How a Craft Brewery Took Their Research a Step Further

We previously conducted research for a small craft brewery, Alpine Dog Brewing, located in Denver, Colorado. Originally, Alpine reached out to GutCheck for help choosing a new label design for their 2018 product line. The research looked to determine the best label design out of 6 potential options to be used on their can and bottle offerings. One clear winner emerged, but in order to make sure the label was ready for distribution, Alpine utilized Gutcheck in another phase of qualitative research to help refine the label design.

The Research

In order to determine how Alpine could improve their new label design, we conducted a qualitative Concept Refiner™ study. The research was conducted among craft beer drinkers and sought to evaluate the following

1. Explore initial impressions of label to uncover associations, points of confusion, standout value, and understand how well this label fits with craft beer
2. Uncover areas of optimization specifically related to clarity, design, and likes and dislikes
3. Expose respondents to the brand and product description to understand initial impressions and how well the label connects with the brand story, product description, and how well it delivers on key attributes associated with the brand

The Results

The name of the beer was well liked and drew the most attention from respondents.

Most found the humorous nature of this particular beer’s name appealing and it was the first thing to capture respondents’ attention. Many consumers also found the name to be quite unique and fitting with the riskier names that craft breweries lean toward, although some didn’t quite think it was a relevant name to them.

Company branding and product information added a level of confusion and could use improvement within the label design.

Some consumers were confused as to what type of craft beer this was and wanted to know more about the product as it related to the taste and flavors. Others also failed to recognize any branding, particularly when it came to the company logo, which was too small to read and added confusion to the label design.

The label design overall fit well with a craft beer brand and key brand equities came through.

As with the name, craft beer drinkers felt this design overall was relevant and fit with a craft brewery due to the riskier and more adventurous design of the label. Through the design, product, and company description, respondents were clearly able to tie brand equities like the outdoors, adventure, and Colorado to this beer. Download the full report and you’ll also learn about

• The type, name of the beer, and what aspects of it was liked best
• What design elements were appealing and unappealing
• Specific aspects of the product description that resonated most