America is in the midst of a beer revolution. Independent brewers from every state are going all-out, experimenting with ingredients, collabs, and can art to make sure you take notice of them. We looked at more taprooms (and their Instagram accounts) than we can count to present 30 of the best-looking beer cans in America.
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Tactical Brewing Co.
Founded by military veterans with a motto to produce “strategically chaotic beer”, this Orlando-based brewery is known for its adventurous pours using ingredients like spicy habaneros and juicy oysters as part of the brewing process. While the 11 Alive White Stout is a little less unconventional (using toasted coconut and coffee), it is the pared-down artwork of tropical coconuts with hibiscus flowers and dog tags that catches the eye.
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Foolproof Brewing Company
What says Rhode Island more than the big, blue bug overlooking the I-95 in Providence? Aside from it being a nice tribute to the state, Pawtucket’s Foolproof Brewing has low-fi comic vibes that seem perfect for its New England-style Milkshake IPA with Blueberries and Vanilla. It’s an odd combination which reviewers actually don’t mind: “it’s overwhelmingly blueberry but complemented with the vanilla which pulls away from the tart flavor.”
Crowns & Hops Brewing Co.
As a Black-owned craft beer brand and brewery, Crowns & Hops use its platform seriously, designing its cans to showcase Black history and culture. It was a tough choice between The Blue Peach with Stacey Abrams on the front or The Glow Up — a collaboration with J. Wakefield Brewing out of Miami to pay homage to Black cinema, music, and the ’80s. We decided on the latter for its captivating tagline: “Your Authenticity Is Your Glow."
Wild Barrel Brewing
Looking at this ‘60s-style artwork, you can almost feel the beer-induced haze coming on. This beer from Wild Barrel Brewing was praised for being a “thick pour with a sweeter taste” and an overall mouthfeel as “hazy, creamy, juicy”.
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Copper Kettle Brewing Co.
This fierce, feminine can design by Norlo CEO Anna Long was designed by Copper Kettle as a “tribute to the power of femininity in traditionally masculine spaces.” A blonde ale made with 60 pounds of Colorado honey, the beer has a can design that features artful interpretations of female-empowerment elements as well as the beer’s ingredients (honeycombs, golden bee, contrasting symbols of weapons, and lipstick), making it a true original.
21st Amendment Brewery
Good old Abe Lincoln never looked better … You have to hand it to 21st Amendment Brewery for the sweet illustrations on this beer can — and the brews aren’t half bad, either. The Brew Free! or Die Tropical IPA gets points for its low bitterness and tropical-forward hops with some reviews calling it a “vacation in a can”.
Gallant Fox Brewery
Can you picture Sonny Crockett knocking back this hazy IPA with his suit-sleeves rolled up? The “Miami Vice” vibes are hard to miss in this Gallant Fox Brewery pick, but taste-wise, this is all West Coast style with reviewers rating it as representative of a West Coast IPA.
Kona Brewing Company
Big wave season may be in January and February, but this smooth, lighter-bodied golden ale can be enjoyed anytime since it’s brewed all year. We can’t decide which we like better — the easy-drinking flavors from Kona Brewing Company or the island-style artwork depicting an outrigger riding the crest of a breaking wave at Oahu’s Makaha Beach.
Coronado Brewing Company
Picked by Ceros as one of its favorite beer can designs, Coronado’s Cosmic Ocean can art exemplifies the company’s tradition of marrying the brand to original art. The brewery holds a quarterly Art Series can submission, and the first 2019 release, Cosmic Ocean (a bone-dry IPA), features photographer Anthony Drake’s stunning imagery, which marketing director Melody Crisp attributed to inspiring its name: “His stunning time-lapse photos of the ocean and night sky inspired the name Cosmic Ocean.”
Brouwerij West
Brouwerij West, well-known for specialty-release cans created in collaboration with illustrators, painters, and muralists, elevates can art further with Hollywood Acid. According to The Hi Lo, a special application process ensures that each label has dozens of die-cut stickers, making each can a 3D sculpture.
Wiley Roots Brewing Co.
Board games and beer — we can’t think of a better combination. Apparently the judges of the 2020 Craft Beer Marketing Awards thought the same, handing this fun, six-beer series from Wiley Roots an award for Best Packaging Design. The labels (when peeled off) form a Snakes and Ladders-style board game in which the goal is to deliver the labels before its next release.
Anchorage Brewing
HopCulture picked the daring design of A Deal With the Devil as one of its favorites — and it’s clear why. Artist Rob Bowyer’s impressive drawings have a beautiful dark charm about them. This particular commission, which is dipped in black wax upside-down, was deliberately limited in supply with only 4,272 16-oz cans of the 17.3% ABV barleywine-style ale made. The good news is Bowyer’s work can be found on other Anchorage Brewing beers like the imperial stout-style No Sleep and End Of The Line, a pilsner made with phantasm powder.
Union Craft Brewing
Simple and to the point (or rather the spot) cleverly placed where you hold the bottle, this elegantly simple label from Union Craft Brewing by artist Daren Magee clinched the Best Bottle Design 21oz at the 2021 Craft Beer Marketing Awards. The brew itself is a work of art, spending 13.5 months in barrels that previously held cognac and rye whiskey, so it pours like a “black maple syrup” and holds “hints of charred oak, tobacco, and a slight hint of hardwood smoke.”
Copper Kettle Brewing Co.
If you didn’t manage to get this Fourth of July release, here’s hoping Copper Kettle will do a re-release for 2022. A traditional style Kölsch that’s easy to drink, the beer comes in a can that has a striking illustrated Lady Liberty (done by Norlo Design) in red, white, and blue. It’s a fun, non-partisan way to wear your patriotism out loud.
Guggman Haus Brewing Co.
Picking up a Golden Crushie at the 2021 Craft Beer Marketing Awards was proof that the award-winning craft brewery got into the beer can game at the right time. The brief to design house Bradley and Montgomery (BaM) was simple: packaging that reflected its values and its story… and to be “warm, inviting, and have that feeling of gathering together with friends and family on the front porch.”
Oskar Blues
Featuring a pop-art-inspired can with an elongated, groovy font, the look of this can of sour ale by Oskar Blues is as interesting as what’s inside. Made with pink guava and tangerine, it’s deliberately tart to the palate, which, according to Gayot, used “innovative yeast strains, which produce the lactic acid necessary for a punch of tartness.”
Troegs Independent Brewing
We’re all for the sidewalk chalkboard-style font of the Jovial Dubbel Ale. What we love even more is that Troegs holds an annual Art of Tröegs contest which has seen its fans create label art (check out the hop-filled LolliHop trees drawn by Devin Watson) and the brewhouse encourages kiddult coloring while drinking with the Art of Tröegs Book of Beer-Drinking Curiosities.
Copper Kettle Brewing Co. & Big Grove Brewery
The label artwork by Norlo Design was inspired by Denver’s Rocky Mountains and is just one reason to go in search of this can. The other? It’s a collaborative kettle sour brew by Copper Kettle and Big Grove Brewery and made with lactose, raspberry, and blackberry. Reviewers rave that the end result is “bursting with mosaic goodness”.
East Hartford Brewing
For St. Patrick’s Day, track down this delicious, bitter stout with a whimsical Lucky The Leprechaun on the can. According to East Hartford Brewing, the design “represents how fortunate the EHBG team feels to be able to do what we do — brew great beer and serve it to great people.”
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Harpoon Brewery
The retro vibes are strong with this slightly-hoppy, 6.5% ABV rye brew with floral undertones. Founded back in ‘86 that “good times could become great with better beer”, this employee-owned Massachusetts brewery has launched a modern brew perfectly timed to appeal to its growing Gen-Z fan base.
Humble Sea Brewing Co
Drawn by co-owner Frank Scott Krueger, Humble Sea’s quirky labels have a certain irreverence about them – which is exactly how the brewery hopes you find its beers. Working off a philanthro-brewery ethos with the core values of beer, community, and design, the Socks & Sandals series was named after what the brewery’s “favorite Santa Cruz tourist phenomenon.”
Destination Unknown Beer Company
The can art for this brew may be too girly for Homer Simpson, but we bet he’d opt for a donut milkshake beer over a bottle of Duff any day. A teamwork effort by Long Island’s Destination Unknown Beer Co. (also known as DUBCO) and local donut-slingers North Fork Donut Company, this India Pale Ale is creamy, thick, and has some tangy strawberry notes with a pleasant dessert vanilla taste.
Russian River Brewing
There’s something simple yet clever about the design of Russian River Brewing’s Supplication brew bottle that gets us begging for more. You might just have to beg, as this mixed-fermented, sour beer is only available seasonally. It’s aged in used pinot noir barrels from local Sonoma County wineries for a unique flavor.
Oozlefinch Beers & Blending
Make storytime a ton more fun with this beer in hand as you read (for the umpteenth time) Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” Drawn by artist Vaiva Rimeika, the artwork on this beer from Oozlefinch Beers is a skillful play on an established character.
Good Word Brewing
Never underestimate the life-changing power of a witty one-liner inscribed on a cold one. Good Word Brewing poses a pertinent question on its wheat lager brew: “Permanent vacation? Or are you simply living out of the suitcase of your mind?” Accompanied by Rachel Eleanor’s ironic illustration of a man wearing a flamingo pool floatie while vacuuming, the quip gets you thinking about your priorities for 2022.
Brouwerij West
Good luck tracking down the hard-to-find Dog Ate My Homework, a blackberry saison with just a touch of black currant which has a cult following of its own. We’ll grab this one just for the can art alone even if it is a perfect summer sipper. Brouwerij West is a fully solar-powered brewery and is water conscious, too.
Double Nickel Brewing Company
This trippy, kaleidoscopic design is one we won’t mind zoning out to. Brewed with bright pineapple, apricot, citrus, and mango flavors, the double dry-hopped Weekend Warrior is light and easy to drink any day of the week.
