Every month, the federal government approves a fresh wave of new craft beer labels (catch up on our Illinois June 2026 report if you missed it). We do the heavy lifting—digging through the dry, clunky database of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)—to filter out the noise and bring you the art, the data, and the designs actually worth talking about.
Label of the Month
Each month, I pick a single piece of artwork to stand at the front of the pack. Sometimes a design grabs me immediately; other months, it’s a battle between a few brilliant standouts (or a struggle through a sea of mediocrity). Therefore, before we crown the ultimate winner, you can check out the top candidates fighting for the spot below.
July 2026 Winner: Pigeon Pizza Party by Pipeworks Brewing Company.
Why it won: It made me chuckle and brought back memories of visiting my Granny in Chicago always greeted by huge groups of pigeons on every corner, underneath bridges, etc. A label that can evoke that kind of memory is an easy winner.
The July Numbers at a Glance
| Metric | July 2026 Stats |
| Total IL Approvals | 31 |
| Labels Curated Below | 23 |
| The VIP (Most Submissions) | Hop Butcher For The World and Blind Corner Brewery (5 labels) – yes a tie! |
A Quick Note on the Curation: You won’t find keg collars or generic text-only labels here. In fact, we skip the boring industrial stuff and double-ups to focus strictly on the bottles and cans you’ll actually see in your hand or on the shelves.
Behind the Seams: Trends & Visual Oddities
It’s always fascinating when a random motif organically takes over a batch of federal approvals. This month, pizza unexpectedly claimed a slice of the spotlight, appearing across multiple designs. Speaking of pie slices, Hop Butcher For The World continues to lean heavily into the slice aesthetic with their releases—a running theme that’s become a fun fixture to track on the database.
The Lineup: New Approvals
