NewHavenBIZ

30 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 0 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m What's in a name?: Craft brew branding in Connecticut is fast approaching death-by-cuteness levels. STRANGE BREWS previously housed the U.S. Baird manufacturing facility. Rumor has it, Kennedy explains, that factory workers snuck off to the secret room, called Little Heaven, "for naps, relaxation and perhaps some other unauthorized activity." "When our owners heard that, they immediately knew that a beer had to be named in honor of such a place, and Lil' Heaven Crushable IPA was a perfect fit," Kennedy says. Kennedy said naming beers aer local landmarks is Two Roads' tribute to the hometown they love. "e state of Connecticut and specifically the town of Stratford have been extremely good to us," Kennedy says. "We are truly thank- ful and fortunate to be based in a town with such a vibrant communi- ty steeped in a wonderful history." Next door to Two Roads is its sister brewery, Area 2, "an exper- imental facility" exuding a funky vibe as mysterious as its alien-har- boring near-namesake, Area 51. e Twoquila, an otherworldly marriage of tequila and lime, is a customer favorite among those on planet Earth. Two Roads and Area 2 work with the Baton Rouge, La. design agency BRZoom in creating the outlandish artwork adorning its bottles, bringing the unique beer monikers to life. Crystal Bell of Bridgeport, a cra beer aficionado and an avid fan of Two Roads, enjoys sampling all they have to offer with friends and family. "It's always a lot more fun to drink a beer when there's a good story behind it," says Bell. Heron Today At Stony Creek Brewery (ston- ycreekbeer.com) in Branford, customers have "No Egrets" when throwing back a Big Cranky or a Ruffled Feathers. e brewery's mascot, a blue heron, is an avian indigenous to local waters and serves as the com- pany's logo. A blue heron is also known as a "Big Cranky," accord- ing to Director of Brewing Op- erations Gordon Whelpley, Stony Creek's top-selling Double IPA. Stony Creek also digs puns, with its No Egrets brew and others. e Crankenstein experimental series pays homage to a fledgling heron coming out its shell, according to Whelpley, with artwork by Lisa Sotero. Stony Creek's resurrection of its 203 brew brand, with a nod to southern Connecticut's telephone area code, has met with critical acclaim from quaffers. "It's a name and a look that help to distinguish our brand," Whelp- ley explains. "e beer inside is paramount. We're thrilled at the success we continue to enjoy throughout New England with our Cranky series." Mike Student, brand command- er and co-owner of Bad Sons Brewery (badsons.com) in Derby says creative and memorable names brew up more business. "Cra brewing is all about being creative and innovative with- out many boundaries," Student explains. "Same applies when naming beers — keeping it fun, creative and catchy are what grabs people's attention and can help pique their interest to want to try a particular beer." A new line of sour beers launched at Bad Sons boasts a Willy Wonka theme. Veruca's Demise is named aer the bratty girl in the cranberry-colored dress who turned out to be a bad egg. e cranberry sour beer, with its bold, red color, captures the spirit of Veruca Salt herself, says Student. The Milkman Cometh Other names just sort of happen naturally, Student explains, as when employees found an old milk crate in the former factory-turned brewery, and created a milk stout dubbed the Mechanical Milkman. Student lauds label designer Dan DiSorbo, of Derby-based PB&J Design, for bringing the funky beer names to full living color on Bad Sons' bottles. At Connecticut's only Irish brewery, Shebeen Brewing Co. (shebeenbrewing.com) in Wolcott, the more outlandish the name, the better. Take Baby Seal Dance Party, inspired when brewery employees had a wacky vision to put baby seals in bizarre situations just for the fun of it — at a nightclub, a slumber party, a pool party. "We don't take ourselves too seriously, so we decided several years ago to just have fun and make each beer its own identity," explains Rich Visco, Shebeen's owner and master brewer. "Most of our beer Continued from page 26

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