Walking through the grocery store, I always take a detour down the beer isle. Am I a big drinker? Nope. I just love looking at the labels. Similar to how a bibliophile loves to look and collect books, I love to look at beer labels. To my husband's amusement, I've even started to collect some labels. These malted beauties are in a category of their own specifically because there are no 'hard and fast' rules to their designs. Each individual brewery decides on a theme or overall look for their beer with the intentions of making it stand out. The colors, the typography, the artwork… it’s all unique and spectacular. Unlike many other business fields, you can be as creative and fun as you possibly want or you can go with the more traditional but still colorful side.

I have compiled a list of my top 10 favorite beer labels that I hope you'll enjoy. If something you liked didn't make the list, leave me a comment to tell me your favorite.

10. Alebrowar - Sweet Cow

Anything that catches my eye and makes me laugh definitely gets a thumbs up from me. I love the bold typography and simple color scheme of this label, but I have to admit that it's the creepy old guy in the cow suit (complete with udders) that made me love this label.

9. Crooked Fence - Sins of our Father Imperial Stout

Please forgive the quality of the image. This label has been a hard one for me to track down. Crooked Fence has a plethora of delicious looking labels but 'Sins of our Fathers Imperial Stout' is by far my favorite. I'm a huge fan of art deco and this label just has me entranced. The pale blue and green color scheme is gorgeous and the simple artwork is so lovely that I could easily see this being used as a book cover.

8. Indeed Brewing, Co. - Midnight Ryder

Indeed Brewing Company is located in Minneapolis Minnesota and is quite the positive bunch. Every bit of their marketing elicits a smile from me - even the logo itself smiles. It's no wonder that I fell in love with their Midnight Ryder label. Come on... a suit wearing chap riding a brown bear with its own hat!?! The color is spot on for me as well. The cool blue and warm oranges seem to fit right in with the snowy state of Minnesota. And that typography is one of the best font usages I've seen on a beer label. The only reason this label isn't higher up on my list is due to the coffee mug the chap is holding. Umm... does he know he's supposed to be advertising for a beer bottle not coffee?

7. Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Stillwater made their debut in 2010 with this lovely label. At first glance, I loved the overall color scheme and the 'tattoo'-ish feel of the artwork. When I began researching the label a little more I descovered that it was indeed created by a tattoo artist - Leeroy Verzosa from Ghost Town Odditorium. And I give them even more praise for having the background and foreground being different styles of colors. It really makes the artwork pop. If you like this label, I suggest you look at their Cellar Door ale.

Photo courtesy of makeandappreciate.wordpress.com

6. Sierra Nevada - Ruthless Rye

This label brings me back to days gone by. I could see this being an old play flyer for a bar in the old wild West. The colors, the detailed scroll work.... even the typography is something that I could see being used in an old film. I definitely think this label is probably overlooked due to its subtle and earthy coloring, but the artwork is truly detailed.

5. Flying Dog Brewery - Doggie Style

You can't talk about beer labels without listing the Flying Dog Brewery. Their artwork (not to mention beer names) have become something to see. When I first saw a Flying Dog Brew, I was amazed with the style of artwork it had. No one else had ever done anything like it. Immediately I thought of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. The ink blots and disturbing title typography really hooked me in. Now the funny names have kept me hooked (Raging Bitch, anyone?)

Photo Courtesy of Grimm Brothers Brewhouse

4. Grimm Brothers Brewhouse - Little Red Cap

I've had an obsession with the Brothers Grimm since I was a little kid. I even thought I would one day make a t-shirt company based on the Grimm fairy tales. Now, was I surprised that I was hooked on beer labels that were based off the stories?... Nope. But what I was surprised about was just how beautiful they were done. Everything about these labels are gorgeous from the typography to the color choices, but it's the Little Red Cap that I love the most... nothing like a sweet innocent girl with an axe. Even the Farmer's Daughter artwork is beautiful with the golds and browns playing nicely off the bottle.

3. Marshall Brewing Company - Sundown Wheat

The Sundown Wheat from the Marshall Brewing Company was a complete surprise to me. I'm still unearthly drawn to it. While the artwork is very detailed and storybook-like, it's the color that has me entranced. I believe this is the best sunset art I've ever come across. The golden orange and yellow they used is so believable and alluring that I can't keep my eyes off of it. I tried looking at their Atlas brew but my eyes always drifted back to the Sundown Wheat. Whoever the designer was, congratulations... you have picked the best possible colors and have gained a fan.

2. Wychwood Brewery - Ginger Beard

The Wychwood Brewery has tapped everyone's imaginations to come up with their brew lines. The Hobgoblin was one of their first drafts, but I'm drawn to the Ginger Beard the most due to my love of Lord of the Rings and 'World of Warcraft'. In the back of my mind I can even imagine the dwarf speaking like Gimli. But all of their brews have such charming characters that I could spend all day talking about each of them. The delightful leprechaun with the grumpy horse, the menacing demons playing dirty tackle, and the folksy fiddler are all so splendidly drawn that I could just see each of their characters being in a story of their own.

1. Old Dominion Brewing Company - Morning Glory Espresso Stout

The Morning Glory Espresso Stout is my favorite so far. While I'm a female and I frown upon throwing a half naked girl on everything, I think Old Dominion did this one right. I loved the days of the original pin up girls - always covered but nevertheless exuded a subtle sexuality. Even WWII bombers featured some of the most beautiful pin up artwork. For this label, I believe Old Dominion chose the color and textures of this image perfectly and the label just seems to jump out to you. Not to mention that the detail in the aircraft outside the window could've been overlooked but is even crisper and believable.