Craft Brewers Are Running Out Of Beer Names
America's thriving craft beer industry — now standing at more than 3,200 brewers nationwide, with another 2,000 in the pipeline — is one of the country's greatest economic development success stories in modern times. There are now tens of thousands of brands of beer on the market. But, beyond expanding your choice of suds, small indie brewers also create jobs. And, not just for brewery workers. Lawyers, too, it seems.
NPR reports that U.S. craft brewers have become so numerous and prolific in terms of output that they're running out of unique names to call their distinctive beers. This is especially true when it comes to hop puns, it turns out:
A quick Google search reveals multiple beers named "Hopscotch," and at least three India Pale Ales with the name "Bitter End."
Legal fights over beer names are becoming so common, in fact, that one San Diego attorney, Candace Moon, has devoted her entire legal practice to helping craft brewers navigate this sticky issue. She has even branded herself, "The Craft Beer Attorney." So, rival attorneys should be advised to think up their own nicknames, as this gal clearly knows her copyright law. "There are only so many words and names that make sense with beer, so it's not surprising that many people will come up with the same ideas," Moon tells NPR.
It's an unfortunate development, even for non-hopheads like the Chicago Tribune's curmudgeon Rex Huppke, who quips that "the only appealing aspect of microbrews is their names." For the benefit of insufferable "beer snoots" everywhere, Huppke offers up his own list of titles yet to grace a bottle, including the brusque-toned "Rex Huppke's Keep It To Yourself Lager."
We'd suggest another name, inspired by Huppke. But, it turns out, "growler" is already in use.
Read more about craft beer on Food Republic: