2018 Label Contest Winners

For many of us homebrewers, brewing (and drinking) the beer is only part of the fun in this hobby. Another part comes when it is time to name and make a label for our latest concoction. We’re proud to honor the artistic creations behind your beers for the 23rd straight year in Brew Your Own’s Homebrew Label Contest. For the first time ever, we opened up the contest for digital entries, which bombarded our servers and made for some of the toughest competition in recent memory. Choosing our favorite was difficult, but ultimately it was JD Webb’s creation with an old-timey farm and circus feel that had us talking the most and brought home the Grand Champion. We also rewarded monkey business, hard work, and the yin and yang of orange and hops. Find all of the other winners on the following pages.

As always, a big thanks to all of the homebrewers who sent us their homemade labels, and a huge thanks to the sponsors who make this competition possible each and every year!

Grand

JD WEBB
Sherman Oaks, California

JD says this label conjures up memories from summers spent at his grandparents’ ranch in Oregon as a kid, where he worked cattle, cut and baled hay, and picked wild blackberries with his grandmother. His grandfather had a truck like the one pictured on this label and his grandmother entered honey into the local fair each summer. This braggot is made with local wildflower honey.

Gold

JOHN MOUNT
Lebanon, Indiana

All of the Monkey Business Bierwerks’ labels have something to do with a monkey. The winning label for Medusa Monkey is appropriately named as this New England IPA is brewed with Medusa hops. To top things off, the label has a working barcode for friends to rate the beer on Untappd.

Silver

CODY GABBARD
Portland, Oregon

This label was made for an all-American ingredient cream ale. “The cream ale is the blue collar craft beer in my opinion, so the label and motto are what I thought of when brewing it. It was also the perfect refresher after my regular 9-5 job,” says Cody. The label was created using Pixlr Editor and an image found online.

Bronze

BEN CROFT
Missoula, Montana

Ben Croft has help creating his beer from his two sons, with his 6-year-old, Cooper, being the Art Director of Thunder Puppy Brewing, helping come up with label concepts and beer names. The Karma Citra concept comes from the “belief that what comes around goes around and the large quantity of Citra® and Cascade hops” used in this beer.

Reader’s Choice

DANIEL CIONI
Hoboken, New Jersey

A pastry stout inspired by a favorite Easter treat! This label design and homebrew draws inspiration from Cadbury Creme Eggs. The label uses the same color scheme and a similar look and the beer itself is brewed with Cadbury Creme Eggs as well as cocoa, vanilla beans, marshmallows, and lactose.