New England has many excellent breweries. Many of the region’s breweries have fun logos and serve delicious beer! First, we discovered five of the best brewery logos in Massachusetts. Then we turned it up to 11 with 11 of the best in all of New England. Since those articles were written years ago, the beer landscape in New England has changed. Many opened up, some closed, and others merged. This time, we’re back exploring the region for 15 other logos that stand out in some way. Be it the backstory, an iconic graphic, or both, we are primarily drinking at Maine and Connecticut breweries today, with one dip into a now classic Massachusetts brewery, cheers!
What’s in a logo? Some of these breweries have one logo, variations of it, or a few different ones. Even here at Backyard Road Trips, we have our classic logo, and then a few variations, including these.
Vitamin Sea Brewing
Massachusetts’ Vitamin Sea Brewing’s logo has transcended being solely a beer logo and has become a lifestyle brand. You’ll find it on anything from hats to shirts to coolers. The sun, ocean, and citrus slice logo is just perfect, and so recognizable. It embodies the South Shore’s surf culture and gives a nod to the juicy beers that they are known for.
Let’s Go To Maine
Two Feet Brewing
Two Feet Brewing is located in the heart of Bangor. The logo with two boot prints is a nod to head brewer Cory Ricker’s job as an electrician. Cory’s wife, Nit-Noi, who is the owner and assistant brewer, relates the meaning of the name. “Cory was thinking, ‘We’re all on a path and to get anywhere in life you have to put one foot in front of the other, and sometimes you have to jump in with two feet. On the other hand, I like to tell people, we’re all on a journey, and we’re glad your two feet brought you in.”
Argenta Brewing
When I look at Argenta Brewing’s logo, I hear an Ennio Morricone film score. My favorite of their logos is right out of an image from Monument Valley, with buttes on a moonlit night. And this brewery is located in the Southwest, right? Try again–it’s in the heart of Portland and is a lager saloon. Owner/brewer Ryan Dunlap is from Nevada, and the name “Argenta” was that of a silver mining boom town that became a ghost town.
Fluvial Brewing
Located way up in Harrison, Maine, Fluvial Brewing is owned by Shaun and Lisa Graham. For a little logo, a lot is going on here! Lisa explains that “Fluvial” means “of, or found in a river,” which explains the river rapids on the edge of the logo. There are mountains and also a stick man holding crossed paddles with a hop in the middle. The paddles and rapids are an homage to how the couple met, as white water rafting guides. The hop, I think, is self-explanatory.
Hi-Fidelity Brewing
It only makes sense that a brewery with a music reference often hosts concerts. Co-owner and head brewer Dante Maderal explains the meaning of the name and logo: “Transparency is one of the core principles behind the company and consistency is very important in brewing and beer generally. Now fermentation is a fascinatingly complex microbiological phenomenon and very mild changes in process can have a drastic impact on the final product. Not to mention equipment failures and human error! So what do you do as a brewer when a whole 100 gallon batch of beer comes out tasting good, but not how you intended it to? Toss it and start again? Sell and hope no one notices? Before we even formed our LLC we had the idea for Lo-Fidelity Draft.
When a beer comes out tasting great, but not as I intended it to, we sell it for a bit cheaper and tell folks what went wrong. And then, we figured if I’m only making Lo-Fi beer, maybe this was the wrong industry for me! And so Hi-Fidelity became the name of the brewery. To date, I’ve only had two Lo-Fi drafts, so I think I’m doing all right. The logo was designed by Erika Flynn of Good Majik. She described it as resembling a record coming out of a sleeve, or possibly the abstract representation of a moon orbiting its planet as seen through a starship window. So really, it’s open to interpretation!” I see the record being taken out of a sleeve. Your thoughts?
Also ironic, High Fidelity features mainly lower (Under 6% ABV) beers.
Olive Pit Brewing
Located in Lisbon Falls, Olive Pit is 100% a woman-owned brewery. And instead of a nod to one of my favorite foods, it’s all about a dog…and an athlete. Owner and head brewer Christy Cain shares, “Our logo is an illustration of our Pitbull, Olive (see attached pic), named for our favorite soccer player, Olivier Giroud.”
Two Knights Brewing
This regal little brewery is located in the town of Sangerville, Maine. Owner John Riitano tells the story about the name. “We are a small family-owned brewery located in the town of Sangerville, Maine, that was the birthplace of two gentlemen that went off in life and were knighted by the royal family of Great Britain.” Cheers to two knighted Mainers!
Connecticut Bound
Stafford Cidery
We all love a double entendre, don’t we? The Stafford Cidery is the home of the well-known Crazy Cock Cider. Owner Jodi Harmon tells us that their growler gives a great overview of the name and logo. “A long time ago, we were both laid off from our jobs within a year of each other. In an effort to find cheap drinks, we started experimenting with making our own alcohol. Cider turned out to be the most fun and our journey began. But we needed a name. We had a beloved rooster named Sgt. Pepper. He was a mottled cochin (go ahead and look it up!) and was the friendliest roo in the world.
He was a small rooster and we have a big yard. Sometimes he would run across the yard at full speed, which was hysterical to watch. We started calling him the crazy cock and realized it would be a perfect name for our new drink. Thanks for sharing a drink with us and giving a toast to the original crazy cock, Sgt. Pepper!” She also relates, “Our taproom is now a wide collection of roosters that people donate. I have never bought a single one and I think we are somewhere around 250 roosters!” Stafford Cidery is celebrating eight years in the biz, with Jodi running that taproom and her husband, John, making the cider.
Black Hog Brewing
You just gotta love a big pig as a brewery logo. At least I do! I’m not sure what Connecticut has with farm animals–from a rooster to a pig, and you’ll be meeting a goat soon. Black Hog, from Oxford, CT, is the brainchild of friends and siblings: Tyler Jones, Tom, and Jason Sobocinski. Black Hog is all about family, food, and a love of craft beer. Roasting a pig was always a mainstay at all family gatherings, and the pig of choice? The Berkshire Hog, which is black.
East Rock Brewing
And now it’s time for the “GOAT” of the Connecticut beer scene, East Rock! East Rock brews lagers. A bock, a type of lager, is actually the German word for “goat,” although East Rock is named for the New Haven neighborhood where it is located and the namesake ridge and park nearby. Before the neighborhood donned the moniker of “East Rock,” it was called “Goatville.” Good thing East Rock brews lagers!
High Nine Brewing
Talk about an interesting backstory! Of course, you’ve heard of a “High Five.” Co-owner, Kerstin Fluegeman, talks about the name, “My husband’s brother lost a finger in an accident when he was 15, so as a joke,he’s been giving out high-nine’s instead of high-fives ever since. We always loved the joke, and it ended up being a great name for the brewery.” I just liked the logo of Deep River’s High Nine Brewing, and learned so much more!
Labyrinth Brewing
Some of these brewery logos would be easy to recreate, or maybe use as a coloring book. I can tell you that Connecticut’s Labyrinth Brewing would not be one of these! It features a symmetrical labyrinth in the logo with a hop in the middle. Labyrinth shut down their taproom but still contracts brews, with beer sold in stores, bars, and restaurants, so look for the logo on a can near you!
Spacecat Brewing
Norwalk’s Spacecat Brewing is out of this world! Spacecat is located in a large industrial space in the western Connecticut city. The logo features a cat in a space helmet. According to Administrative and Event Coordinator, Alex Vendola, “The brewery’s name came from the owner, James Bloom. He had been thinking of a name for some time and didn’t want to choose a conventional name, for example, ‘Norwalk Brewery’. Though we love and support our community, he wanted our products and name to expand beyond that and not seem like it would be limited to a general area. He had a poster in his apartment of a cat wearing an astronaut suit, living in space, looked at it one day, and felt the name Spacecat would be a perfect fit. The name didn’t specify a location, leaving people wondering more about who we are, and created a curiosity to look further into our business. It also gave room to build a fun atmosphere since we have a theme we can work with, offering a unique experience to our patrons.”
New Park Brewing
West Hartford’s New Park Brewing is so big that it can host your bridal shower or rehearsal dinner! It’s a gorgeous spot with a classic logo. A tree and a bench. Is it Connecticut’s famed Charter Oak?
Nod Hill Brewery
Nod Hill has it all–a large industrial space, a biergarten, a live music venue, a resident food truck, and a really cool logo! Heads must be nodding a lot in the Nutmeg State with the Land of Nod Winery, Nod Brook Wildlife Management Area, and Nod Hill Brewing. The logo looks like a mountain peak with the sun in the background. Visit the brewery in Ridgefield.
This New England brewery logo tour has come to an end. From the wilds of Maine to the Greater NYC region, we’ve run the gamut from rural to urban and back again.
