From Homebrewing Hobby to Baltimore Staple
Checkerspot Brewing Co. began not as a business plan but as a passion project. Co-founder and head brewer Judy Neff moved to Baltimore in 2003 to pursue a PhD at Johns Hopkins University, planning to leave after graduation. Instead, she fell in love with the city, built a community, and stayed.
During her PhD work, Judy and her partner, Rob, visited Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, took a brewery tour, and she came home inspired enough to immediately buy a homebrew kit from Maryland Homebrew. What started on the stovetop grew into an all-grain system, and before Checkerspot opened, they had eight beers on tap at home, “too much beer to have in the house for a few people,” as Judy put it.
Judy later joined a hospital disinfection startup whose funding challenges created an unlikely opportunity. The company scaled back to just Judy and her boss, with little budget left for experiments, but she still needed to be physically present in case investors visited. That gave her paid time to learn financial statements, permits, and logistics, and to decide between finding another job or finally opening a brewery.
Rob, who had left engineering to start a home remodeling business, already had entrepreneurial experience and was willing to pivot into the brewery full-time. Together, they spent roughly 18 months planning the brewery while Judy still had a paycheck, then opened Checkerspot in 2018. By launch, they were exceptionally prepared operationally, financially, and creatively.
The Creative Core:
Checkerspot Design Process Runs Lean but Intentionally:
- Judy Neff oversees brewing, operations, finances, and high-level creative direction.
- Rob Neff manages sales and distribution and is the more creative voice on beer naming.
- Adam Miller, a close friend and graphic designer, handles all artwork, logos, and label design.
Adam initially worked full-time elsewhere while designing Checkerspot’s labels through his employer, then later transitioned to working independently. Over time, he became so in-demand that he sometimes delivers art very close to deadlines, yet Judy and Rob stick with him because of the quality and fit.
The relationship is built on deep trust and familiarity. Judy estimates that about 95% of Adam’s designs are approved as-is, with requested changes only “once or twice” in their history together. Years of collaboration mean he instinctively understands the brand’s aesthetic, making the process efficient despite occasional last-minute timing.
Rob and Judy attribute many of their creative ideas to both the Brewery Staff and Customers.
Label Design Philosophy: Unique Art, Consistent Identity
Checkerspot does not use a rigid template system. Instead, each beer gets unique artwork, while core brand elements, logo, and general aesthetic stay consistent. Adam is an illustrator at heart, so labels lean heavily on illustration rather than minimal, purely graphic layouts.
Their Creative Process Works Roughly as Follows:
- Judy and Rob define the beer name and style (Rob often leads on naming).
- They share that with Adam as a brief.
- Adam creates the label artwork based on the name, style, and his understanding of the brand
- Judy and Rob approve the design and rarely request changes.
In retail, Checkerspot aims for labels that are both attractive and clear. One intentional choice is making sure the beer style is clearly visible on the label, something Judy feels many breweries neglect. Combined with distinctive illustration, this helps shoppers quickly understand what they’re buying while still being drawn in by the art.
Celebrating Baltimore’s History and Community
Checkerspot’s Brand is Anchored in Baltimore’s Identity and Brewing History.
- The brewery partners with a beer historian friend to recreate beers from historic Baltimore breweries dating to the 1800s and early 1900s.
- Their German Pilsner “Hillbilly Gold” began as one such historical recreation and is now one of their biggest sellers.
- They have produced recurring historical porters and stouts and are planning a significant American lager release to mark 250 years of the United States, based on a recipe from a historic Baltimore brewery.
Local culture also appears directly on the labels. The honey Kolsch “The Bird Is the Word” was created with a nod to the Baltimore Orioles and has become one of their strongest performers. Checkerspot also brews fundraiser beers for local nonprofits, often using QR codes on labels so customers can learn more or get involved with the cause.
Distribution and Shelf Presence
Checkerspot self-distributes across Maryland, with Rob running sales and distribution. This gives them direct relationships with accounts and a clear view of what moves in the market.
They keep roughly six to seven beers available year-round, with additional annual and limited releases. The labels that get the most exposure naturally become the ones customers notice and comment on most. Judy hears frequent general praise: people “like the artwork,” especially on the beers they see repeatedly.
Their strongest performers in distribution include:
- Fancy Pants (Hazy IPA) – Hands-down #1 seller in distribution, aligning with broader consumer demand for hazy, flavorful IPAs.
- The Bird Is the Word (Honey Kolsch) – #2 seller in distribution and originally intended as a one-off.
- Hillbilly Gold (German Pilsner) – A historical recreation that has grown into one of their biggest sellers.
“The Bird Is the Word” is a particularly telling example. Checkerspot originally had a regular Kolsch, then brewed the honey Kolsch as a special, Orioles-inspired one-off. The honey version massively outperformed the original and now completely overshadows it in distribution. Judy still occasionally brews a lower-honey version closer to the original Kolsch, but the market clearly prefers the honey Kolsch and its Orioles-linked branding.
Judy believes the success stems from a combination of beer quality, a softer, more broadly appealing Kolsch profile, and the strong local connection reflected in the name and label. In the taproom, Kolsch and Pilsner sell at roughly a 50/50 split, but on retail shelves, the branded honey Kolsch wins decisively.
Why Checkerspot Chose InTouch Labels
Checkerspot’s relationship with InTouch Labels & Packaging began alongside another local printer, but real-world performance quickly differentiated the two.
With the other company, Checkerspot noticed that labels stored for a year (common for annual releases) developed serious issues:
- Roughly every third label would not detach properly from the backing.
- The failures caused downtime and waste on the canning line.
- The problematic labels shared one trait: rounded corners.
In contrast, InTouch used 90-degree corner cuts, and those labels did not present the same issues even after extended storage. It became clear that failures were confined to the rounded-corner stock, so Checkerspot stopped using the other company and relied 100% on InTouch for labels.
Judy summarizes InTouch’s material performance simply: “We just use the matte and metallic, and they’re good. They go on the can, and they stay on the can. They come off the back, and they go on the can.”
In Addition to Material Reliability, InTouch Solves Several Operational Pain Points:
- Fast turnaround when needed: If Judy discovers a beer is scheduled for canning in five days and labels are missing, InTouch has repeatedly been able to prioritize and meet those requests.
- Address updates without new art: After Checkerspot moved locations, old labels still showed their previous street address. Legally, only “Baltimore, Maryland” is required, so InTouch simply removed the street address from the art on their side, allowing printing to continue without waiting for revised files from Adam.
- Comfort with last-minute art: Adam sometimes submits final artwork at the last possible moment. InTouch’s team (especially Becca and now her team) is set up to pivot quickly, accept files late in the day, and still hit production windows.
Judy describes the net effect as taking one major stressor off their plate: dependable pricing, quality, and turnaround, plus people who remain calm and helpful even when she comes in with urgent needs.
Lessons for Other Breweries
Checkerspot’s Experience Offers Several Takeaways for Breweries and Other CPG Brands:
- Labels are a strategic asset, not an afterthought. Distinctive, memorable label art—anchored in real local stories—can directly influence which beers become best sellers.
- The right creative partner matters. A long-term relationship with an illustrator who understands the brand deeply can dramatically reduce revision cycles and keep quality consistently high.
- Real-world performance beats theoretical savings. Slightly cheaper labels are not cheaper if they fail on the line or after a year in storage.
- Operational flexibility is a competitive advantage. A print partner who can handle last-minute changes, fix small issues like address text, and still hit deadlines makes it easier to experiment, launch seasonals, and respond to demand.
For Checkerspot, the alignment of beer quality, illustration-driven labels, Baltimore-rooted storytelling, and a responsive label partner has helped turn beers like Fancy Pants and The Bird Is the Word into standouts on Maryland shelves.