Anne Fitch

Anne Fitch is the watercolorist behind the labels of New Belgium Brewery beers. In 2006, New Belgium Breweries, the United States's third largest craft brewer, changed its logo. They did so because the company realized that beer drinkers could identify the Fat Tire label, but "didn't recognize the brewery label, or make the connection that New Belgium brewed Fat Tire and other best-selling brands, such as Sunshine Wheat." The company's a new logo "pays homage to the well-known Fat Tire brand bicycle" drawn by Anne Fitch.
The company's flagship label, "Fat Tire is one of the hottest beer brands in the country," said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, "and has assumed cult status in some places." Kim Jordan, the President of New Belgium Brewery, credits the success of New Belgium Brewery in part on Anne's artwork, "Our beers were good, our labels were interesting to people, and we pretty quickly had a fairly robust following." In 2006, her artwork appeared on each of the over 125 million bottles sold by New Belgium; the company's new brewery will allow the company to double production.
Anne was the neighbor of the founder of New Belgium, Jeff Lebesch, in Fort Collins, Colorado, when Jeff decided to turn his home brewing hobby into a business in 1991. Anne initially provided labels for Lebesch's home brew beer "Fat Tire" as a birthday present. When Lebesch decided to sell his beer, he asked Fitch if he could use her label on his beer. She agreed, and has been the exclusive artist for New Belgian beer labels ever since.
Anne was also one of two artists to paint the altar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Latin Mass Community Church in Littleton, Colorado.
While awards are not presented for beer labels, many laud the artwork on New Belgium beers. Hoosierbeergeek.com "I'd also like to say that if I was picking beer on label alone, New Belgium would be tops. Their artwork is beautiful." Macraubrau Brew Journal, "I really love the presentation with the intricate label artwork and custom embossed bottles. Clearly, the New Belgium Brewing Co. is trying to sell more than beer, but a lifestyle."

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