Avery Dennison, a global supplier of substrates and adhesives, discussed its craft beer labeling options during a webinar on March 31, 2016. Jeff Greenlief, craft beer product and business development manager at Avery Dennison, and Harvey Shepard, founder of Oh Beautiful Beer, explained how brands can take advantage of this growing market.

The growth in the craft beer industry has been well documented. According to Greenlief, there were 4,269 craft breweries in 2015, an increase from 3,722 one year earlier. In 2009, there were just 1,596 such breweries. In addition, 75% of people of legal drinking age live within 10 miles of a craft brewery.

Avery Dennison offers the Craft Beer Portfolio, designed to optimize the right pressure sensitive material for various applications. Pressure sensitive substrates have emerged as a viable alternative to glue applied labels, with metalized and clear films and wood veneers serving as differentiators in the market. “Our portfolio is a great opportunity to promote FSC-certified materials for those in the labels business,” said Greenlief. “Craft beer drinkers are less likely to plan their purchase, so shelf impact is key. They’re more likely to buy a product that catches their eye.”

Pressure sensitive materials provide greater design and production flexibility, according to Avery Dennison. This leads to fewer limits on label size and shape. Other benefits include easy changeovers with minimal adjustments, wider temperatures ranges for dispensing, hidden edges lines with clear-on-clear films, and more environmentally friendly properties. The company’s all-temperature adhesive is useful in all environments, where the adhesive can seal onto a variety of surfaces. 

Shepard noted several design trends for craft beer labels, including innovation, geometric shapes, and lifestyle brands. In regards to innovation, designers are becoming far more creative and sophisticated to draw attention to products. They are also utilizing more containers, shapes and materials, as well as adventurous diecuts. The trend toward geometric shapes can be traced to the interior design world.

Craft beers are increasingly showcasing a handmade look. Many beers will feature local art on their labels to portray a custom look. “We don’t want to lose sight of what the designer had in mind when creating the label,” added Greenlief.

Studies have shown that eye-catching labels with graphics that pop are bigger influencers in purchasing decisions than promotions, coupons, product recommendations and advertisements. In many cases, the way the product looks is more important than what is inside the bottle. To capitalize on this trend, Shepard added that lifestyle brands are growing in popularity. The labels target audiences based on hobbies such as video games, sporting events, outdoor activities. The latest installment of Comic Con in New York, NY, USA, featured beers with various comic characters. 

Beer cans are also trending in this space. Creativity is on the rise, especially with shrink sleeves. However, sleeving is bettered suited for moderate- to high-volume jobs.

Millennials are a key demographic for this “booming” market. A recent Demeter Group study claimed that craft beers would account for 15% of the entire beer market in 2020, as craft brewing grew 18% in volume and 22% in retail in 2014. Mintel also found that 66% of craft beer drinkers put as much stock into the style of the beer as anything else, with 70% adding that the choice of beer says something about a drinker’s personality.

Avery Dennison also offers a sample kit on its website. The kit provides designers access to the company’s wide range of substrates, intended for use on bottles, growlers, cans, kegs, tap handles and more. “In many instances, companies are married to glue applied labeling because they have purchased equipment and have high fixed costs,” explained Greenlief. “The goal is to get a shot to help these companies with their seasonal beers. You can display the enhanced colors, imagery, shapes, textures, and then let them compare.”