Has anyone else been tempted to keep some of the artwork in some sort of portfolio or is that a bit sad?
I must say I am tempted as some of it can be amazing and it seems wrong to just chuck it in the bin sometimes. Not bothered about doing it by brewery or region per se, just keeping some that look great.
I’ve also just noticed that some are selling on ebay so I cant be the only one!
I’ve been doing this for the last couple of years. I don’t keep every can I drink but I have now built up a worryingly large collection of boxes stacked up containing empty cans and bottles.
Some breweries have some incredibly talented artists doing their labels and I think many of them look great and I’d love to display them somehow… someday. My problem is I have no idea what I want to do with them! I’m also too lazy to spend time peeling the labels off carefully without tearing them - if I could get that done I could save a hell of a lot of space in my house.
Things I’ve seen other people do with labels: decorate their fridge door, their inside wardrobe door, their “mancave”/shed/garage/home bar, plant pots (cut the lid off the can, leaving the label as is), and finally in some cases actually framing the labels as if they were a photo or painting.
A friend of mine has worked out a way to get the labels off cans and keeps the labels in a folder. He’s been doing the same off bottles for years.
There are some super examples and it’s generally much easier to get the labels off cans than bottles.
My can label collection takes up an A4 book and a half.
My bottle collection… a room and a half.
I have been collecting beer labels since 1991. Have more than 50 ring binders! But, only beers I have tried. Many labels on cans these days are often real artwork.
Have to own up to also being a saddo collector! Recently started peeling labels from cans and mounting them on card, just need a beery folder to file them in! Bottles more difficult so usually swerve them, but managed to peel a couple. Her indoors isn’t happy, but she knows I’m a ‘beer twat’ (her words) so lets me off 
Cans: modern hipster cans often have information on both sides - it sucks!
Bottles: easy to see what to do - fill them with boiling water or put them in water for an our or more.
Do I need labels from all beer I drink/share? Not at all! Only if I have the bottle/can at home. I have to admit that I have many times brought home empy cans and bottles, more ore less shitty drunk! Geek? Yes, for sure 
Thanks for all the replies, I’m glad I’m not the only one. I like the idea of decorating the fridge door with them but my wife would go mad! I need to get myself a man shed for the bottom of the garden then I can decorate it to my hearts content.
I’ve been peeling the labels off cans anyway as I heard they are not recyclable. It seems a lot easier before you’ve opened the can otherwise it creates one hell of a din and I even once woke the kids up doing that.
I think they are in most cases? At least I thought they were.
It may be those plastic wrap style ones that aren’t? Off the top of my head I can’t think of many breweries using those, I know Brew York do.
You don’t fill them up with hot (not boiling) water before peeling? Supposed to soften the adhesive and make it easier. Will also help dampen the sound of crushing denting cans.
Ah yes you are right they are recyclable although a pain for them if you don’t separate according to this:
Never thought about hot water to be honest, although quite obvious when you think about it! Thanks for the tip.
I used to save tons of labels. Now I only keep either really ‘cool’ or ‘impressive’ labels or those from a few specific breweries. But if the labels don’t peel off easily, I don’t bother anymore.
Also saved up beer labels for a period, which are now in a stack of folders in my loft, but have now moved more into cider drinking and haven’t bothered keeping those apart from afew local or interesting ones.
It’s worth getting Pete Brown’s book on beer branding and label designs for anyone who’s not seen it, an interesting read with lots of explanation & photos on different styles of beer label designs:
I “collected” whatever labels I could get off in one piece when I first got into craft beer in 2005 and 2006. I found them in a box a few months ago and need to figure out if any are actually worth keeping.
Since things started locking down in the US, I began peeling off can label art and putting it on butcher paper that I hang on the side of my garage fridge. This allows me to keep brewery stickers and labels on my garage fridge, but not on the fridge. Once it fills up I hang it on the stairs to the upstairs of my garage.
Cool. I didn’t see that last time I was at your place for a tasting
I used to keep six pack labels and covered my wall with hundreds of them, then I started buying singles, then six packs stopped existing. Now all that remains is as follows:
You’ll see it next time!
We’ll have to start putting feelers out on another tasting in the DC area soon.
I suppose as people get vaccinated and/or recover after getting it, things will get easier to plan. I just got over Covid a few weeks ago.
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