Hartford Business Journal

12 Hartford Business Journal • May 15, 2017 www.HartfordBusiness.com For many in Connecticut's burgeoning brewing indus- try, creative naming has become a critical marketing tool in an increasingly competitive environment in which shelf space and customer attention spans are in short supply. It's also a creative process fraught with legal and PR risks. With more than 5,000 microbreweries, brew pubs and regional breweries across the United States, Connecticut beer makers must increasingly worry about not inadver- tently copying another brewer's trademark. "[Naming] is one of the hardest things to do in our indus- try," said Andy Schwartz, brewmaster of Stony Creek Brew- ery in Branford. Dennis Russo, of West Hartford design firm Wondris- kaRusso Associates, which recently redesigned Hart- ford-based City Steam's line of Naughty Nurse beers, said it's challenging to make a six-pack stand out in a package store. There's no right way to do it, but branding consistency is important for beers, whether they're new or more estab- lished brews, he said. And for most brewers, from Stratford-based Two Roads Brewing to some of the state's smallest, trademark searches are a key part of the process. "It's hard to change [names] once [a beer] is on the market," said Collin Kennedy, senior marketing manager at Two Roads. Internal creative processes vary from brewery to brewery and beer to beer, but one thing comes across in speaking with a handful of Connecticut's several dozen breweries: Brewers are often creative sorts who have fun naming their beers. Five breweries shared some of the creative processes and stories behind their beer names with the Hartford Business Journal. New England Brewing Co., Woodbridge It could be argued that New England Brewing Co. takes some of the biggest creative risks in beer naming. But it often pays off. "The beer has to be good no matter what and the name is just something to have fun with and a little bonus," said Rob Leonard, owner and brewer. "We put our personali- ties into the beers." Its popular Fuzzy Baby Ducks IPA? The thinking, Leonard said, was "How can we embarrass the guy at the bar who has to order it? What's the cutest name someone would have to say?" The can's design, which portrays cartoonish yellow ducks joyously sliding down a rainbow emerging from a unicorn's backside, only adds to the joke. New England Brewing's Craig Gilbert, who attended high school with Leonard, designed the label. "If [a name or design] makes us laugh, that's the com- mon line," Leonard said. The company has toed the line with some of its names: Imperial Stout Trooper earned New England Brewing a letter from Lucas Films' attorneys, prompting a subtle change in the label art. Gandhi-Bot, a double IPA featur- ing a robot version of Indian civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi, offended some, prompting the brewery to change the name to G-Bot and alter the label art. Leonard said he was reluctant to make the change, especially since the brew received high marks from beer enthusiasts. He said several Indian store owners told him they had no problem with Gandhi-Bot, which Gilbert thought of through a rapid word-association exercise involving India, beer cans and metal. The incident has not hurt sales of the beer, which along with Sea Hag is among the brewery's most popular, Leonard said. Leonard's personal favorite name is Ghost Pigeon Porter, named in honor of a sickly pigeon that staff had to shoo away after it kept invading the brewery. When it stopped coming, staff figured it had passed on. The list goes on: Scrumtrulescent Saison is a nod to Will Ferrell's Saturday Night Live portrayal of "Inside the Actor's Studio" host James Lipton. The Ocho IPA is a reference to a parody, ESPN-like channel in the movie from page 1 Beer names seek consumers' Stony Creek brewmaster Andy Schwarz (above) in the brewery's Branford tap room, which acts as a laboratory to test new beer concoctions with customers. Some creatively named and designed beer offerings from Connecticut brewers are shown to the left. From top left downward: New England Brewing's Fuzzy Baby Ducks IPA, Shebeen's Cannoli beer and Fore! Session IPA, and Two Roads' Two Juicy Double IPA.

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