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American beer brands: The best American beer brand logos
There are plenty of memorable American beer brands out there, from Budweiser, to Miller Lite. Few things are more relaxing than enjoying a bottle of your favorite beer on a warm day in the US – but how often do you stop to take a closer look at the label on your bottle?
American beer brand logos, just like the logos of other major brands, are designed to elicit a certain response from their target audience. These brand assets aren’t just there to represent a specific company, they’re also created to convince you to choose one specific beer over another.
Today, we’re going to be looking at some of the most well-known and iconic American beer brands, and how they’ve captured the hearts of their audience with the ideal logo.
The top American beer brand logos
American’s love of beer dates back much further than most people realise. Ancient Egyptian Pharos and Babylonians even enjoyed the delicious, savory taste of this golden beverage. Some Egyptians were even buried with their favorite beer.
Today, like most parts of the world, America is home to a constantly-evolving selection of popular beer brands. Some American beer brand logos have remained with their company for a number of years, spanning history throughout the US.
Others have evolved with the times, becoming increasingly modern to capture a new audience.
Today, we’re going to be looking at just some of the top American beer brands, and what makes their visual identity so special.
Budweiser
Probably the most popular American beer brand in history for a lot of fans, Budweiser’s logo has evolved a number of times over the years, as the company searched for its identity as the “King of beers”.
The Budweiser brand was introduced in 1876, almost 150 years ago, in St Louis, Missouri.
The Budweiser brand today belongs to the Anheuser-Busch company and uses a slanted bow-tie style shape to define the brand. Budweiser’s bow-tie is an attempt to symbolize the heritage, sophistication, and luxury behind the beer brand.
The cursive lettering on the Budweiser logo is an insight into the indulgent nature of the company, as well as a tool intended to showcase the creativity of the brand.
National Bohemian Beer
Colloquially referred to as “Natty Boh” by some, the National Bohemian Beer brand was first launched in 1885, nearly 140 years ago. The company first came to life in Baltimore, Maryland, and was eventually purchased by the larger Pabst Brewing Company.
The National Bohemian beer company has moved through a number of mergers and partnerships with a range of leading beer companies over the years, including Carling. Today, the company continues to be one of the better-known options among American beer brands.
A little old-fashioned in style, the National Bohemian Beer logo features a number of different elements, from an insight into the year when the company was founded, to an emblem showcasing the brand’s name.
There’s even a little mascot included with the logo with just one eye.
Coors
Another of the better-known American beer brands on the market, the Coors Brewing Company started life in Colorado, during 1873. The company is one of the better-known beer brands in the world, known for producing a variety of different “Coors” beverages.
The official Coors logo is a simple wordmark, depicted in dark blue with a white outline. The bold and cursive nature of the font highlights the fun and creativity of the company, with an edge of sophistication built-in. The color choices are excellent for conveying reliability and cool temperatures.
There are also a host of Coors logos for different variations of the drink, such as Coors Lite, with its mountainous background, intended to remind us of an icy cold environment.
Miller
The Miller Brewing company, or “Miller” is best-known for drinks like the popular Millar Lite. However, the company also produces a wide range of other beverages. Miller was first introduced in the United States during 1855 and continues to be one of the most popular brewing brands to this day.
Miller’s product line-up includes a wide variety of beers, each with their own dedicated logo, like the Miller Lite beer, which features a unique crest-style emblem, or Miller Genuine Draft. The official Miller wordmark is a consistent presence in virtually every version of the Miller logo.
The wordmark features the name of the company, written at an angle, so it looks as though the letters are transitioning up and towards the right. Like many of the top American beer brands, Miller also features a cursive font.
Anchor Brewing
Founded in 1896, the Anchor Brewing Company is an American alcoholic beverage producer, operating in California. The brewery today is responsible for a wide range of different alcoholic beverages, including some of the most popular beers in America.
Core beers in the Anchor lineup include everything from Anchor Steam to Liberty Ale, Anchor Porter, and Humming Ale. Like many of the American beer brand products mentioned here, each beer has its own dedicated logo design.
The official Anchor brewing logo is an eye-catching anchor image depicted in dark blue to symbolize reliability and consistency. The words “Since 1896” appear atop the anchor to give an insight into the brand’s history. The word “Anchor” is also evident within the middle of the logo.
Sierra Nevada
One of the better-known brands in America, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was established in 1979, by Paul Camusi and Ken Grossman, in California. The brewery is the 7th largest company for brewing United States, and the third largest brewery in the country that’s privately owned.
It was also named the Green Business of the Year in 2010.
Like many of the best American beer brands, Sierra Nevada has evolved over the years to produce a wide range of different kins of beers, including the flagship Pale Ale, and Sierra Nevada Porter. The company also offers a range of seasonal beers.
The Sierra Nevada logo is a complex design featuring a banner scroll with the name of the company in capital letters. A picture of the mountains which inspired the name of the brand is shown in the middle of the emblem.
Samuel Adams
The flagship company of the Boston Beer brand, Samuel Adams (or Sam Adams) started life in 1984, when the name was chosen in honor of one of the founding fathers for the United States. Adams actually inherited his father’s brewery during his life, and some say he became a brewer.
Samuel Adams has a number of beer varieties for customers to choose form, including “Wicked Hazy”, and “Wicked Double”. There’s also a range of seasonal beers offered throughout the year.
The Samuel Adams logo features the name of the company depicted in a white outline of a shape similar to a shield. This is quite a modern-looking emblem, but it also has elements of history and heritage to it, intended to give the brand greater depth.
Blue Moon
Created in Golden, Colorado, during 1995, Blue Moon is a Belgian-style beer produced by the MillerCoors Company. The Blue Moon Belgian White is the best-known beer from this brand, and it was originally created by Keith Villa, under the name Bellyslide Belgian White.
In addition to the Belgian white original recipe, Blue Moon has increased its portfolio of American beers over the years, introducing a Summer Ale, Pumpkin Ale, and various other seasonal products.
The Blue Moon logo is easily one of the most recognizable in the industry.
Featuring a large blue moon in the background, and the name of the company placed across the image in a white banner, the Blue Moon emblem is calming, attractive, and brimming with heritage.
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Produced in 1844, the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, commonly known as PBR, is one of the most popular American beer brands around. Created by the Pabst Brewing company, from Milwaukee Wisconsin, and currently based in San Antonia, the company now produces a range of beer options.
The Pabst brand has evolved a number of times over the years, claiming their flagship beer is one of the best in America. The name of the company and its logo come from the blue ribbons tied around the bottle neck during the early 1900s and late 1800s.
The Pabst blue ribbon logo features the official wordmark for the Pabst Company, and the iconic blue ribbon often associated with “first place” prizes. The design of the ribbon conveys a sense of prestige and sophistication.
Yuengling
Though the name of the company might not sound very American, Yuengling is actually one of the older American beer brands on this list, established in 1829. The company is coming up to its 200th birthday and is one of the largest breweries in the United States.
The family-owned brewery has evolved drastically over the years, introducing a huge range of different products, including Yuengling ice cream. The product portfolio today includes everything from the Yuengling traditional larger, to the Yuengling dark-brewed porter.
Probably one of the most patriotic of the American beer logos we’ve seen, the emblem for Yuengling pays homage to the company’s history, featuring an eagle standing atop a barrel of beer. Like many beer companies, the brand also uses a cursive wordmark.
Freemont
Located in the west woodland area of Seattle, Fremont brewing is one of the younger companies on this list, but one worth mentioning. The third-largest craft brewery in Washington state, and the largest barrel-aged beer producing brand in the state, Fremont brewing has created a name for itself.
Though Freemont brewing is still growing as a company, the organization has already captured the attention of a wide number of fans thanks to its approach to sustainable beer creation. The company compares to major brands like New Belgium and Sierra Nevada in this regard
The Freemont Brewing Company has an unusual logo with a crane in the middle of a large shield-style emblem. Like a number of more traditional American beer brand logos, the image also features pictures of hops and barley used to make beer.
New Belgium Brewing Company
Don’t let the name fool you, the New Belgium Brewing company is a nationally-distributed brand in the United States. The company was initially founded by Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan in 1991, in Fort Collins, Colorado, and has evolved throughout the years to spread across the United States.
Today, the New Belgium Brewing company is responsible for a number of sub-brands, including Voodoo Ranger and Fat Tire. The company was acquired by an Australian subsidiary of a Japanese beverage group in 2019.
New Belgium’s logo is a little unusual for a beer brand. Not only is it depicted in orange – a color not usually associated with beer, but it also features the image of a bike, rather than any pictures of hops or barley.
This could be to link the company to the iconic “Fat Tire” beer recipe.
Lost Coast Brewery
An independent brewing company created in Eureka, California during 1989, the Lost Coast Brewing Company is one of the younger American beer brands on our list. Founded by Barbara Groom and Wendy Pound in 1989, it’s one of only two female-owned breweries today.
The Lost Coast Brewery expanded its production significantly in recent years, to around 60,000 barrels per year in 2011, and then to around 600,000 barrels per year by 2014. Today, the organization ships beers to around 21 states and 11 nations.
The Lost Coast Brewery logo combines a golden triangle, showing a rising sun, perhaps to depict the “Lost Coast” behind the business name. There’s also the name of the company and the name of the city where it was founded, to help highlight the history of the brand.
Lone Star
Originally founded in 1884, almost 140 years ago, the Lone Star Brewery was one of the first large, mechanized breweries to appear in Texas. The Anheuser-Busch Adolphus Busch founded this brand alongside several San Antonio businessmen.
The beer is still considered to be the “National Beer of Texas”, and the Lone Star name is now owned by Pabst.
Lone Star Beer has had a presence throughout the history of American beer brands for a number of years now. The beer has appeared in a host of different television shows over the years, including True Detective, and Friday Night Lights.
The Lone Star Beer logo is simple but effective, featuring a large star on top of a shield emblem, which depicts the name of the company in a western-style font. The use of a shield reminds us of the history of the company, while the star reminds us of the lone star state.
Dogfish Head
Perhaps lesser-known than some of the best American beer brands on this list, Dogfish head is a company still growing in the United States. The company was first launched in 1995 and produces around 262,000 barrels of beer on a yearly basis.
The Dogfish Head organization is quickly gaining attention as one of the top modern brewing brands in the world. The company even purchased another business (The Boston Beer Company) for around $300 million in 2019.
Dogfish Head produces a range of extreme and experimental beers, including a bottle-conditioned malt liquor. The unusual company is depicted by an unforgettable logo, featuring a shark-looking creature inside of a rough black oval.
The name of the business is also depicted in quirky font.
Drewrys
An American brewery located in McHenry, Illinois, Drewrys was first founded in 1877. The company has a Canadian connection, which means it sometimes features a picture of a Mountie on the labels or cans.
Drewrys was popular for introducing many Americans to the concept of “Light beer” before the idea was popular.
The Drewrys beer brand today is still popular not just in the US, but throughout the Canadian region too. Over the years, Drewrys cans have featured a wide range of different designs and scenes, including zodiac signs, trivia, and sports scenes.
The Drewrys logo looks closer to a sports emblem than an image for a famous American beer brand. The image depicts the name of the company in cursive red font, angled up and towards the right to indicate a sense of progress.
Stone Brewing
Formerly known as Stone Brewing Co., the Stone Brewing brand is a brewery located in Escondido in California. The largest brewery currently located in South California, and the ninth biggest craft brewery in the United States, Stone Brewing is one of the biggest companies for beer in the US.
The first beer produced by Stone Brewing was the Stone pale ale, which was considered the flagship for the brand until it was eventually retired in 2015.
Now, the company is best-known for the “Arrogant Bastard” ale. The company has long maintained a somewhat quirky and tongue-in-cheek personality, popular with craft beers.
With the Stone Brewing logo, we get an insight into the playful nature of the company, with the image of a devil or demon drinking a pint of beer. The company also uses a wordmark to depict its name in bold, serif font, intended to convey sophistication and prestige.
Diamond Knot
Another craft beer brand in America currently gaining attention from fans around the country, Diamond Knot Craft Brewing was first launched in 1994. The company, created in Washington, was started by a set of Boeing employees who wanted to create something different.
In recent years, publications like the Seattle Times have defined the Diamond Knot beer company to be the producer of some of the best and most innovative drinks in the region. The flagship beer for the brand is the India Pale Ale.
However, there are a number of other alternatives, including Brown ale and Industrial XIPA.
The Diamond Knot logo is a unique image, with a ship placed over the top of an old-fashioned compass. There’s also a banner over the top of the image which depicts the name of the brand.
The image has a deep sense of history, discovery, and prestige associated with it.
Celebrating American beer brands
There are definitely plenty of American beer logos and American beer brands to discover throughout the United States. Even if we haven’t mentioned your choice for the top American beer brands here, you’ve probably spotted a logo you recognize among our list.
American beer logos seem to share a number of consistent themes, including the use of various old-fashioned designs, emblems, and images intended to infuse brewing companies with a sense of heritage and history.
It’s common for American beer logos to use a wordmark in their brand assets, often depicted in script or cursive font, with a focus on creativity.
As more companies continue to evolve and make their way into the world of American beer, there’s no doubt we’ll continue to see a wider variety of new label designs within the American landscape.
In the meantime, the top brands mentioned here certainly offer a great source of inspiration.
Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.
Alyssa is a regular contributor to Brand Fabrik, covering topics from the role of social media in marketing and branding to the importance of search engine optimisation, self-promotion, and building one's own personal brand.
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