Naming Your Homebrew

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caburdet78

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Anyone else have trouble coming up with interesting names for the stuff they Brew?

right now I have a cider that I did but can't think of a name to call it.
 
Absolutely.

I struggle with this quite a bit. I go back and forth between wanting to establish a name for my little home brewery and thinking that the idea is really lame.

Same with beers, sometimes I want to think of names and labels and all that, sometimes I just want to be under the radar and have beer on tap in the privacy of my little basement & just call them what they are.

Coming up with names is hard... IMO as hard as coming up with an interesting band name or book title or whatever.
 
all the time...especially since we try and keep all our names related to the bull

Longhop IPA
Fall Pasture Pumpkin Ale
Hard Apbull Cider
Star Buck'n Bull Stout
etc
 
I personally think its a waste of time to name your beer unless you are going to sell it. My buddy names his beers, some of which are kits, and I think it's absolutely ridiculous, I mean, the dang beer is already named. How dare you change it when it's not even your recipe? If it is your recipe then I guess you at least have the right to but come on, really?
 
I name the recipes that I brew repeatedly. One time beers will usually just be referred to as "that rye" or "the kolsch" or "my stout".

I don't usually have trouble coming up with names for them, though.
 
I only worry about names and labels now if I'm brewing for an occasion. Usually I just remember the style that's on each tap. I only currenty have 2 though
 
Jason_Merritt said:
Every beer! That's why most of my beers are called "Wild 'Something'". But every now and then I come up with a good one. My newest, Nailed Tail Pale Ale, I really like. and I even made a really cool label for it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/50251084@N05/5184663168/
Click to expand...

Just to be sure, I think we need to see a much larger version of that label. Maybe even live models. Just for testing purposes, you understand.
 
I name mine, usually after the fact and most often just in my head.

Oh and I just thought of the best cider name: The deCIDER! And it would have a picture of George Bush blowing a gasket on the label.

The deCIDER TM.
 
I am going to name all my beers "Piss Water" and then include the type....Amber Ale, Pale Ale, Porter, etc....I just use the kits and do not have my own recipee but it all comes out as piss anyways.
 
specialkaye said:
Just to be sure, I think we need to see a much larger version of that label. Maybe even live models. Just for testing purposes, you understand.
Click to expand...

If this beer ever makes it to selling status, you can bet that the label will be revamped with live models! And of course, there will be a "Making of the Label" video that will be posted on HBT! haha
 
I try to do local things in it. Sea Cow Milk Stout, Angry Turtle Kolsch, Cuban Coffee Brown. We have a joke down here about it being deaths waiting room. Next brew will be a Munich Helles and I'm going to call it "Helles Waiting Room" and an Irish Red I might call "The Sunburned Tourist".
 
I just brewed a Belgium White Ale...think I will name it, "If it wasn't for the Americans, this would be called a German White Ale" in honor of those who served in WWII! :)
 
JonK331 said:
I personally think its a waste of time to name your beer unless you are going to sell it. My buddy names his beers, some of which are kits, and I think it's absolutely ridiculous, I mean, the dang beer is already named. How dare you change it when it's not even your recipe? If it is your recipe then I guess you at least have the right to but come on, really?
Click to expand...

I agree with this 100%.....If you brew a kit, it;s already named. That is like me pulling a cover of a Dean Koontz novel, with my own artwork and calling it MY novel.

If you make the recipe, or modify a recipe then it's yours!
 
cruckin78 said:
I agree with this 100%.....If you brew a kit, it;s already named. That is like me pulling a cover of a Dean Koontz novel, with my own artwork and calling it MY novel.

If you make the recipe, or modify a recipe then it's yours!
Click to expand...

I have to disagree with you. I think it's okay to name a beer that you brew from a kit. Sure the kit might have been given a name by midwest or AHS, but the results can be completely different by two different brewers.

I would agree that the person shoudl admit "Here's my Nice Beaver Brown Ale. It was a kit from AHS."

RIP Lesley.
 
cruckin78 said:
I agree with this 100%.....If you brew a kit, it;s already named. That is like me pulling a cover of a Dean Koontz novel, with my own artwork and calling it MY novel.

If you make the recipe, or modify a recipe then it's yours!
Click to expand...

The recipe is the easy part. When the kit maker comes over and brews it for you, takes charge of the fermentation, and then bottles/kegs/whatever for you, they can keep the name. You made it? Your beer.

Personally, I rarely name anything. When I do name stuff, it's typically for competition.
 
I've been naming every brew for a while. I'm a very project driven person. I always have to have a project (call it ADD if you like). naming a brew and making a label is cheaper than most other projects I could do.:D it usually takes me a while to think of something I like and longer for a label. perfect, it keeps me busy.

most of our brews are for personal use and sharing with a few friends. with that non-commercial prerequisite, if you brew it, name it what you want, kit or not (IMO). who's gonna really know or care? if anyone uses a recipe of mine, name it what you want.:mug:
 
I've named 3 beers in 3 years. The only time I bother naming them is if it is one of my own recipes and they are brews that I will repeat again and again. Yet, I have a kolsch recipe I've brewed 4 times now and still haven't come up with a name for that one yet.
 
I suppose I name my beers too. WHen I make a Kolsch I name it "Kolsch." When I make an IPA I name it "India Pale Ale." When I make a Nut Brown I name it "Nut Brown." When I make a Nut Brown and put maple syrup in it, I call it "Maple Nut Brown." I don't know, I guess I just think cutsie names are lame.
 
If I were invited to your home and you served me a belgium tripel from a kit, you could call it whatever you want, have it custom labeled however you want, or none of the above. No matter, I would not think it or you lame, and would be very thankful that you offered me a handcrafted beer, particularly a triple. :)
 
JonK331 said:
I suppose I name my beers too. WHen I make a Kolsch I name it "Kolsch." When I make an IPA I name it "India Pale Ale." When I make a Nut Brown I name it "Nut Brown." When I make a Nut Brown and put maple syrup in it, I call it "Maple Nut Brown." I don't know, I guess I just think cutsie names are lame.
Click to expand...


Its the fun of coming up with a name and making the label. Some people enjoy it, and some people like yourself don't see it as very useful. Personally I name things and make labels for them all the time, mostly because I'm a graphics designer and I enjoy doing it. Hell I haven't even finished my first beer yet and I'm almost done with the label:





All depends on the person really. Some people hate beer :eek:
 
JonK331 said:
I suppose I name my beers too. WHen I make a Kolsch I name it "Kolsch." When I make an IPA I name it "India Pale Ale." When I make a Nut Brown I name it "Nut Brown." When I make a Nut Brown and put maple syrup in it, I call it "Maple Nut Brown." I don't know, I guess I just think cutsie names are lame.
Click to expand...

Wtf is the point of coming on the thread twice just to troll?

Oh, that is your point... I see.

Slow days at work or something?
 
JohnnyO said:
I have to disagree with you. I think it's okay to name a beer that you brew from a kit. Sure the kit might have been given a name by midwest or AHS, but the results can be completely different by two different brewers.

I would agree that the person should admit "Here's my Nice Beaver Brown Ale. It was a kit from AHS."

RIP Lesley.
Click to expand...

I can except this! and the poster below it, there are indeed many variables I over looked, that will make a drastic change in the flavor of a beer.

But personally, If it's a kit beer, I call it by the name of the kit, if it's mine (my recipe) I name it.
 
caburdet78 said:
Anyone else have trouble coming up with interesting names for the stuff they Brew?

right now I have a cider that I did but can't think of a name to call it.
Click to expand...

If you feel the need to name your brew, name it anything you like, I'm kinda partial to "Fred." :fro: It doesn't have to some clever play on words, you could use names based on some of the beer's characteristics like color, ABV, style, etc..

You could use the spirit in which it was brewed for a basis for a name, or the mood you were in when you brewed it, or even the mood you're in right now.
Name it for your favourite star constellation, or your fav animal.

Name it for your least favourite person; a buddy of mine brewed an Irish red & named it "Red Headed Slut" after his ex wife... He even did a few labels with her pic on it. The point here is the sky's the limit when it comes to naming your brew, anything goes; it's yours, name it what YOU want. Regards, GF.
 
I name my brews for a variety of reasons...

1) When I give three different beers to my non-brewing friends and family they like it better if it's labeled. Plus it gives them a name to use when telling me which one they liked or disliked.

2) It gives me something beer-related to think about during my bike ride to/from work every day (or any other moment of enforced idleness).

3) I'm making my own beer the way I want to make it. Incredibly, plenty of people seem to think that's lame. I like to name and label my beers, and if someone thinks it's lame, well... BITE ME.
 
I don't find it hard to think of names usually. I actually come up with the name and "personality" of the beer before I even formulate a recipe. Sometimes its more elusive though.

For example, with my first beer, I just get this voice in my head, and it was me, and it said, "I will brew an IPA, and it will be called SPLENDID LIBATION." Then I got to work. :)
 
Gotta chime in on this one. Naming a beer is no way like replacing a cover on a book. Recipes can not be copyrighted, but the actual instructions, and books, can. So, even if you use someone's recipe, it really belongs to you too because a recipe is really nothing more than a list of measurements. IIRC, one of the first things mentioned in the nOOb thread is to ditch their instructions and use the instructions from the forum. So, right off, before you even put water to heat, that "recipe" is totally yours. Yours, right from the start.

Now, as I see it, we're all in this for enjoyment and good beer. If you derive enjoyment from taking the time and burning the brain cells to come up with a cutesy brewery name for a 10x10 square foot section of garage that holds a couple pots and a turkey burner, or for a beer made from someone else's recipe, or stirred together from a pre-made kit, that you've babysat for a month and a half while dreaming of a sweet pair of bigger kettles, have at it. It's your time, and your dime. You can do with it what you will. You're not hurting anyone and having fun. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to crack a cold one and come up with a cutesy name for a certain section of driveway concrete and the fermented grain water produced there. All the while, I'm still dreaming of that sweet pair of bigger kettles.
 
specialkaye said:
Gotta chime in on this one. Naming a beer is no way like replacing a cover on a book. Recipes can not be copyrighted, but the actual instructions, and books, can. So, even if you use someone's recipe, it really belongs to you too because a recipe is really nothing more than a list of measurements. IIRC, one of the first things mentioned in the nOOb thread is to ditch their instructions and use the instructions from the forum. So, right off, before you even put water to heat, that "recipe" is totally yours. Yours, right from the start.

Now, as I see it, we're all in this for enjoyment and good beer. If you derive enjoyment from taking the time and burning the brain cells to come up with a cutesy brewery name for a 10x10 square foot section of garage that holds a couple pots and a turkey burner, or for a beer made from someone else's recipe, or stirred together from a pre-made kit, that you've babysat for a month and a half while dreaming of a sweet pair of bigger kettles, have at it. It's your time, and your dime. You can do with it what you will. You're not hurting anyone and having fun. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to crack a cold one and come up with a cutesy name for a certain section of driveway concrete and the fermented grain water produced there. All the while, I'm still dreaming of that sweet pair of bigger kettles.
Click to expand...

HELLS YEAH, preach on specialkaye!
I absolutely agree, "it's your time and your dime"!!+++++

v
 
I'm a namer lol. Can't brew all the time. In between recipe design and during the work day it gives me something to think about. Usually not much thinking is required to name my beers. The names are usually based one or a combination of a few things ......... the beer's characteristics/key ingredients, special/catastrophic event occuring during the brew day, ninja's, video games, or other things that I think are awesome.

And yes, I brew in a two car gargage and refer to it as the "brewery". It just adds an awesomeness factor or makes me sound like a loser (depending on who I am talking to lol)
 
Naming my beers begins right after concept of the recipe and I brew a certain design of strong brown ales so, once the recipe is developed (in my head) then the fun of coming up with the "appropriate" name begins!

soon to be:
Oblivious *****

Fermenting:
- Angry *****
- Hopped Up Crazy *****
- Old Ass Ale
- Stick it up your Oatmeal Stout


Bottled:
Blow my Sail Ale
 
Dawas said:
Oblivious *****
Fermenting:
- Angry *****
- Hopped Up Crazy *****
- Old Ass Ale
- Stick it up your Oatmeal Stout
Bottled:
Blow my Sail Ale
Click to expand...

I like how you think.
When you go public, let me know. I'd love to walk into a bar, and I'd love to walk up to the little brunette bartender and say:
"Give me some Oblivious *****."
She'd look at me and say, "Old Ass Ale?"
Then I'd turn to another bar patron, "Angry *****? Hopped Up Crazy *****?"
That guy would put his nose back in his beer, "Stick It Up Your Oatmeal Stout."
I'd turn back to the barkeep, "Blow My Sail Ale."
 
I have only named 2 of mine and they were all beers I gave to people. If I am not giving them away then I don't take the time to name them, but I think it adds a nice touch when you put the name of the beer on a label.

Here are some of the beers I've named:
Fu Man Brew (Belgian Wit made for my younger brother whose nickname is Fu Man)
Fraggle Bock (Yup, you guessed it, a Bock. Made for a friend of mine)
 
I think it's kinda fun to name my brews, usually after the fruits I brew with such as: Raspberry Sip or Blackberry Thumper. I have also been thinking about using some of the local towns, County or landmarks like: Jasper Co. Mead, Stone's Corner Cyser or Pawnee Rock Port. I have named some brews after people like Grandpa's Cellar Cider or Uncle Donnie's Cherry Remedy. I just like fooling around with it, I have never actually printed or labled a bottle. I usually dream up the name after a glass or two of the brew or while drinking it with friends and they ask me what I call it......lol.

Good luck all
 
Oh I'm all about naming my brews. But then again, as a homebrewing Mormon, I'm fairly unique. So I just can't resist the irony of naming my home brew with play on Mormon culture. I even have some names set aside for recipes I haven't brewed yet. I'm really looking forward to getting my Porter Chocwell (Chocolate porter named after Porter Rockwell) recipe down.
 

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