WEYMOUTH – Vitamin Sea has gained notoriety across the South Shore and beyond for its beer, and now it's getting some attention for one of its beer labels as well.

The Weymouth-based brewery has made in onto a list of top 10 beer labels in the country.

USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards for 2024 includes a number of beer-related categories, including best beer bars, gardens and festivals and beer tours. Vitamin Sea snagged the sixth spot for best beer label for its beer You Got This, Right?!

According to USA Today, "Oftentimes our first impressions of a new beer, chosen out of the myriad options available, come from the branding. A good beer label stands out from the crowd, piques our curiosity, and represents the brew behind the label. These 10 beer labels, selected by an expert panel and voted as the best by our readers, have mastered the art of grabbing attention, then delivering a delicious brew."

After homebrewing stouts and IPAs for years, Dino Funari and his co-owners in 2019 opened a production house and taproom in East Weymouth, in the same industrial park as brewery Barrel House Z.

Now Vitamin Sea sells its products in more than 20 states, plus in Europe, Asia and soon Australia, Funari said.

Vitamin Sea will soon open a second location at 98 Water St. Unit 102, across the street from Plymouth Harbor, in a 4,000-square-foot space with 2,000 square feet of outdoor patio space in the front.

The label of the New England IPA features brewing equipment with spent grain – the byproduct of brewing – spilling out in abundance.

Artist Dean McKeever designs all of Vitamin Sea's beer labels, and Funari said that's been the case since they were home-brewing in his basement.

While he get solicited from artists all over the world who are interested in designing a label for Vitamin Sea, Funari said he wouldn't work with anyone else.

"I give him an idea of what I'm thinking ... and he nails it. He nails it every time," Funari said. "It's like we have a psychic connection and I wouldn't think of using anyone else."

Funari said he sees labels as a blank canvas and a chance to tell a story.

"We use a lot of pop culture stuff and life experiences," he said. "I enjoy creating recipes and also creating the labels and designs."

Funari said the names of the beers are like Easter eggs and are very deliberate. The beer "You've Got This, Right?!" is no different and has it's own story.

Funari said they used to have an employee there that seemingly disappeared when the time came to clean up after messy brew days. Funari said he was notorious for saying, "You've got this, right?" before heading out.

"One guy was always stuck with the cleaning, so it's a homage to him," Funari said. "It's a good inside joke here. We do that a lot with our labels."

News Source : https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/2024/03/23/vitamin-sea-beer-label-weymouth-ma-usa-today-top-10/73019961007/