Naming your beer

[tikitatt]

I finally bottled my cream stout today and posted pictures of my accomplishment on Facebook. Besides everyone asking for a bottle they are also asking me what I intend on calling it. How do you come up with names for your beer? I have a passion for history as well as beer so I am thinking of combining the two.

Thank you all for your help with the brewing and bottling process as well as all the advise you have given.

Tikitatt

[bwarbiany]

Interesting question... Usually (on the rare instances I actually name a beer) I try to play off the ingredients used, but not always. I'll offer a few and the thoughts behind them:

My IPA has had two names, taken largely from the hops (single hop used, Tomahawk/Columbus). When I lived in Atlanta, I named it Turner Field IPA (i.e. the Braves have the Tomahawk chop, this beer has the Tomahawk hop!). Since moving here, I changed the name to reflect the Columbus hop, and call it the New World IPA to reference Christopher Columbus. As an aside, when I did a Belgian IPA based on that recipe, I called it the Old World IPA due to the use of Belgian yeast...

I called my light Belgian session beer the Lighthouse Belgian Ale. Part of it is a contrast to Icehouse, and part is to incorporate the "Light" in the name. When I was thinking of a brewery name of "South Swell Brewing Company", Lighthouse fit with the nautical/sea theme.

My milk stout, which I recently brewed with a slightly tweaked recipe due to ingredient availability, used Nottingham yeast instead of my usual Windsor... So (for no real reason) I called it "The Sheriff of Nottingham".

My recent hoppy blonde ale, I decided to name P!nk. It's a blonde with an edge, so I thought that fitting.

[brahn]

My recent hoppy blonde ale, I decided to name P!nk. It's a blonde with an edge, so I thought that fitting.

Hahaha! I love it!

I'm with Brad that I rarely name my beers, I generally just refer to them by the style. Occasionally I'll name them by what inspired me to brew them. Mom's Alt was a birthday present for my mom, Mo Betta Lite is a diabetic friendly beer for my brother who goes by Mo. Other times I've named them after song lyrics like Got it Bad Cuz I'm Brown Ale or Prime Directive IPA. There's really no rhyme or reason to it though.

[tikitatt]

I like the names you guys have. I ask only because my friends are asking me. Personally I was calling my cream stout- cream stout. I guess that's not good enough for my free loading friends. Ha, ha!

[BrewMasterBrad]

I'm with Brad W. and Brent on naming beers. When I do name a specific beer, it usually has something to do with the ingredients used or a specific reason why that particular beer was brewed. My cousin named his cat Porter since that is his favorite style of beer that I brew for him. Porter the cat was killed by coyotes, so I came up with a new recipe in honor of him and called it Porter's Porter. Dee Lite was brewed for wedding and the bride was named Dee. Big Hairy Monkey is a barleywine styled after Bigfoot. My Drye Stout is a Dry Stout with Rye. Uranus is a Porter - I'll tell you the story behind that one if you go to SCHF this year.

[lexuschris]

I always name my beers. Just because I enjoy the creative process of doing it. Its just me.

Sometimes I start with a name, and create the recipe to go with it. It provides a guiding vision for the recipe.. Other times, it is a play on words with the style, ingredient, special occasion, etc.

Once you start to have a brewlog/library of brews, it becomes easier to keep straight if you named them. Whatever it takes so that you remember your Downtown Brown from your Brown Bag Porter...


--LexusChris