near this location with the name Frog Island Brewery on it. There just does not seem to be anything in or around the shack.  Here's a label from one of the beers.  A careful reading of the label shows that it is brewed by the Michigan Brewing Company in Webberville, MI. 

The mystery started for me a few days ago, when my favorite beer proprietors at the "Wine Seller" in Ann Arbor, MI had a beer called "The Devil in the Details." This beer was a high gravity imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels.  Interesting and WOW,  I thought.  My impression of the Frog Island brewery was that they made standard fare beer to be enjoyed by the masses.  "The Devil" was a really good stout, although very low in carbonation.  As I usually do, I read the label while I enjoyed the beer.  To my surprise it said that the Frog Island Brewery was located in Ann Arbor and had an address only a few miles from my house.  I typed the address into Google Maps and looked at the images associated with this location.  There was absolutely nothing but two mailboxes and a lot of farm land.  The mystery deepened.

Lable for The Devil in the Details

As I contemplated this mystery a little more, I found two more Frog Island beers at some of my other favorite beer spots.  They were also interesting and definitely not standard fare.  One was a Scotch Ale called Moon Squallor and the other was an IPA called Bengal.  Both were also quite good.

Moon Squallor

Bengal

Okay.  The next step is to go and scout out the location in person.  I'll get back to you.

Cheers,

Zymus

Beer Bottle Labels: Ancient Art and Architecture

Another theme: Ancient art and architecture.  Hmm...

Cheers,
Zymus

Beer Bottle Labels: Ships

Labels on beer bottles are to help sell the beer to a target (male) audience.  Obvious, right?  What is interesting is what the marketers think would be of interest to us male beer drinkers.  I came across an article the other day that was ranking the top 15 sexy beer bottle labels.  Again, it's no surprise that cleavage (and more) appeals to guys.  This article, however, got me thinking what other themes beer marketers have used to sell us beer.

I looked through my collection of more than 1,350 bottles and found some nice themes.  Apparently, guys who drink beer like ships.  Here is a sampling of some of those labels.

Cheers,

Zymus