Our annual Staff Picks are usually decided over a few beers, some friendly bickering, and a shared appreciation for the wild label art that rolls through our doors. It’s a time-honored Grogtag tradition.
This year, we broke tradition—and let our pets decide.
Our team’s cats and dogs handpicked (er, paw-picked?) their favorite custom labels from 2024. The results? Bold. Weird. Stylish. And somehow, totally on-brand.
“If Lisa Frank designed a Viking saga while on a glitter bender—that would be this label. It purrfectly captures my essence: fearless, feral, fabulous, and completely unhinged at 3:00 a.m.”
-Dexter the Inspector
“Mookie picked Malty Mickey’s Microbrewery because, obviously, it belongs in the ‘Malty’ family—and she’s a Malty Poo.
-Mookie
“Besides snuggling his humans, Gus loves posing for pictures and chasing squirrels. He likes to monitor the room and keep tabs on everyone, especially those likely to let a crumb or two fall off their plate. So Gus’ pick for 2024 is from Shootfire Brewing Co. He’s not sure which nut was used for this brown ale but he’s hoping it was squirrel. “
-Gus
“Don't be wooed by Godzilla’s cuteness. When he’s not napping, he’s finding trouble—and a spot in the Doghaus. His pick? Doghaus Brewing Co. A clean, sharp design that looks great on labels, coasters, or a metal sign hanging in your home bar.”
-Godzilla
“As many cat owners will know, cats are perfectly capable of speech, they just don't do it out of spite or a lack of respect.
Vincent did not verbally choose his favorite artwork, he just gently batted it off the countertop and stared at me as if to say "now, clean that up."
Why did he like it? We can really only speculate at this point. Perhaps it was the anthropomorphised goats in bowler hats. Perhaps it was the beautiful design. Perhaps Vincent has always been a fan of bow-ties, it just doesn't come up in conversation much.
In order to thank him for giving me an opinion I reached out to pet his head, at first he leaned into it purring and then scratched the crap out of my hand. It was probably my fault for petting him without express written permission to do so.”
-Vinny
-Brownie