Beer Back Label
What To Look For When Designing Beer Back Labels?
Your beer is superior to name-brand products! It’s time to advance your passion, but persuading strangers to test your brand is much more difficult than persuading friends and family to do so. Strong beer labels will be necessary.
It might be challenging to create a beer label that complies with TTB guidelines and is also innovative. You should be knowledgeable about the specifics of beer label standards and how theaffectct your label’s design, whether you’re a graphic designer producing a new beer label or a brewery looking to hire one.
Whether you like it or not, appearance counts! Although the basic characteristic of your beer is its flavor, a consumer or visitor will first notice the label. Only having excellent quality, flavor, and brewing techniques is insufficient; you also need an intriguing beer label to attract customers. particularly if you enjoy making artisan beers. You must, of course, figure out how to stand out. A beer label is the simplest approach to leaving a lasting impression on your beer drinkers.
Label Requirements for Beer
Beer labels must abide by several specifications from a technical standpoint. They consist of the following:
In the wet:
The beer bottles are subjected to various temperatures – particularly cold – before, during, and after being filled. In terms of their dimensional stability, the labels must not only endure these temperature changes and the condensation that results, but they must also not peel off or wrinkle.
Adhesion to abrasion:
Beer labels must be abrasion-resistant because after filling, the labeled bottles come into contact with one another on the conveyor belt. This also holds for distribution and a subsequent six-pack or box shipment.
Resistance to alkalis:
Another criterion for returnable bottles is alkali resistance. Because reusable bottles must not only come off quickly but also remain “in shape,” when they are placed in the dishwasher or lye bath. To be disposed of as a whole and avoid clogging the filters of the cleaning systems, they must not decompose. Of course, labels on beer kegs follow the same rules.
Beer Back Labels
While creating beer labels might be entertaining, keep in mind that there are numerous legal constraints.
There are special guidelines that you must adhere to when it comes to beer. If you don’t follow these guidelines, your beer might not be sold. This could also lead to some unhappy clients for graphic designers.
Name & Address of the Producer
The producer, bottler, or packer’s name and address must be on the label. This name would match what is listed on the brewer’s official notice exactly. The address must be the city and state where the beer is bottled or packed; it may optionally be followed by an explanation such as “BREWED BY”, “BOTTLED BY”, or “BREWED AND BOTTLED BY”.
- Placement: Must be visible on the container’s FRONT, BACK, or SIDES (except when blown, branded, or burned, in the container)
- Size Type: Containers larger than 8 fl. must be no less than 2 mm in height. oz. (minimum 1 mm for bottles under 8 fl oz.)
- Legibility: Must be distinct from other supporting material, clearly visible, and on a background that contrasts with it.
- The terms “Bottled” or “Canned” might refer to a particular container.
Country of Origin
Under U.S. law, a statement of origin is necessary. Customs laws apply to all imported malt beverages sold in the United States. Therefore, even if it may be mentioned, the place of origin does not need to be stated if your malt beverage was produced in the US for domestic sale.
- The terms “Bottled” or “Canned” might refer to a particular container.
- The word “Produced” can be used in place of “Brewed” in the following text.
Acceptable Statements
|
| a) PRODUCT FROM INSERT country |
| b) BREWED IN INDICATED country |
| c) MADE AND BOTTLED IN enter country |
| d) BREWED AND PACKED IN insert country |
| e) BREWERY name and country inserted |
| f) BREWED AND BOTTLED BY Indicating the country and name of the brewery |
| g) BREWED AND PACKED BY insert country and brewer’s name |
| h) Add the country’s ALE (class and/or class-type identification). |
Ingredient Information
You must include a warning on the label if your beer contains FD&C Yellow No. 5, sulfides, or saccharine. Your beer must have the phrase “PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE” in capital letters on the label if it contains aspartame. Given that they are unhealthy, sulfides and saccharines may be avoided by many consumers. However, aspartame can be dangerous for some people to take since they are unable to digest it.
Alcohol Content
Unless the beverage gets its alcohol from additional flavors, the amount of alcohol in a malt beverage is an OPTIONAL statement. If you DO decide to include the alcohol content on the label, it must adhere to the guidelines provided below. Look into the states where you intend to sell the beverage as some have their own rules regarding alcohol content declarations.
- Must be stated in one of the methods provided in the chart below and represented as a percentage by volume (5% is used as an example).
- “ABV” is not a suitable acronym.
- Periods may or may not be included in the ALC and VOL abbreviations.
- The nearest 0.1% must be used.
Alcohol Content by Volume
| a) 5% ALC/VOL | e) 5% ALCOHOL/VOLUME |
| b) 5% ALC BY Volf | f) 5% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME |
| c) ALC 5% BY Volg | g) ALCOHOL 5% BY VOLUME |
| d) ALC BY VOL 5% | h) ALCOHOL BY VOLUME 5% |
Health Warning Statement
All alcoholic beverages with not less than 0.5% alcohol by volume that are intended for sale or distribution in the United States must include this obligatory declaration. Nothing is exempted. As a result, the language must be precise and cannot be changed. Compliance is strictly enforced, and the label application will not be authorized if any formatting standards are not met.
The words “GOVERNMENT Notice:” must be in bold, and all other text in the warning must be in regular font.
GOVERNMENT ALERT: (1) The Surgeon General advises against alcoholic use by pregnant women due to the possibility of birth abnormalities. (2) Drinking alcohol can harm your health and make it difficult for you to drive or operate machinery.
Free Allergen Declaration
You can freely disclose your allergies to milk, eggs, tree nuts, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, soybeans, and peanuts. However, a TTB notice of proposed rulemaking that was just published may eventually result in the requirement of allergy declarations.
- The kind of tree nut or crustacean shellfish must be specified.
- All allergens utilized in the beverage’s manufacture must be declared if just one is.
- The term “Contains” must be followed by a colon in voluntary assertions, like this: “Contains: wheat, eggs, pecans.”
Best Practices for Beer Labeling: The Voluntary Disclosure Initiative of The Beer Institute
The mandatory beer labeling omits a lot of information that consumers need to know to make informed judgments about their purchases. The Beer Institute launched its Voluntary Disclosure program to solve this. Labels that are compliant include the following details:
- Calories, carbs, protein, and fat are listed in a “Serving Facts” statement on the container along with alcohol by volume (ABV) or alcohol by weight (ABW). Choosing between ABV and ABW depends on the applicable state laws. Almost all states demand ABV.
- Freshness date, which can be a “best by” date or the package date
- A list of ingredients that can be found on the label, outside packaging, or online by scanning a QR code on the packaging.
Several significant breweries have already endorsed this project. Over 80% of the beer drank in the US is produced by businesses that adhere to the initiative’s rules.
How should beer bottles be properly labeled?
What information the label must contain from a legal perspective is the first factor that needs to be taken into account when labeling beer bottles. To provide quality assurance, product traceability, and consumer manufacturing, data like the production line, filling date, lot number, or best-before date are typically required. But keep in mind that the precise details of what must appear on a beer label are determined by the laws of the nation where the bottles are to be sold.
Find a competent designer, such as Best4U.
It’s time to select the ideal label partner once you’ve finished with the aforementioned advice. Your brand might benefit from a visually appealing beer label if you work with the proper label partner. Be cautious when choosing a partner.
Keep in mind that getting people to try your brand is not that simple; you need a strong beer label. Additionally, we can assist you create a custom beer label that will distinguish your business.
As you can see, there are many choices to be made. Best4U can support you throughout the entire process, from designing your beer label to having it printed.