Witty beer names - how'd that start, do you like them, and how do you name yours?

[Rev2010]

I've been thinking for quite some time about beer names and was wondering what you all think about them. For some reason I have a hard time seeing any point to the witty names assigned to some beers. I'm talking about specific names assigned to a brewery's beers, like Arrogant Bastard, Warlock, Mother's Milk, Circus Boy, etc. As a musician I easily come up with song names, but that's because it's about something specific. I've been trying fruitlessly to come up with a name for my Pumpkin Ale for example. Up till now I've been naming my beers based on an initial + revision system. So, my current pumpkin ale is PA7. I'm having a beer tasting party soon and was thinking it might be nice to have an actual name, but I quite dislike them myself so I'm wondering what the point is, then I started wondering how it all started and why really. I mean, what does Circus Boy have to do with Hefeweizen's?

So, what do you all think about the witty names? Do you like them or simply prefer the brewery name along with the beer type as the name as some breweries opt to do? And if you are naming your beers, how do you come up with the names?


Rev.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

witty names are just a way to stand out. I kinda like the witty names. of course the wittiness of the name doesn't necessarily reflect the greatness of the beer. I rely on the good (and not so good) folks here, work, and just friends of mine and their endless bounty of sarcasm and satire. sometimes it's my mood at the time, how the bitter wort tastes, how it tastes at bottling/kegging and I try to make it funny. like my last Rye IPA for example. I worked with a guy named Ryan (a/k/a Ry Guy) that wanted to be a pipe liner something awful. he begged to get on a line for months. finally got his chance and quit the line after one day. after that, everyone started calling him Cry Guy. CRye Guy IPA was hence named.

 

[Teromous]

I really wouldn't call "Circus Boy" witty. It's just a brewery trying to create a brand. You could probably ask every kid what Trix are and they'll say it's cereal. Trix isn't even a word but it's unique enough that people will remember it. Calling something "pumpkin ale" might get straight to the point, but it's not pinning a brand association to a beer. The Boston Beer Company is a perfect example. They've relied so heavily on the Samuel Adams (or Sam Adams) name that most people I talk to think it's the name of the brewery. A unique name for a beer is (to me) more important than having a unique brewery name because people will be ordering the beer by name. There are some beers I see people order by brewery name (Dogfish Head) but you get what I mean.

Personally I like it when a name or label has some history behind it, even if it doesn't directly relate to the brewery or the state it is brewed in. For example SN's Narwhal. Good label, memorable name, vague beer conotation. I would much rather see that on a label than something like "The Brown Note." Sure it might be slightly clever and edgy, but it doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Rev2010]

When I said witty I wasn't trying to imply that name or others like it are indeed clever, just that they really seem to have nothing to do with the beer. I get the theme they're running with and keeping to, just was a quick reference name I could think of.


Rev.

 

[bbycrts]

Well...for a commercial brewery a name gives the consumer something to remember that makes a brew stand out from the competition. Improves the chances the consumer will be able to pick it out next time they're at the store.

For home brewers? To each his own. My most recent experiment with Red X malt is called Just...Red. Couldn't think of anything clever.

 

[mattd2]

Well...for a commercial brewery a name gives the consumer something to remember that makes a brew stand out from the competition. Improves the chances the consumer will be able to pick it out next time they're at the store.

For home brewers? To each his own. My most recent experiment with Red X malt is called Just...Red. Couldn't think of anything clever.

And further to that it draws the consumer back to that product - e.g. If a brewery named their beer "Pernicious Weed" and the consumer likes it their memory is that they like Pernicious Weed and will buy it again. If they named it Garage Project (brewery's name) IIPA the consumer will then link their positive experience with IIPAs and will then be more likely to buy another brand of IIPA instead of being a repeat customer.

 

[unionrdr]

It's all about brand recognition. For example, I named my dampfbier Lake Erie Steam for the fog on the lake at times. And since the name in German means "steam beer", it fits. Or my BuckIPA, Ohio the "buckeye state" & it's being an IPA besides. That's the way I generally name my beers, just in case I need to make labels for gifted bottles. But it's all a bit of fun besides.

 

[krackin]

I call one ale Corn Bucket Ale which uses some of my own corn. I've always called the corn harvest totes 'buckets'. The play is that using pale malt, 'pale' goes to 'pail' back to the harvest 'bucket'.

 

[wtaylor3]

The Boston Beer Company is a perfect example. They've relied so heavily on the Samuel Adams (or Sam Adams) name that most people I talk to think it's the name of the brewery. A unique name for a beer is (to me) more important than having a unique brewery name because people will be ordering the beer by name. There are some beers I see people order by brewery name (Dogfish Head) but you get what I mean

For the longest time I thought fat tire was the brewery name....I bet most people think of Budweiser or Busch instead of Anhuiser-busch (spellcheck on anhuiser by the way lol)

Otherwise I rather enjoy witty names...my strawberry blonde I intend to make is "soulless ale" because I consider strawberry blonde women to be redheads and redheaded slut was already a drink so my sister suggested something to do with ginger but thought the so named spice would cause confusion so I thought of the well known fact that Gingers have no souls lol

And my step up pumpkin ale is because it was my step up to 5 gallon batches and AG

 

[Talgrath]

More or less it started with Lagunitas according to "The Audacity of Hops", which is a great book if you want to learn the history of craft beer in the US laid out in narrative form. I don't have the book right in front of me, but from what I recall they decided to give their Oktoberfest beer a unique name to help it stand out, they also put a funny story about how Oktoberfest actually started as a celebration of potatoes called "Auch! Tuberfest!" that is the paraphrased history from the book.

As for funny names, I use them myself, my amber ale is "Amber Management" while my Cascadian Dark Ale that uses rye is called "Ryenier" (a play on the mountain Rainier). That said, I don't like all of the humorous names, a lot of Flying Dog's names rub me the wrong way and the aforementioned brown note or other similar names aren't what I want to think about when I'm drinking a beer. Personally, the names I like the best are a play on ingredients.

 

[Tombsy]

I name mine based on events of the brew day. Not really witty though.

Summer Switch Ale
Wheat Kings Ale
Training Day IPA

 

[hunter_le five]

I hate witty names and over-stylized labels when I'm at the bottle shop. I tend to search for new beers to try by style, depending what I'm in the mood for.

It's really hard to pick stuff out when all I see is:

WITTY NON-DESCRIPTIVE BEER NAME
INSIDE JOKE SLOGAN
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX
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XXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXDISTRACTINGXXXGRAPHICXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
BREWERY NAME
BREWERY LOCATION
12 FL OZ 5% ABV
SURGEON GENERA'LS WARNING
(pale ale)


Dammit, I just want to know what kind of beer it is without having to pull each and every sixer out of the fridge and inspecting the finer details of the bottle labels with a magnifying glass.

Now get off my lawn.

 

[normonster]

I dub your pumpkin ale "Headless Horseman"....would be a bonus if it happened to lack head retention....lol

 

[agrazela]

I fricking LOVE witty names.

Sometimes I'll name a beer based on homage to whatever I'm ripping off, like a Dead Guy-inspired Maibock-ish style ale called "Deadinator." Or a Daytime-inspired, session-ish IPA called "Dog's Day."

Sometimes I'll try to come up with a name based off the ingredients, like an IPL-inspired, primarily pilsner-malt IPA using Sterling, German Magnum, and Ahtanum hops, called "Sternum Punch." Or an Amber using Centennial hops and homemade dark Candi syrup called "Penny Candy." Or a Belgian IPA using Japanese (Sorachi) and various New Zealand hops called "BeJeeZus."

But the best names are from things other people say. For instance, a few months ago I was at a training session in Atlanta with a bunch of co-workers from all over the world. One evening we went to the Brickstore Pub. One of the guys was from some remote part of India and had never before had a beer. (Imagine all the following quotations in the most ridiculously stereotypical Indian accent, because that's exactly how this guy sounded.)

After a couple pints he said, "I find this beer to be Progressively Debilitating." What a great name for an aging Barleywine.

On the way back from the pub, four of us squeezed into the back of a rental Hyundai, including a lithe young lady in a tiny black dress squirming around trying to find a lap to sit on. He said, "You are like a Black Cat Dancing." That's now the name of my milk stout. (Incidentally, inspired by Left Hand's Milk Stout, which I had for the first time that evening)

The next night we were out to dinner at some really fancy place by the river, and the guy sitting next to him ordered foie gras. He said, "Ah, I see you are an Organ Eater." That's now the name of my spicy, super-dank rye IIPA.

 

[RM-MN]

Hmmm.....Can you figure out what is in my "Ryebust Porter"? How about the "Honey come sit by me"? Both are named so I know what they are before I open one. Honey come sit by me has honey malt and is hopped with Citra.

I also made "Gary's Ale" because I gave his wife some samples of my dark beer but Gary doesn't like dark beer or beers that are too strong. Gary's Ale is as light in color as I can make with pale malt, flaked corn, and white rice. It fermented out to about 4% alcohol.

Flat Broke is a beer that is similar to Fat Tire but I didn't have all the ingredients to the recipe came out "broke".

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I hate witty names and over-stylized labels when I'm at the bottle shop. I tend to search for new beers to try by style, depending what I'm in the mood for.

It's really hard to pick stuff out when all I see is:

WITTY NON-DESCRIPTIVE BEER NAME
INSIDE JOKE SLOGAN
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXDISTRACTINGXXXGRAPHICXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
BREWERY NAME
BREWERY LOCATION
12 FL OZ 5% ABV
SURGEON GENERA'LS WARNING
(pale ale)


Dammit, I just want to know what kind of beer it is without having to pull each and every sixer out of the fridge and inspecting the finer details of the bottle labels with a magnifying glass.

Now get off my lawn.

not only am I not gonna get off your lawn, I'm gonna get a boom box and pull a "Say Anything". but it's gonna be blasting Acid Bath while I slam 13%+ beers in spandex shorts and over sized cowboy boots. you are welcome.

 

[b-boy]

not only am I not gonna get off your lawn, I'm gonna get a boom box and pull a "Say Anything". but it's gonna be blasting Acid Bath while I slam 13%+ beers in spandex shorts and over sized cowboy boots. you are welcome.

What, no berry punch??????

I think the name thing started with wine. My wife and her friends buys their wine based on the name.

Whenever she buys me beer it's always because of the name. She doesn't even look at the style. She bought me 'Birthday Suit', which is a sour, for my birthday. These marketers love her....

 

[jamsomito]

My first few batches were named after the style, but with a modifier that described how the brew day went. For example: Rule Breaker Rye PA, or Biffed Up Belgian Stout, etc.

A friend of mine and I are now doing "series" with a common theme. He's doing one series where the names are all a tribute to our alma mater. I'm doing a series in tribute to famous mathematicians. I just brewed a l'Hoppytal's Rule IPA (after French mathematician Guillaume de l'Hopital).

This approach made naming a whole lot easier. Just pick something and run with it. It could be star constellations, famous actors, a brand of cars, historical musicians, 7 wonders of the world, anything. It could even turn into something where you try to brew to reflect the name - an interesting challenge for someone who's done it all already.

 

[Devin]

I like witty names as well. I only have one of my brews named. My IIPA has been named "Unicorn Tears". I met a guy a while back that heard that I was into brewing. A couple of my friends had told him that my IIPA was really good. But, this guy's timing sucked. Every time he showed up, I had no IIPA on tap. He started telling me that he didn't think that my IIPA even existed. Either that, or it was as rare as Unicorn Tears. The name stuck.