What better on a rainy day, than some internet surfing and a steamy cup of strong coffee. A while back, I posted about Caribou’s rebranding and Eric commented that he was a fan of Alterra’s design. Totally agreed, so I thought I’d give a salute out to Alterra Coffee. Does anyone know who does their fine design?

Turning out a stellar stable of craft brews, Madison, Wisconsin-based Ale Asylum is far and away the most daring from a brewing as well as a packaging perspective. Their evaluation criterion for what makes good packaging is poetic: “If it looks like something someone would tattoo on their body, it belongs on their bottle”. Enter Madtown Nutbrown. Using an autumnal color pallet, moonlit backdrop and unstable typography, Hiebing’s re-designed artwork implies something sinister but gives no answers.

I stopped in one of Milwaukee’s Caribous the other day — mmmm, tasty. I didn’t notice their re-branding yet, but saw on Allan’s Peter’s blog that Colle+McVoy updated their look. Although I think Caribou should have a play corner like some Starbucks (us moms appreciate those things), I do love their coffee and the new look. What do you think?

While we’re on the topic of beer, let’s honor those local breweries that have great taste in their label design. Furthermore, New Glarus, Ale Asylum and Tyranena are all tasty Wisconsin brews with clever label designs (and copywriting). Order one up to support your local breweries and local designers. (Image from Madison Magazine)