L-Town Brewing

It took Erik Guttormsen and Nate Bullock over 365 different beers to convince them to start homebrewing. Both victors in 2007-2008 of the "365 different beers in a year" challenge (impressive work, gentlemen!), they clearly had a passion for the poison, so back in January, Erik and Nate founded L-Town Brewing. And they have certainly taken the plunge with style.

Each bottle cap tells a different story. The designs are radically different and wonderfully playful—just like their brews—but they still maintain a crisp, cohesive look. So here's a bit of storytelling courtesy of L-Town's creativity....

The Erik for President design crowns an easy-drinking ale, brewed for the people!

Erik for Emperor is also "for the people," but hopped with Sorachi Ace hops from Japan.

In honor of the doom foretold for 2012, the Apocalypso takes its inspiration from the Roots Calypso Ale and features fruit and pepper flavors in a wheat beer.

Barb's Birthday Brew honors Nate's girlfriend and her favorite style, the cream ale.

Mount St. Helen's Stout pays homage to the famous eruption while also poking fun at friends over at the local Ashtown Brewery.

CCWA NWPA stands for Columbia Cowlitz Wiffleball Association NorthWest Pale Ale. Nate started the league, and what wiffleball league is complete without a tribute beer?

The hefeweizen Fergieweizen will be served at Erik's wife's family reunion, known affectionately as Fergie Fest. No relation to the Black Eyed Peas.

And even with all their L-Town activity, Nate and Erik are still trying new craft beers. Erik is taking the challenge again and has tasted over 760 brews...at least that's how many he's kept track of. Follow L-Town's adventures in tasting and crafting: 365beers.blogspot.com

BottleMark is hiring!

Thanks to you, our loyal customers, BottleMark really, really needs help. We're officially hiring a production specialist.

As opposed to raptors. They are not very dexterous.

Just imagine...if there's a nuclear apocalypse and you're the guy with the only Nuka-Cola cap making machine...

Jackpot.

If you live in the Houston area, like detail-oriented work, and love working for the beer-connoisseur community (we sure do!), send us your stuff!

Kruski's Brewskis

Jay, founder of Kruski's, has been crafting good beer since 2007 with friends and family. Outdoors. Year-round. In MICHIGAN. Props.

The Kruski design pays tribute to the great brewing state of Michigan and to Jay's dachshund and brewing buddy Barley.

Barley attempts the daring Leap of Cute.

Credit to Jay's friend and graphic designer Carrie (carrie@wakulatdesign.com) for creating a logo that brings these two loves together in chic style.

And in case you didn't believe me, here's Jay and friends brewing a continuously hopped IPA in the middle of January. They added a pinch of whole leaf hops every five minutes during the 60 minute boil, resulting in a very addictive aroma. They call this a Hop Facial.

I call it courage.

Follow Kruski's adventures in homebrew, bbq, woodwork, and beer tastings, complete with great photos courtesy of the wife: http://kruskis.com/

BottleMark in Denmark

BottleMark recently received the honor of a feature in the April/May Danske Olentusiaster. That's right: the Danish Beer Enthusiast Magazine!

The cap on this cover could use an upgrade!

I confess I can't make heads or tails of the article, but our trusty Dane Tim Karll reassures me the content's positive. Who knows? Maybe we'll open a European branch someday. So here's to our international friends. Skål!

Relic Brewing

We all believe in brewing a bit differently, but Relic Brewing has turned it into a business. This Connecticut nanobrewery specializes in small batch craft beer, like a hoppy spring rye lager or an American IPA with flavors of lemon, grapefruit, and late-added brown sugar. To prove that their beer is art, they put as much care into their design work, too.

Designer Kieran McCabe explained his scheme: "The logo is meant to be an illustration of both the artistic and creative nature of craft brewing as well as a nod to traditional beer iconography. Relic's vision for all of it's artwork is to let the beer be the inspiration and it all has to be as unique and interesting as the beer." The logo has great old-school flair, and the labels are wonderfully complex. If the package looks this good, the beer must be fantastic!

If you live near Plainville, Connecticut, go seek out 95B Whiting Street on a Friday, and you'll discover a place that's anything but plain. You'll be pleasantly greeted by 22 oz. bottles, some great taps, and people passionate about their beer.

Jack's Studio Brews

While he may be a trained graphic designer and photographer, Jack Daniel loves even more working with chemistry and contraptions in the lab and in the kitchen. With Jack's Studio Brews, he's found a way to unite these divergent interests.

They're...beautiful...

Jack's cap hits the design sweet spot: the perfect balance between detail and simplicity. The text is bold and easy to read (even when it gets small), there's a fantastic play of colors that makes for great contrast, the borders add energy...I just love it. The image pops at the size of an inch, but it's definitely not simple. Designers take note.

To prove that Jack knows what he's up to, here's what he can do with a larger canvas:

Roaring good.

Looks like Jack's got some mad Illustrator skills and probably the beer to go with it, too. Since settling in San Diego to pursue his passions professionally, Jack's been busy making small batch beers, wine, even a fine Ceylon tea brewed with leaves imported from Sri Lanka.

Tea and tea contraptions, showing here.

Jack contemplates the meaning of life. It probably has something to do with good brews.

 Next up? A ginger ale. And hopefully more glorious graphics, too.

Rufus Bearcrusher

Some caps are cute, some are clever, but only once in a while do we have the honor to print something truly epic.

There are no words.

When I queried creator Joseph Stanfield of Bearcrusher Brewery about the story behind this awesome, I received the following, equally epic reply:

The design is a picture of my rescue basset Rufus Bearcrusher. When we got him he had scars all over his body and head. There was no story or explanation behind them so we hired a professional investigative team of ninja squirrels to find the truth. After months of searching for answers and many battles with the samurai wombats of of the North, the search lead them to the snowy Icelandic Regions. It was here that they discovered the Bearcrusher Kingdom and the true identity of Rufus Bearcrusher, king of the Viking Horde. And now we wait, for once his memory is regained he will once again rule these lands and their people and lead them to glory razing, pillaging and looting the nearby lands. And when he dies, he will die an honorable death in battle and dine with the gods on the finest kibble and milk bones.

Until then, the government is utilizing him in their classified Counter Terrorism Unit. At least, I believe this is still classified, so it might be wise to keep that quiet until

***TRANSMISSION INTERCEPTED***
***CARRIER LOST***

Proof