Tips for Labeling Your Own Beer Bottles

Have you ever thought about upgrading your bottled homebrew with a customized beer label? It’s not very difficult!
Whether you want to bring a bottle of homebrew to a homebrew club night or dress up some homebrew beer as gifts, there are several options at your disposal for labeling your own beer bottles.
“Quick Fix” Beer Bottle Labels
If you just need a quick and easy way to label your beer bottles, try one of these “quick and dirty” methods:

• Post-it® note with rubber band – When I just need to label my beer bottles for a bottle share, I write the name and description of the beer on a Post-it® note and put a rubber band around it. It’s not pretty, but it works!
• “Hello, My Name Is…” label – You know those name tags you wear at social events? They make a great beer label in a pinch! Get a stack of nametag sheets from your local office supply shop to have on hand when you need them.
• Luggage tag – Another quick answer to the beer label question is airline luggage tags. Next time you fly, grab a few extra luggage tags for labeling your homebrew.

“High Class” Beer Bottle Labels

• String & tag method – Dress your bottle up a bit with your own homemade tags. Use yarn, twine, or other decorative string fit for the occasion. With a little extra time and effort you can make these beer labels look pretty classy. Check out these Father’s Day beer labels for some inspiration.
• Design your own and print at home – Do a quick Google search for “beer label templates”, download one you like, and customize it to design your own beer labels. Get some adhesive paper so you can stick the labels to the bottle. Print them out on a LaserJet printer so the labels don’t bleed if they get wet.
• Grog Tag – Another twist on labeling your own beer bottles is to download a template, design your own homebrew beer label, and get them shipped to you. You can also order customized wine bottle labels, keg labels, coasters, and bottle caps, and you can print writeable labels that you can reuse again and again.
• Beer Labelizer – This website has both free and paid beer label templates that you can design and print at home. You can take the same design and scale it to fit 12 oz., 22 oz., or larger bottles. They recommend using a glue stick or milk (yes, milk) to affix the label to your bottles. Again, consider using adhesive paper and print them out on a LaserJet printer so the labels don’t bleed.

There are several other sites that offer print-your-own label services, including evermine, labeley, and Brewer’s Friend. Try them out and pick the one that works for you and your budget.
How are you labeling your beer bottles? Let us know.
—————————————————————————————————————–
David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.