Brewers introduce new City Connect uniforms

Summer is here in Milwaukee, and the Brewers are celebrating the sunshine with the introduction of their new City Connect uniforms.

The Brewers went full summer mode with this new uniform, incorporating aspects of summer in every element of the uniform, from the color scheme to the sleeve patches. First, they bring back the powder blue jersey, which was in the team’s uniform rotation from its inception in 1970 up until 1984. The powder blue, along with the yellow and navy, is supposed to represent the colors seen in Milwaukee during the summer. Via Brewers:

“Powder Blue: As a nod to the vibrant Milwaukee summer sky and Brewers uniforms of the past, Powder Blue makes its long-awaited return.

Yellow: Yellow evokes the warmth, liveliness, and joy of summer in the Cream City

Navy: Our accent color, Navy symbolizes our beloved Lake Michigan”

It works out that the three colors they used to represent “summer in Milwaukee” are also part of their current color scheme while incorporating the powder blue from uniforms of old. I like that they decided to stick to a color scheme that is familiar to fans. In other City Connect uniforms or city-themed uniforms in other sports, they will sometimes go away from the team’s primary colors such as with the Red Sox yellow Boston Marathon uniforms, or the Bucks Mecca floor uniforms from a few years ago. The colors all together are a tribute to the People’s Flag of Milwaukee.

On the chest, the Brewers went with “Brew Crew” for the first time in team history. The change in the script is an ode to the fans (and the blog?) who have used the shorthand as a way to identify the team for years.

“For the first time, we sport “Brew Crew” across our chest as a tribute to the fans, who have affectionately used that nickname for generations of Brewers teams.”

It’s a cool touch in my opinion. The purpose of the City Connect is to evoke the feelings of the city onto a uniform and the use of the “Brew Crew” nickname does that. They could have done a play with the Cream City nickname, but the Bucks already did that a few years ago and this is a uniquely Brewers nickname that has been identified with the team for so long. The typography is cool, too. The Brewers said it represents “Milwaukee’s industrial roots, but uses a modern twist as a nod to the city’s recent cultural renaissance.’

The typography is used in the hat as well. The new hat features “MKE” prominently in bold type, representing the Milwaukee airport abbreviation. Also within the yellow “MKE” that dominates the foreground, you can see a faint “414” in the background. The 414 is created with some navy background lines intertwining with the middle K in MKE. 414 is the Milwaukee area code, further adding to the representation of the city in every aspect of the uniform.

Finally, there are a few smaller details that I think will become fan favorites in this new uniform. First, the right sleeve features a brand new logo patch; a grill.

“Wisconsinites wait all year to fire up the grill. This brand-new shoulder patch is a nod to the city’s rich tradition of grilling out and summer living. The baseball stitching on the grill represents the tailgate scene outside the ballpark”

I love this detail. Whenever I think about going to a Brewers game during the summer, tailgating beforehand always comes to mind. Tailgating outside American Family Field is one of the great traditions in all of the sports, and this patch leans into it perfectly. It’s subtle, but a perfect representation of summers at American Family Field. The detail extends to the yellow and white sleeve piping, which the Brewers say “represents a beer’s foam head” and is a nod to the team name and the city’s brewing tradition. This seems like a bit of a stretch to me. When I first saw the uniform and the shoulder piping, did I think “wow they’re going for a beer foam look on the sleeves?’ No. But, it’s another way they want to show the city pride and connect the uniform to Milwaukee.

Overall, I think they did a nice job with the uniform. The powder blue is a good look, giving the uniform some throwback vibes with a new twist. They hit all their marks when it comes to representing the city and the summer, with small details like the grill being the standout. I think the hat could be a little better, the big MKE is a tad clunky for a hat logo in my opinion. Still a successful uniform, I think it is one of the better looks among the other City Connect uniforms.

The Brewers will debut their new look for the June 24th-26th series against the Blue Jays. There are 10 games currently on the schedule where they will rock this new look, with those games mainly being on Friday home games and Community Nights. You can read more about the new uniforms and shop the collection on Brewers.com.

All specs and details via the Milwaukee Brewers.