CRAFT BEER NAMES WORTH PROTECTING
To celebrate Craft Beer Week, we thought that we would post some of our favorite names for craft beers. But before we do that, lets take a look at how the industry has grown since our last post on beer names in 2015 (Where have all the good craft beer names gone?). According to the Brewers’ Association, as of 2021, there are 9,124 brew pubs, tap rooms, microbreweries and regional breweries in the United States. That is more than double the number (4,225) in 2015.
In 2015 we questioned whether, with such explosive growth, brewers could continue to come up with new, distinctive names for their breweries and their beers. As you might have guessed, we were dead wrong. With more brew pubs, breweries and tap rooms, we have been exposed to more new and creative names for beers and breweries. A recent search of the records of the US Trademark Office revealed over 63,000 active registrations and published applications for beer names alone. This number is up from the 22,000 we found in 2015. Registration of your brewery and beer names is vital to protecting your brand and to prevent others from using the same or similar names in a way that may confuse your customers.
It looks like brewers are not only running out of names for their beers, but they are getting more creative. And some of the more savvy brewers are registering their beer names to protect their brand. Here are some of our favorites:
10. HOPOPOTOMUS, Big Rock Brewery, Calgary, Alberta. A hazy and full bodied Pale Ale with notes of ripe mango, guava and tropical fruit coming from the hop varieties and Kviek yeast.
9. HOPPY ENDING PALE ALE, Palo Alto Brewing, Palo Alto, CA. U.S. Trademark Registration No. 4,723,684. A great way to end the night!
8. GOATMEAL STOUT, Turoni’s Pizzary & Brewery, Evansville, IN. Every week, local goat farmer Dennis Brenner picks up our spent grain and hauls it back to his farm in Princeton, Indiana. The grain is then drained and served to his stock of Billy Goats. This partnership keeps our grain waste program environmentally sound, and those goats don’t even know they’re on our payroll. You’ll never meet some of the most important members of our team, but at least you can drink to them!
7. WEE MAC, Sun King Brewery, Indianapolis, IN. U.S. Trademark Registration Nos. and 4,064,657 and 4,176,639. A Scottish-style Ale is an enticing and malty brown ale with caramel, cocoa, and hazelnut character balanced with toffee undertones. Also, a personal friend of mine claims the beer was named after her. Not sure if I believe her or not?
mockups-design.com
6. POLYGAMY PORTER, Wasatch Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT. U.S. Trademark Registration Nos. 4,345,494 and 4,253,333. Why just have one? Polygamy Porter is a smooth, chocolatey, easy-drinkin’ brown porter that’s more than a little naughty. Take some home to the wives!
5. SEXUAL CHOCOLATE, Foothill Brewing, Winston Salem, NC. A cocoa-infused Russian Imperial Stout, brewed with responsibly-sourced organic Peruvian cocoa nibs. Big chocolate aroma with notes of espresso, blackstrap molasses, dark sweet toffee and dark fruit.
4.DRIVER PICKS THE MUSIC, Myriad Brewing, Evansville, IN. A crisp tangerine wheat.
3.COCOMUNGO, 3 Floyds, Munster, IN. Behold the legend of Cocomungo. This devastating Imperial Stout was aged for over a year in Willett bourbon barrels with maple syrup and toasted coconut.
2.WHEELS GOSE ‘ROUND, Left Hand Brewing Co., U.S. Trademark Registration No. 5,686,348. Refreshingly tart & crisp ale with raspberry, a twist of lemon & a hint of salt. Enjoy this tart ale brewed to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis, a disease millions of people around the world fight today.
1.HAZED & INFUSED, Boulder Beer Company, Boulder, CO. U.S. Trademark Registration No. 2,784,476. A unique infusion of floral hops creates a piney, earthy, floral ascent, belayed by a complex, dank, fruity backbone. The surprisingly nimble balance of this Hazy proves sometimes the original is the best route.
In researching this blog, we even came across AI beer naming tools! Like any other branding, it’s important to protect your more valuable brands by registering them with the U.S. Trademark Office. As you can see, some of the more creative and recognizable brands above have done just that! If you need help registering your beer name or brand, contact us, we can help – and we’d love to try your beer too!
