When is it appropriate to name my beer?

[BarleyDarling]

Look, I'm super new at the whole brewing game. I've only made one beer on my own, and it's technically not even beer yet (it's still fermenting)

I've been reading a lot of the forums, and it seems like there are tons of recipes and clones. When is it appropriate to name your recipe. I used an extract kit, but is it ok to name my beer even though it's the cooking equivalent to hamburger helper?

If I could name it, it would be called First Day APA.

What would you name your beers? And am I allowed to give it a name or do I have to go full blown ag and unique recipe?

 

[Conan]

You can name it as soon as you fill the boil kettle. I primarily use other brewers' recipes and adjust to my needs, and name them when I have a creative streak. For example, I've had an oaked IIPA and Dunkel Weizen on tap for a couple weeks that were named 2 days ago: Oakie Doake Double IIPA, and D(ead)unkle Weizen.

My method: have a couple of the beer in question, and let the creative juices flow. Kyle

 

[cyberbrew]

I tend to name my beers based on year and batch. So something like 14-05 (fifth batch in 2014) or 15-02 (second batch of 2015). If I'm serving it to someone I'll tell them what style it is, "this is 15-01 and is an IPA...". I only tend to truly name a beer if I can repeat it. If I tried to name all my batches it'd be a struggle.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Name your beers whatever you want whenever you want. Brewing is only part recipe, and is largely depending on process. Brewing two identical recipes on different systems will produce slightly different beers. Even pros often have to adjust their recipes a bit when they bring in new equipment, because the beer will change slightly.

So point is, if you brew it on your own equipment, even if the recipe isn't yours, the beer is yours. Call it what you want, if you want. If you don't want to name it, and use the recipe creator's name, that's fine too. Or if you want some other non-name system, that's fine too.

This isn't a commercial enterprise. It's homebrew. So do what you want.

 

[JimRausch]

Yep- no matter whose recipe, you brewed it so you can name it whatever you want.
I tend to name mine after relevant brewing days or other notable activity. ie. Labor Day Irish, Opening Day Vienna, Batch 50 Bock.......

 

[Gameface]

I have some names worked out for beers I've never brewed. I usually name them before I even create the recipe. I also call all beers of the same style the same name even if I make significant changes to the recipe.

 

[BarleyDarling]

Cool. I wasn't sure if there was an unspoken rule about using kits or inventing recipes.

First day APA is go.

 

[schematix]

I prefer to concentrate on the beer itself so I keep it simple and just number it sequentially. Tomorrow I'm making #51 - India Pale Lager I.

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

If it is a German Lager I always call then Schautienhousers named after my Schnauzer dog Lily.

 

[drainbamage]

I have some names worked out for beers I've never brewed. I usually name them before I even create the recipe.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I'll come up with some stupid play on words or concept for a beer of a certain style, then jot it down and come back months later to actually build a recipe around it.

 

[BarkingSpider]

I think every beer I've made so far has had a name. I've had to change a couple of them though...

I had one that started as an American Pale which was supposed to have a fair bit of hop bite, but due to under-attenuation, and not being familiar enough with late hopping (less bitter than I planned)... I had to change the name from "Angry Dragon Pale" to "Pvssy-Willow Pale".

 

[jiggs_casey]

Name it whenever you want. Name it whatever you want.

 

[sportpak]

It's usually just a number in my log book. But for my wife and I's reference, it's usually a first impression nickname. Like "Piney Bastard" or "Twig Legged Bastard." Typically if it needs work it falls under a "bastard" designation.

 

[1977Brewer]

I'm naming all of mine after songs & lyrics because I'll never run out if names this way. Runaway Light Ale and All Day Err Day IPA thus far. Blackened Stout is next. I Can't Feel My Chest IPA is in recipe development.

 

[uncleleon]

When people ask for it by name.

If it's fun for you to name beers then do it. Batch numbers would be more accurate. I let the drinkers name my beers. American Amber #8 is now ambers a slut ale. But please don't name the beer before you have tasted it, or for that matter rebrewed / refined it. That's like .... Naming a baby before its born. Oh, nevermind. Cheers!

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

I believe it was part of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution that gave us the free right to name our own beers....it's part of our freedoms!

Just some of the names I've blessed my beer with:

Mount St. Helens Pale Ale (exploding with hops)
Twin Peaks Dubbel
Almost a Home Run (Tripel)
Collarbone IPA (brewed the day my son broke his collarbone)
Lake Hodges Honey Wheat
Presidential Stout (brewed on election day)
The Dirty Blonde (blonde ale with some slightly darker crystal)
Turkeyfest Ale (my take on an Octoberfest, only in ale form and brewed a month late)
All my cream of three crops brews are named by their number. First one was C-three-1. I'm up to C-three-9.

OK, you get the picture. Brewing is art. I can't play guitar, write music, sing, draw, or paint pictures. But I can brew like a madman.

Cheers!

 

[erick0619]

Me and a friend recently brewed a yeti stout clone it tastes nothing like it but it's still pretty delicious it's now named Vincent's velvet RIS. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1425104401.224173.jpg

 

[Qhrumphf]

I have some names worked out for beers I've never brewed. I usually name them before I even create the recipe. I also call all beers of the same style the same name even if I make significant changes to the recipe.

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I'll come up with some stupid play on words or concept for a beer of a certain style, then jot it down and come back months later to actually build a recipe around it.

I do this too.

I have named recipes from years ago i still haven't brewed just because inspiration struck at the right time.

 

[GrogNerd]

name it whatever, whenever. (ok, I just named my next beer "Whatever, Whenever IPA", because I don't know what recipe I'm going to use or when I'll get to brew it)

plenty of guidelines, very few rules in this obsession/hobby.

limited number of dos and don'ts, it's mostly maybe-you-shoulds and probably-shouldn'ts

I just realized I name recipes, not beers; I have 1000s more of those than I do brewed beers.

 

[Randomnoob]

I named my basement garage where I do all my brewing The McLargeHuge Brewery (it's a MST3K joke and I've sort of made McLargeHuge my nickname.) so everything is like McLargeHuge Brown Ale or McLargeHuge Dopplebock or McLargeHuge Imperial Stout or whatever.

 

[unionrdr]

I'll name them with something to do with Ohio in the name. Or the mountain in WV where pop's side is from. Or after a song or some other notion that pops into my head.