“The eye patch looks awkward”
So maybe you’re right. There are many comments proclaiming the awkwardness of the eye patch in our new label mockup, which I guess is what happens when I try to freehand something. I think what we should be shooting for, in terms of look and style, can be found here:
Eye Patch Ale label mockup
We’ve taken our sweet little time pulling together label mockups ever since we unveiled our new logo earlier this year, mostly because we have definite opinions and want to make sure we get things right. First up is the Eye Patch Ale. Expect the Drafty Kilt label soon, at which point you should hopefully be able to see the direction we are going in with all of our branding. Be sure to click on the image for a close-up version.
So what do you think? Is this something that you would pick off of the shelf if you had no idea who we were? Honesty is always the best policy.
Wedding Beer
As Jonathan has already ranted on my “unsanctioned” beer I figured I might as well share the full story. My younger sister Martha was getting married this past weekend and since her husband-to-be was the creator of the official MNB tap I figured it only appropriate we do a custom beer to celebrate the occasion.
The beer we settled on was a modified version of our yet-named Belgian Wit. I actually added back the coriander and fresh orange zest from the original Weiss Guy recipe. For an added twist I added some fresh ginger at the end of the boil (inspired by the Allagash Fluxus I had in Portland last month). The result was a spectacular beer that won the hearts and taste buds of all who attended (that were legally of age and tasted it). Even my grandmother who hates beer partook in quite a few herself.
We dubbed it the Equally Yoked Heifer-Weizen. The quote is especially dynamite on this one too. If you can’t make it out it reads:
Who was the first guy that looked at a cow and said “I think I’ll drink whatever comes out of those things when I squeeze them?”
Yes. Something we’ve all wondered at one time or another I’m sure.
Bottling (and corking) our Laissez-Faire Barleywine
Last year we bottled the first Laissez-Faire in 22oz bombers and dipped each bottle in gold wax. They looked amazing. They were also impossible to open. This year we switched to 750mL Belgian-style bottles (note: 750mL = 25.4oz), complete with corks and cages:
Those corks were tough to get on with our dinky corker. I broke or over-inserted three before I got the hang of it. This year’s barleywine seems to be on par with last year’s in terms of taste. It still needs a few months more to mellow out, but all signs point to another winner. We haven’t labeled these suckers yet, but here’s what last year’s label looked like:
If you can’t read it, I’ll relay the quote for you. It seems especially relevant in today’s unsettling economic and political times. From Thomas Sowell:
The first lesson of economics is scarcity. There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson in politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.
We should really try to launch this beer during an election year… But then we’d have to wait four years. Never mind.
The new Eye Patch Ale label
I’ve been staring at this label for far too long. It’s not dramatically different from the old Swashchuckler label, which is part of the reason why I’m not quite sure it’s done. But maybe it doesn’t need to be all that different. Regardless, Jeff said I should just throw it online and see what people think. In business we have a phrase for this: “Run it up the flagpole and see who salutes.”
Needless to say, it’s business time.
I would love your comments on the theme, typeface, etc. But more than anything I need comments on the color. Here are the two front-runners right now. We can’t use blue on both our Eye Patch Ale and our Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale, so we had to ditch the teal.
One beer. One vote.
We’ve started debating the question which has no answer: If we have to pick one beer to go to market with initially, which beer should it be? There are many factors at play here, including what micros are currently widely available (Sweetwater’s 420), what Georgia has a taste for, and what name/label is most likely to get people heading to the cash register. Obviously we want your insight too. You needn’t have tasted our beers to vote, but please keep in mind the following:
- What you like
- What the less sophisticated Georgian beer drinker likes (or could grow to like)
- What name is most intriguing
- What label is most compelling (see Brews page for our current label lineup)
- Any unfulfilled gaps in the Georgia beer market (if you know it)
Loading ...Happy Friday!
Newsflash: We rule
We didn’t realize until recently, but it turns out we are awesome. The breakthrough came Thursday night as we dipped our Laissez-Faire Barleywine in gold wax and put labels on them. Turns out they look GOOD. Almost too good…
Our friend actually took a bottle to Brick Store in Decatur and shared it with some of the staff. Apparently it was very well-received. Of course, he could have just been buttering us up to get some more barleywine out of us. I guess it’s a compliment either way.
In other news, last night went really well. We brewed the Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale without a hitch, despite Joel’s meddling. We also had our first intertranscontinental MNB attendee in Juan who is here for a few weeks from Argentina.
