How do you name a beer?
Stopped by the Brewer's Art on a dreary Monday for a brightener or two. Drank the Tiny Tim, a Belgian ale made with, among other ingredients, hibiscus flowers, rosemary and buckwheat honey. Refreshing, not too sweet, 6.1 percent ABV.
Brewer Rob Perry was at the bar, always a good sign, and he explaned that they named the beer Tiny Tim after the ukelele-playing performer because it was the antithesis of their Ozzie beer, (named for Ozzie Ozbourne, the godfather of heavy metal).
This got me wondering: how do brewers name their beers?
Slaapmutske Triple Nightcap supposedly got its name when the brewer soothed his crying child by dipping his finger in this beer and letting the child suck on the finger. The child immediately went to sleep.
Any other good stories behind names?
Any ideal beer names?
Comments
I Was at Brewer's Art 2 weeks ago and gave the Tiny Tim a try. Unlike you I didn't care for the taste though.
Posted by: Paul | April 29, 2008 1:14 PM
We've named almost all our beers internally, through employee contests or our marketing department. An exception is Woody Creek White, which we had a naming contest - the winner got an all-expenses-paid trip to the Telluride Blues and Brews festival in 2007 (we got about 1500 names).
Woody Creek White is also the only beer in our litter of beers that isn't dog-named, but it signifies our heritage as a brewery, as our owner George Stranahan lives in Woody Creek Colorado (aka Gonzo Ground Zero).
Picking a great name is part of the fun we have when developing new beers - it's a great way to be complement what's inside the bottle.
Posted by: Josh @ Flying Dog | April 29, 2008 1:26 PM
I always thought "Hopocalypse" was a very appropriate name for a very hoppy beer.
Posted by: Steve | April 29, 2008 2:00 PM
Some beers have a tradition when it comes to names. A true double bock will always have a name that ends with the "ator" suffix. Subliminator, Terminator, Dominator, etc... Many others are possible, I'll leave some to your imagination as the Sun may delete my post if I listed them.
Posted by: alan | April 29, 2008 11:19 PM
Don't know how they came up with them but: a) at the Maryland Beer Festival at Ripken Stadium this past weekend, sampled a barleywine called "Skull Splitter". Not bad; about 9% ABV if I remember right. b) Last fall, toured Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown and they had brewed one called "Ommegeddon". Supposed to have been a one-time batch (as of then, don't know if they have plans to produce it again) and they were sold out at the brewery.
Posted by: Sam.I.Am | April 30, 2008 8:20 AM
There are some unique names out there. The skull slitter is unique, and not bad for a barley wine. Another barley wine would the Blithering Idiot by Weyerbacher. I am a fan of Wychwood Brewery - Hobgoblin. Ridgeway Brewing elf series (Bad Elf, Very Bad Elf, Criminally Bad Elf, Insanely Bad Elf). Greene King Brewerys - Old Speckled Hen. And lastly Black Sheep Brewery - Monty Python Holy Grail Ale.
Just to name a few.
Posted by: Justin | May 1, 2008 1:51 PM
Dark Lord
Posted by: Mike | May 2, 2008 3:35 PM