Who doesn’t like to kick back with a cold one every now and then? While playing around with our pro511DW Digital Web Press and preparing print samples for our exhibition at this year’s National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) Annual Convention, we started discussing which of our favorite brews we hope to enjoy this upcoming Labor Day. Check out our list below and let us know what you’ll be sipping on as we say so-long to summer.
1. Not Your Father’s Root Beer
Have you tried this yet? Small Town Brewery’s Not Your Father’s Root Beer, has become a huge success this summer. According to Beer Marketer’s analysis of IRI data, Not Your Father’s Root Beer was the sixth-best-selling craft brewer from June 14th thru July 12th. Honoring the family tradition of creating specialty beers with unique and flavorful ingredients, sales are continuing to rise. If you haven’t tried this yet, we highly recommend picking up a few cases for this year’s BBQ!
2. Coors Light
Introduced in 1978, “The Silver Bullet” label features the unforgettable two peak mountain logo. Not only is this label very memorable, its actually “cold certified” to turn from white to blue once the beer reaches its peak drinking temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit. With its crisp, refreshing taste and high drinkability, Coors Light is a go-to summer beer.
3. Budweiser
Budweiser is one of the highest selling beers in America, and was first brewed in St. Louis, Missouri in 1876. The logo on “The King of Beers” label is everywhere, and is easy to spot on everything from t-shirts, bar parasols and beach towels in the summer. Budweiser has seen great success over the years with its memorable marketing initiatives, such as the “Bud,” “Weis,” and “Er” frogs, and their “Whassup?” campaign.
4. Bud Light
Budweiser’s flagship light beer was originally called Budweiser Light when it was created in 1982. Their blue label is one of the most recognizable among light beers. Bud Light is widely successful with its unconventional and highly memorable marketing campaigns targeted at a “hip” audience, including sponsorships with Jay- Z and Justin Timberlake and its #UpForWhatever campaign. Bud Light was the number one selling beer in the country in 2013, with close to 270 million cases sold.
5. Heineken
If there’s one unforgettable beer label, it’s the Heineken label. Its signature green glass bottle with red star is unique amongst its many competitors. Available in 70 countries, Heineken is popular all over the world. It’s rumored that in 1964 Alfred Henry Heineken, grandson of the original founder, decided to change the font on the Heineken beer label so that it would be more friendly to women – who at the time were typically doing the grocery shopping for the family. As such, he tweaked the font so that the Heineken “e” appears to be smiling.
6. Dos Equis
Founded in 1890, Dos Equis is a Mexican lager with two distinctive red Xs on the label. Possibly more notable than its label are the Dos Equis advertising campaigns featuring “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” The ads star a suave older gentleman mastering (fighting, arm wrestling, bench pressing etc.) his way out of a variety of extreme situations. At the end of the ads the protagonist signs off by saying, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.” and “Stay thirsty, my friends.”
7. Corona
Easily recognizable, the Corona bottle has a white and black label with a crown logo (Corona means crown in Spanish). Ironically, the practice of squeezing a lime wedge into a Corona bottle to enhance its flavor is only done outside its native Mexico. Sold in more than 150 countries around the world, Corona is the fourth best-selling beer in the world and the top-selling imported beer in the U.S.
8. Samuel Adams
Named after Founding Father and esteemed writer (some of his notable work was featured in the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation), Samuel Adams was rumored to be a maltster. Founded in 1984, the Boston based brewing company paid homage to our founding father with their first brew “Samuel Adams Lager.” This domestic brew is easy to spot with its distinctive globe label and is a national favorite with its seasonal offerings.
9. Miller High Life
Introduced to the market in 1903, the “The Champagne of Beers” is Miller’s oldest brand. High Life’s nickname is fitting, considering this brew is high carbonated and bubbly – just like champagne. Originally sold in miniature champagne bottles, Miller High Life was one of the premier high-end beers in the country. Like the others on our list, the High Life label is very distinctive with its tapered neck and “Girl on the Moon” logo. Legend has it that the girl sitting on the moon is company founder, Frederick Miller’s granddaughter.
10. Miller Lite
Originally called “Lite,” Miller Lite was essentially the first light beer created in 1967, but was introduced in 1973. Miller was the first to succeed in the light beer market with advertising featuring pro athletes in an effort to sell to the key male-dominant beer market, doubling their production in their first 2 years. In 2013 Miller Lite reintroduced its original navy and white “Lite” label as a product placement marketing campaign for the movie Anchorman 2. The “throwback” label went over so well that by summer 2014 they switched back to the original label full-time.
11. Yuengling
Established in 1829, D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the United States. Yuengling is also one of the largest by volume, producing 2.5 million barrels each year. This brewery has managed to “keep it all in the family” through purchase of ownership by offspring of the owners. Yuengling Lager is quite popular in Pennsylvania and New Jersey – so much so, that it’s common to walk into a bar and simply ask for a “lager.”
12. Blue Moon
The only Belgian White variety on our list, Blue Moon is a Belgian-style wheat beer made from malted barley, white wheat, orange peel, coriander and oats. This brew is often served with an orange slice, which its brewmasters claim accentuates its flavor. With its unique flavor profile, Blue Moon has won 3 awards at the World Beer Championship, as well as 3 awards at the World Beer Cup.
13. Pabst Blue Ribbon
A no-frills American-style lager, PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) was originally family brewed in Milwaukee. Its name comes from the blue ribbons tied around the bottle neck between 1882 and 1916. With sales dropping below one million barrels in 2001, organizational changes were made and the brand was revived. Today, PBR is somewhat of a lifestyle statement among college students due to its low price, drinkability and street-level marketing.
14. Stella Artois
This Belgian pilsner was introduced in 1926 as a Christmas beer, eventually becoming available year-round. Its name means, “Christmas Star.” Stella, as it’s sometimes called, has a nine-step ritual (called the Belgian Pouring Ritual) for pouring a glass of Stella Artois. It starts with chilling the beer to between 36 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit, before rinsing your glass and opening the bottle. You then have to pour the beer at the correct angle to get just the right amount of head, which you then cut off the top of the glass. After cleaning your glass once more, you’re finally ready to drink.
15. Rolling Rock
Rolling Rock is a pale lager originally brewed in Latrobe, PA (a suburb of Pittsburgh) in 1939. As stated on the bottle, Rolling Rock was brewed in large glass-lined tanks, which was considered state-of-the-art at the time. Their green glass bottles are unique, as is their logo featuring a horse. Rolling Rock is also known for their cute 7 oz. “pony” bottles. There are also quite a few legends surrounding the “33” on the Rolling Rock bottle. Some say it represents the number of words in the pledge of quality, the year Prohibition was lifted, the number of letters in the ingredient list, or simply a mistake when the first bottle was printed. It remains a mystery.
