New Book Celebrates Beer, Beards and Good Design

While the '80s and ‘90s were all about the smoothly-shaved face, beards have crept back into fashion over the past decade, spurring a reality show (Whisker Wars), New York Times fashion spreads and many blogs.

Now one Petaluma resident is paying homage to the rugged, back-to-the land aesthetic, and the subculture that has sprung up around it, with a photography book of beer labels featuring beards.

Fred Abercrombie, who, along with his wife Melissa, have organized the for the past six years, has spent months working with photographers to capture images of bottles, cans and labels into a 300 page hardcover book.

Abercrombie, who has more than a decade of ad agency experience, describes it as “a well-groomed collection of craft beer labels featuring beards, sideburns and moustaches with stories behind the art.

It also makes a good conversation starter if placed on your coffee table and a gift for the hairy man in your life, he says.

“It’s for the beer geek in your life and the women who love them,” says Abercrombie who usually prefers the clean look, but starts growing a beard several months before Whiskerino. “It’s beer, facial hair and design wrapped into one. And for many people, it’s a big part of their identity.”

Now Abercrombie is trying to raise $8,000 to print the “big hairy thing" and has started a Kickstarter campaign to fund it. For more information about the project, check out this video.