For 15 years, the staff at 2nd Shift Brewing have heard the same question from regulars — usually somewhere between the first sip and the second pint: Whatever happened to…?
The names change. The tone never does. Three of those beers often mentioned were Cat Spit, Unicorn Killer and Brewcocky. Those beers never went away, but over time they became something more than just entries on a tap list.
According to creative director Candyce Fritsch, they’ve turned into memory markers — part of how many longtime fans remember their own origin story with 2nd Shift: the first visit, the first favorite, the moment the brewery went from “new place” to their place.
“All of our long time supporters often ask about these older styles/names,” Fritsch said. “They remember them and have stories about how they came to know 2nd Shift Brewing, surrounding these styles.”
That steady hum of nostalgia is what made the brewery’s recent 16th anniversary feel like the right moment to do something with those names — not by reinventing the beers, but by reimagining how they look.
A new look, not a reset
For the anniversary, 2nd Shift rolled out newly redesigned labels for Cat Spit Stout, Unicorn Killer and Brewcocky.
“The redesign made sense for us to re-release these beers in line with our current branding direction,” Fritsch said. “Also, we really wanted to get people excited about our 16th year as a brewery — to have something to look forward to, when they came in that day.”
The goal wasn’t to wipe the slate clean. These beers have history, and that history mattered.
Designing with memory in mind
Rather than start from scratch, Fritsch went back to the original label ideas and treated them as source material.
“On all 3 anniversary beer labels, I used the original concepts and applied my own style,” she said. “I thought they should have a nod to likeness and memorability.”
That nod is important. When beers have been around this long, people don’t just recognize the names — they recognize the feeling attached to them. The challenge was making something that longtime fans would spot immediately, while still clearly belonging to the 2nd Shift of today.
How the redesign came together
For this project, Fritsch said her process started with the old artwork and moved quickly into free-drawing.
“These ones particularly, I did some referencing from the original art and started free-drawing to move those concepts into our current branding look,” she said.
She also emphasized the trust behind the scenes.
“Libby and Steve trusted me to make these decisions,” Fritsch said. “They (of course) have overall say on the final direction.”
All three labels were finalized and ordered together, reinforcing that this was a single anniversary moment — not three random updates. And the excitement wasn’t limited to drinkers.
“The staff here were excited to have this new direction for original styles we’ve been perfecting over a decade and a half,” Fritsch said.
Why consistency still matters
In a crowded beer city, Fritsch sees the label as more than decoration. It’s part of the handshake.
“I try to stay consistent with our branding for all projects,” she said. “The brand is my personal style, so I naturally sort of design into its consistency.”
That consistency, she said, signals intention — and trust.
“We want people to see 2nd Shift beer and know any style or label they purchase is something we have spent time and energy perfecting,” Fritsch said. “They can trust their purchase.”
A wink for the longtime fans
One of the redesigned labels includes a detail some regulars might catch. Brewcocky originally appeared as white wax-dipped 375ml bottles — a detail Fritsch decided to quietly reference.
“Brewcocky was once white wax dipped 375 bottles,” she said. “I thought it would be fun to include that in the new label.”
