It’s a bit embarrassing to say that my craft beer purchasing decisions are based on the label design, but local breweries such as Burdock and Bellwoods Brewery have beautiful beer labels created by local artists that look like mini art prints.

As a cheap decorating idea, I peel off the labels and put them in $6 Ikea frames (the Fiskbo frame, to be exact, which also fits my Honest Ed’s posters). I like to space them out to create extra white space in the frame for a modern look, or alternatively arrange them like tiles for a collage. It’s a great way to remind myself of all the hot summer afternoons I spent on the patio and an inexpensive way to load the walls with local art.

Many Toronto breweries including Bellwoods, Burdock, Indie Ale House, and Radical Road Brewing Co. use a simple sticker that can be easily peeled off with fingers. Those are the ones that I frame because frankly, I’m too lazy to run the bottle under hot, soapy water to peel the labels off. Here are some of the labels I’ve collected this summer.

Henderson Brewing Co.’s Food Truck

I spent a good number of years writing about the food truck resurgence around 2011-2012 and this brings back memories of that. I love the use of complementary blues and oranges (a shout-out to art students) that make the logo pop as well as the CN Tower in the background.

Label by: Tony Halmos

Bellwoods Brewery’s Motley Cru, 2017 edition

All of Bellwood’s bottles have a quirky, ’60s Italian, off-beat paperback novel vibe to them, thanks to the Doublenaut design firm (they have an online shop where you can purchase large prints). One of my favourites is this limited-edition Motley Cru label because I find it funny that despite the foreboding grim reaper, the beer is actually a refreshing, summery passion-fruit ale. Secondly, I waited an hour in line for this beer (it was made to celebrate the brewery’s fifth anniversary in June) so I better have a keepsake of it.

Label by: Doublenaut

Burdock’s Vermont Blond

This light ale is designed to be the entry point for people new to craft beer, which explains the window to beachy happiness. I love the calming, ’80s-inspired design, which looks like what would happen if Alex Colville listened to a bunch of Vaporwave music. Burdock’s labels have a minimalistic and abstract quality to them, like something out of a Scandinavian design house.

Label by: Adrian Forrow