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| Brew Your Own’s 12th Annual Label Contest |
Jul, 2008 |
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| Even beyond Nigel Tufnel’s amp, our annual label contest has gone to 12 — 12 years of highbrow art and lowbrow comedy. Grab a beer and check out this year’s label contest winners. |
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We love beer labels, we really do. Because we know that a plain old bottle can never express the greatness of the homebrew it contains. Sure, you know what’s inside, but a good label tells the world that your beer deserves respect. And if that’s true, judging by the many hundreds of entries we received this year for our annual label contest, there’s quite a few good homebrews out there (and hey, if they’re actually not tasty at least they look good!).
This year’s competition was another tough one, especially with so many great entries to judge. We examined. We pondered. We agonized. And finally we came to a few agreements: being blonde is grand (if you’re a beer), being lucky is golden, being cranky is actually good (silver medal good) and being nimble is bronze-worthy. Ladies and gentlemen, raise your pint glasses to the winner’s of Brew Your Own’s 2008 Annual Label Contest. Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who entered!
Grand
Eric Lichtenberg • St. Louis Park, Minnesota
The inspiration for this label didn’t come from the Reese Witherspoon movie. Instead its, er, roots stem from psychedelic rock. “It came from a 1967 poster of Bob Dylan designed by the famous graphic design studio Pushpin Studios,” Eric said. Most of the label was designed on a computer, and the wavy blonde hair was hand drawn, then scanned in and colored. “The beer and label were a huge hit with family and friends.”
Prizes: Gift certificate from Midwest Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies; 20-quart brew kettle from Polar Ware Company; Refractometer from Homebrew Depot; Gift certificate from North Coast Brewing Co.; Organic beer kit from BrewOrganic.com; Gift certificate from Homebrewers Outpost & Mail Order Co.; Gift certificate from MoreBeer!
Gold
Ryan Lynd • Snoqualmie, Washington
Why glue a label on a bottle when you can etch it? That’s what Ryan thought when he borrowed a friend’s laser engraver to create the look of his Lucky’s 1919 XX Stout. Brewed just in time for a St. Paddy’s party, this was Ryan’s first all-grain batch, which was based on the original proportions and gravity of Guinness from 1919. “I even added back 3% of pasteurized soured Guinness for authenticity. Man does that stink when you boil it!”
Prizes: Gift certificate from Midwest Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies; Gift certificate from North Coast Brewing Co.; Digital pH meter from Homebrew Depot; Fleece jacket from Muntons p.l.c.; Organic beer kit from BrewOrganic.com; Gift certificate from Valley Vintner & Brewer; Gift certificate from Homebrewers Outpost & Mail Order Co.; Gift certificate from MoreBeer!
Silver
Ryan Lockard • Aston, Pennsylvania
A mere photograph can’t show the 360° detail of this entry, whose concept Ryan said was, “too big” for a vessel as small as a 12-oz bottle, so he and his brewing buddy stepped it up to a growler. The design is an “homage to the snake oil merchants of the 19th century, and what better style to match to the rustic American theme but an American brown ale?”
Prizes: Gift certificate from North Coast Brewing Co.; 24” Thermometer from Hobby Beverage Equipment; Fleece jacket from Muntons p.l.c.; 8 oz. of Sterling hops from Home Brew Shop (Chico, CA); Organic beer kit from BrewOrganic.com; Gift certificate from Homebrewers Outpost & Mail Order Co.; Gift certificate from MoreBeer!
Bronze
Rob Enzweiler • Amelia, Ohio
Inspired by the Phoenix hops Rob used to brew his IPA, this label takes its cues from Greek mythology of a new phoenix rising from the flames of a fire. “With this brew, the pleasant spicy hop flavor lingers on the palate from start to finish. The colors used are reminiscent of the flames and the bird’s association to the sun god.”
Prizes: 24” Thermometer from Hobby Beverage Equipment; Fleece jacket from Muntons p.l.c.; 8 oz. of Cascade hops from Home Brew Shop (Chico, CA); Organic beer kit from BrewOrganic.com; Gift certificate from Homebrewers Outpost & Mail Order Co.; Party Pig set-up package from Quoin Industrial
Honorable Mention
Gary Bentrup • Lincoln, Nebraska
Prize: Gift certificate from High Gravity Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies
Alan Guidera • Rochester, New York
Prize: Polo shirt from Otter Creek Brewing
David Levesque • Forestville, Connecticut
Prizes: Two vouchers to the Vermont Brewers Fest from the Vermont Brewers Association; Pint glass from Magic Hat Brewing Co.
Dan Shafer • Upland, California
Prize: Gift certificate from The Beverage People
Jeff Adelsberger • Severn, Maryland
Prize: Polo shirt from Otter Creek Brewing
Mike Johnson • Eagle River, Alaska
Prize: Hat and T-shirt from Alaskan Brewing Co.
Dominique Javet • Cormagens, Switzerland
Prizes: T-shirt from Alaskan Brewing Co.; Stein from White Labs, Inc. and Brew Your Own
Adam Halon • Crown Point, Indiana
Prizes: BrewMometer from Blichmann Engineering, LLC; T-shirt from Homebrew Depot
Matt Franck • Fredonia, Wisconsin
Prizes: BrewMometer from Blichmann Engineering, LLC; T-shirt from Homebrew Depot
Brian Myers • Spring Hill, Tennessee
Prizes: Fleece vest from Alaskan Brewing Co.; Gift certificate from Homebrewers Outpost & Mail Order Co.
Robert Sherrill • Springfield, Virginia
Prize: T-shirt from Magic Hat Brewing Co.
Sean McCauley • Seward, Pennsylvania
Prize: Gift certificate from Country Wines
Forest Jones • Portland, Oregon
Prizes: New Zealand hops from BrewCraftUSA; Pint glass from Magic Hat Brewing Co.
Frank Norton • Springfield, Missouri
Prizes: Gift certificate to Pete’s Place Restaurant from Kreb’s Brewing Co.; T-shirt from Magic Hat Brewing Co.
Andy Melchers • Cincinnati, Ohio
Prize: Gift certificate from South Hills Brewing Supply
Tom Nelson • De Pere, Wisconsin
Prize: Extract plus grains homebrew kit from Briess Malt and Ingredients Co.
Editor's Choice
Adam Crockett • West Babylon, New York
Dale Elster • Auburn, New York
Dan Berexa • Franklin, Tennessee
Adam Draeger • Pella, Iowa
Andrew Altschuler • Knoxville, Tennessee
Benjamin Siegl • Bradenton, Florida
Kirk Oberlander • Lindley, New York
Goeffrey Haas • St. Paul, Minnesota
J.P. Hric • Hastings, Minnesota
Joe Mentele • Shoreling, Washington
John Lynch • Longmont, Colorado
Stephen Singleton • Indianapolis, Indiana
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Welcome to the online home
of
Brew Your Own
- the most popular homebrew magazine in the world. Enjoy this
collection of stories, tips, projects and great recipes from this magazine as
well as web-only features.
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if you like what you see.
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Your First Brew
Here are step-by-step instructions to walk you through your first homemade batch of beer.
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Brew Spreadsheet
Calculate your recipes before you brew with this handy spreadsheet program!
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Brew Water Spreadsheet
Download this spreadsheet to help you turn simple water into that perfect brewing water to suit any brew style!
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Brewcasts
Listen in as BYO editors and writers talk about homebrewing and beer! |  |
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The Brew Blog
The brewing adventures and experiments of BYO editor, Chris Colby.
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We Want You in BYO!
In every issue of BYO, we publish a lot of material that comes straight from readers like you. Recipes, Projects, Tips, Story Ideas and More!
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Past winners of our annual contest