Should images of children be allowed on beer labels?

The contents of beer labels are just as important as their quality, and different legal measures throughout the country could affect the way that breweries design and market products. According to the Associated Press, New Hampshire law currently forbids alcohol marketing from using images that reference minors in any form. However, that could change.

A state representative is challenging state statutes over a beer brewed in Michigan called Founders Brewing Company’s Breakfast Stout. This beverage can’t be legally sold in bottles in NH because the logo depicts a cartoon child eating out of a bowl. The label also names the drink as a “double chocolate oatmeal stout,” linking it to oatmeal eaten for breakfast.

The representative argues that the label couldn’t possibly entice babies to buy it, this beverage can only be served in an unmarked tap in New Hampshire at the moment because of the labels on the bottles. He told the source that the image is not in reference to underage drinking. His proposed legal solution, House Bill 122, has been met with opposition from the state Liquor Commission.

“It’s obviously not meant to appeal to minors,” he said. “It’s a breakfast stout. It’s a very heavy beer, like a bowl of porridge.”

Images on labels are always open to interpretation, which could work against an alcohol brand as much as for it. Changing standards impact where a beverage can be sold and how it is perceived in markets outside of the home state. No matter where a product is being sold, the clarity of a label image helps to prove its true content. Custom printed labels have a real impact on how a beer producer gets treated and should be created with a mind for accuracy and ease of use.