Clown Jewel
The Weyerbacher Brewing Company, located in Easton, PA (but considered a local brew by most Philly hopheads) is known primarily for two things:
- Full-flavored, high-alcohol beers that are complex and tasty
- Having the worst branding of any US brewery
Their current logo looks like it was created in Print Shop, and most of their labels appear to be pulled out of the clip art trash heap. To wit (the underlined text is the logo):
To beer lovers in this area, the awfulness of Weyerbacher’s branding is a long-running joke. I’ve always wondered, however, what the real story is. Do owners Dan & Sue Wierback have terrible taste, and not understand how bad it is? Or, if they know, do they not think branding is important, or do they just think it is funny to feature artwork that looks like it was created by a 6th grader?
Well, we now know that it wasn’t total ignorance; Weyerbacher made their new logo public on February 11, 2012:
It is most definitely an enormous improvement over the existing logo, but it still leaves me with unanswered questions. Is it all a big joke to Dan and Sue? Though the jester is part of their original brand identity, I have a hard time understanding why anyone other than one with an incredibly sick sense of humor would want an icon such as this representing their life’s work and passion. Are dudes who love big, scary beers also into scary clowns? Apparently the Wierbacks think so.
Incidentally, I am currently loving Weyerbacher Winter Ale, an anomaly in their line of big, bold beers. When I first saw this on he shelf, I instantly thought it’d be 8-10% ABV (Weyerbacher, Winter – it fits). Instead, they went in a completely different direction, offering a drinkable, malty treat that weighs in at a paltry 5.6%. Among the stouts and porters this time of year, however, this is a welcome diversion from the bigness. It’s impeccably smooth, with roasted chocolatey malts and hints of molasses – perfect for a Winter drinking session.
(images via Weyerbacher.com)
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Epikur is a magazine about food and drink, with a focus on our hometown of Philadelphia.
