Naming your brews

[knelson]

I have my first beer in primary as we speak. I will be racking to secondary this weekend. But it still doesnt have a name. I've heard many differing opinions on naming. Some say to name the beer before brewing, others say to name it after its been bottled, other say wait until you taste it.

Personally I agree with waiting to taste the beer and giving it a name based on its characteristics rather than naming something that I have no idea what its going to taste like.

What does everyone else do? Where do you all find inspiration for names?

I have also thought about leaving this one a bastard brew, seeing as its my first one and may turn out to be complete junk...hmmmm maybe I should name it Bastard Brew

 

[hopdhopshops]

We named our first beer "Duckfood soup" because someone said thats what it smelled like while cooking.

 

[stedtale]

...or you could come up with a system...kinda like how they catologed Mozart's work.

i.e.

kN. No. 1 <<insert beer style>>

so

kN. No. 1 Pale Ale
kN. No. 2 Oatmeal Stout

If you're doing it that way, you can name it before you brew.

But, I'd say, If you want to give the batch a "name", wait untill you taste it. You may think it'll be "fire-bottom ale", but it may taste like "old-feet porter".

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I name all my Pale Ales, umm, Pale ale. Etcetera, etcetera.

 

[BlueSunshine]

My first brew I named after the street I live on (Sheffield Ale). The second I named after the coffee I used when I brewed (Donut Shop Coffee Stout). The third I named after some inspiration from Fallout 3 and Star Wars (Imperial Death Squad IPA).

So, there's really no rhyme or reason for me when it comes to naming my beers.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I name mine sometimes and sometimes not. Usually the names come if I have free time at work to play with a label. The name is usually the last part of the label. Then the names don't really get used because when people ask what's on tap I'll say ie: "A Blonde and a Mild." Instead of "Outta my league Blonde" and "Jolly Gnome English Mild" as if that means anything to them. I had a Fat Tire clone that I named "Pilot Lite" (Furnace Room Brewery) and it just got referred to as "the fat tire clone".

 

[Edcculus]

If I make a beer to give away, I might fix something simple to it. I've done "Endless Summer Kolsch", "Winter Solstice Imperial Stout", "Punch you in the Rye" (for a Phish show). Most of my brews go straight to a keg and just get referred to by the style.

 

[AnthonyD]

My first brew I named after the street I live on.

Nice, if I did that I'd be making Corona!

 

[hopvine]

I used to name beers before they were finished, and it only ended it heartbreak when the batch didn't turn out as well as I would have hoped and the disappointment was permanently associated with that name. Now my policy is I don't name a beer until I've brewed it again without changing any of the ingredients.

 

[iron_city_ap]

My names just come from random thoughts that enter my head. Here are the 4 I have brewed so far.

1. Scotch ale - "If its not scottish, its crap, ale" - my 1st batch, so it was crap
2. IPA - "APIPA" (its my initials followed by IPA, which makes for a pretty cool palindrome)
3. English Brown Ale - I don't really have a name for this one (yet)
4. Sout - "Cliff" as in Cliff Stoudt (old football player)

I guess I try to play off of the name of the style. I'm not sure. Like I said, a name will just pop into my head and I go with it. Its not like I'm trying to come up with a gimmicky name because I'm trying to sell it. Its all for mine and my friend's amusement.

I like the street name idea. Might have to try that out.

 

[l1ranger]

But, I'd say, If you want to give the batch a "name", wait untill you taste it. You may think it'll be "fire-bottom ale", but it may taste like "old-feet porter".

lol, i hate when that happens.

I was just thinking about this last night, and seeing as how I like to fish, maybe going with a fish theme for all my brews. Mountain Trout IPA, or BottomFeeder Oatmeal Stout, etc.
of course, it won't really matter if it doesn't get to a point were my friends a family are asking for certain beers

 

[Bob]

There are a bunch of methods. One method is to have three stacks of index cards. The first stack is a bunch of names. The second is adjectives. The third is different words for beer or beer styles.

Pull a card from each deck. Add "'s" to the name. Thus, you can end up with "Bob's Succulent Grog" or "Airplane's Perpetual Ale".

There's a random beer-name generator on Teh Intarwebz - found here - which I often use for inspiration. For example, the name just generated is "Totally Radical Gas Cloud Old Ale".

Beer names should be fun.

Bob

 

[A4J]

I name mine sometimes and sometimes not. Usually the names come if I have free time at work to play with a label. The name is usually the last part of the label. Then the names don't really get used because when people ask what's on tap I'll say ie: "A Blonde and a Mild." Instead of "Outta my league Blonde" and "Jolly Gnome English Mild" as if that means anything to them.

+1 to this.

I have a friend who insists that I name my beers and make a nifty label for them. I do it sometimes just to shut him up (or to show off )

 

[ChshreCat]

I name mine whenever the name comes to me. My brown ale was named when I formulated the recipe. My pale ale didn't get it's name until after it went through a comp. My saison was months before it got named. Just depends on when something apt comes to mind.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I've had :
Mutt Dog Porter - After my black and Tan Mutt for a chocolate Hazelnut Porter
Freely Fest Nectar - Wit beer for Freely Fest (local music festival)
Pilot Light - The Fat tire clone
Outta my league Blonde - Tap label included my wife who is a blonde
Jolly Gnome Mild - Tap label included myself dressed as a gnome to accompany my wife on Blonde labelNew years
POW Nut Brown - THe nut brown was fitting for the first beer brewed when swmbo was pregnant with my boy (his initials are POW)
Back Shelf Ale - A collaboration of left over ingredients.
Clean House Ale - another cleanup of leftover ingredients.
MOGA and MOGA Oaked - 10G Marris Otter and Galena SMaSH. Half oaked.

Those are all I've named.

 

[Ragutis]

I tend to name them after different things.
old Bee Bitter - had a bee come out of the tap with the first pour.
Red Wasp IPA - got stung by a red wasp right before pitching yeast.
Three Hawks Pale Ale - I saw three hawks in my backyard at the start of brew day.
Tricksey Bug Black Ale - I named this one after my small, black dog named Tricksey Bug.
Midwinter Abbey - brewed at night during the Winter Solstice.

 

[blisterman]

Never name my beers. They don't last long enough to keep coming up with new names.

Just use a numbering system, started at 02. (01 being an extract batch I made a few years previously named 'Bomb Beer', due to it's explosive properties once opened.). Up to 19 now. I write the number on the bottle caps, and have a chart inside my cupboard door to remind me in case I forget which one is which.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I ink stamp the lids of my brews, so that I don't have to clean off labels.

I have red and black ink and many stamps........


Thus, many of my brews are "red ant stout", "black tick ale", etc.

I hope soon to expand, so that I can bottle my "green fly" IPA.

 

[khiddy]

I aim for plays on words, or to honor friends, or whatever:

Rye The Hell Not? (a roggenbier)
Don't Be Bitter (my first English Bitter)
Two Ladies Ale (for some friends' joint birthday party)
Fisher-Price My First Mead (just as described, my first mead...)
Max's Oat Soda (for my radio co-host, a Big Lebowski fan)

 

[mojotele]

My first beer was named "Chocolate Covered Donkey Butt" as that's pretty much what it smelled like while it was brewing. Turned out to be really good, though.

My inspiration is the Internet, so my next beer is going to be called "Old Beavershanks Thrice Hopped Death In A Bottle." Shamelessly stolen from Fark.

 

[DavidSteel]

I've set up a top-secret 6-name theme for an imaginable variety/sampler pack. I've got the artwork already in my head for each brew and I'm going to spend the next 2-3+ years trying to write amazing recipes for each of them. Besides my theme, I'm all for brainstorming names for my beers and deciding whether or not to go with it after I've tasted it, but I'm on a 6-recipe forming commitment atm.

Edit: 5-recipe commitment actually, already got one down.

 

[jgln]

I am not into the naming thing yet, maybe never. I do write down a description though but in my notes. On the bottle I put 1,2,3,4..... on the cap with a marker for bottling order but that is all. I tape a piece of paper with a brief description on to each six pack, that is all. I brew something different almost each time but I do like a basic wheat ale I make often but never called it much more than that.

Probably wondering why I even mentioned that, right?

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

wait until you have brewed the beer a few times and have it just how you want it before you name it. that way, you wont be naming some piece of crap recipe that you made up. or, you could name it, then tweak it out until it is perfect. i dont claim a recipe until i have brewed it, tweaked it, tried different mash temps, hops, hop schedules, ferm. temps, etc.....naming beer is so much fun, you may want to save it for when you have your beer just how you want it.

 

[joejaz]

I name my brews after my x-wives. My Big Butt Barley is appropriately named after my first wife cause it's a big old beer. My Dumb Blonde Ale is named after my second wife, no explanation needed. My Arrogant Bastard clone is named after my third wife and her picture is on the label and aptly named "That Arrogant Bastard". My Extra Strong Bitter is named after my fourth wife,and it's just called Rachael. And my American Pale Ale is named after my current wife, "It's Cheaper to Keeper Pale Ale"

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I name all my beers and label all of them. I like the entire experience of a beer, and with no label I feel like I lose something.

In my house, everyone actually uses the beer name though. As in, 'I want a Titania', not 'I'll have one of the those American wheats.' I think it is more fun that way.

 

[rcreveli]

My wife and I are a bit geeky so this weekend I am bottling. DALEKS DELIGHT Cherry wheat ale. One of the Daleks on the bottle will say something witty like "I would EXTERMINATE the whole human race for another bottle."

Not sure if Daleks Delight is the Beer name or Brewery name.

 

[AnthonyD]

There's a random beer-name generator on Teh Intarwebz - found here - which I often use for inspiration.

I got Your random beer name is:
"Frickin' Craptacular Russian Imperial Stout"

That's a keeper!

 

[brewmonk]

Usually I don't talk to my beers, but once I named it Dave.

Quite often, I'll just name it "Brunch".

 

[StunnedMonkey]

I name all of mine after Seinfeld references, obvious or obscure, though it's mostly just for internal purposes. I rarely hand one to someone else and tell them it's a Low-Talker Brown.

 

[scratchypants]

Panic IPA - my first brew and it included a heavy dose of panic - from having to sub ingredients on the fly at the LHBS, to all the scary "you'll ruin it if you don't..." while brewing.
Bale Stacker Hefeweizen - because I could imagine no better refreshment after a day of haying.

 

[C2H5OH]

Panic IPA - my first brew and it included a heavy dose of panic - from having to sub ingredients on the fly at the LHBS, to all the scary "you'll ruin it if you don't..." while brewing.
Bale Stacker Hefeweizen - because I could imagine no better refreshment after a day of haying.

Ahh yes. Every man's first. Brings back good memories.

Being a fan of Transformers growing up and it being my first brew. I went with...

Hop-timus Prime​

 

[Gruven96]

I

 

[CTownBrewer]

My 1st brew was an IIPA that I named "Dejhop Vu" because it was made shortly after returning from my honeymoon in California where I visited breweries including Stone, Coronado, Firestone-Walker, & Russian River. I had so many great IPAs, I wanted mine to take me back to Cali.

My 2nd Beer was named Deez Nuts Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout...no official story behind it. It just popped in my head & I found a great squirrel pic for the label.

My 3rd beer is in the primary as we speak. It's called Sidekick IPA (I'm from Cleveland & am a huge Cavs fan). It was obviously named in dis-honor of LeQuitter. I refused to use Cascade hops because I wanted to make a great IPA with the "role players" of hops traditionally used in great IPAs, not the "superstar" hop. I've got a nice blend of Simcoe, Centennial, Amarillo, & Chinook. It's gonna be bitter up front for sure, just like the mood in Cleveland these days!

 

[tjpfeister]

Most of my beers get a name on brew day.
Commonly the name is the person who sponsored the batch, or who the batch is being brewed for. "Dos Kanes" Is the unclever name for a Mexican lager style beer I brew for my friend's (M. Kane) garage.
My friends and I use nicknames on the women we date to avoid confusion. I commonly apply these to beers as well, such as the "Smarmy Blonde." When all else fails, put your brewery initials in front of the style of beer; "TCB Nut Brown."

 

[SumnerH]

For anything I'm going to brew often or that's a special occasion beer to be labelled and given as gifts, I try to come up with a name that has some interest to it. A few examples:

Sunset IPA An all-fuggles British IPA brewed in the style of the 1800s...they said "the sun never sets on the British Empire", but eventually it did.
Evening Star IPA An all-East Kent Golding variant of the Sunset IPA. A name to pair with the beer it's close to--Tennyson wrote "Sunset and evening star and one clear call for me, and may there be no moaning of the bar when I put out to sea."
Red Sky at Morning -- Inspired by Lost Abbey's Red Poppy, which uses their Dawn Patrol Dark as a base beer; the name references both and the old sailor's mnemonic "Red sky at night, sailors delight/red sky at morning, sailors take warning".
Seven Storey Abt 12 -- This is an American spin on a style often brewed by Trappists (BDSA). Seven Storey Mountain was the bestselling autobiography of Thomas Merton, a monk at the oldest American Trappist monastery (Gethsemani Farms).
Stanley Steamer -- A California Common, riffing on the old steam-powered car and the Steam Ale moniker.
Saison Duphunk -- A bugged Saison. Brewed with the Saison Dupont yeast, but bugged for funkiness.
Earl White -- This is a ginger/bergamot witbier; bergamot is what gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive taste, but witbiers are white.
Eternale -- Barleywine inspired by Dogfish Immort Ale


There's no overall theme, just thinking about what each beer is and looking for parallels or just something that sounds okay.

 

[mixedbrewer]

I just named one Hugh Hefnerweizen.

 

[thisgoestoeleven]

I didn't name my first batch, I was just concerned with it coming out correctly. My second batch is an IPA that I'm calling Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Hoppiness.

 

[Randar]

For beers that I do name, I try to do so at one of 2 points:

1) Recipe formulation - if I am basing the recipe on something or am inspired by a given recipe, ingredients (hop varieties for example), region of style origin, etc I may pick a name at this point

2) Tasting.



I have only had a small handful of funny/tragic/odd fermentations that deserved having the beer named at that point of production.

 

[munche]

My naming scheme is totally random, but I name all of my beers.

My "Brewery" is Wrath Brewing

Some of my beers:
Fail Ale - Pale
Hoppipola IPA
Yellow Fever Blonde
Lunar Industries - Blue Moon Clone
Dead By Dawn - Double Dead Guy clone
Empire Strikes Brau - My ESB (ESB = Empire Strikes...GET IT?!)
Zee German Heffeweizen
Red Scare - Red Ale
Red Menace - Imperial Red Ale
Imperial Palate Destroyer - Double IPA
Dunkelstein - Dunkelweizen
Wheattastrophe - A light wheat beer that came out freaking awful

 

[harrv]

I often drink beer while playing poker, so the Belgian Wit that is getting close to bottling is "Bad Beat Wheat" and the Altbier I made last Saturday is "All-In Alt". I've only made two so far, but I'll probably keep with the poker theme. I think the advice given in this thread to wait until you've had one or two is a good idea though. I may end up renaming these--which I have no problem with. I hope neither of them is so bad I end up using the name "Royal Flush".