Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com May 15, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 13 "Dodgeball," which pokes fun at ESPN2's for- mer nickname, "The Deuce." Shebeen Brewing, Wolcott Shebeen Brewing in Wolcott gets adventur- ous with recipes, which tends to lead to more literal, though still attention-grabbing names. One of its most popular beers is called Cannoli, an ale that tastes like its namesake and is housed in a can designed to look like the decadent Italian pastry. The unique beer's story began about five years ago, when master brewer Richard Visco was visited by a group of friends and poten- tial investors. One of the men was out of breath, and his friend, pok- ing fun, called him "cannoli boy." "I literally stopped in my tracks and said 'I can make a beer that's like that,' " Visco recalled. The Irish native had intended to pursue English and Irish-style beers, but now he has to keep his taproom stocked with Cannoli, where it's a favorite. Shebeen (Irish Gaelic for "speakeasy") can achieve unusual names by simply stating ingredients in its beers. It makes a Cucumber Wasabi Ale and a Java Pig Stout, which con- tains both bacon and coffee. The original name was Bacon Kona Stout, but Visco said he received a letter from Hawaii's Kona Brewing Co. concerned about the name similarity. It turned out to be a fairly friendly exchange. "We settled it," Visco said. "They paid for the cost of getting rid of our labels." He said he likes the new name better. True to its roots, Shebeen brews an Irish Plum Pudding beer. A newer offering called Fore! Session IPA breaks Shebeen's more conventional naming habits. It has four different kinds of hops, an alcohol content of 4.4 percent, and a golf ball on the can label. Two Roads Brewing Co., Stratford With an in-house marketing team and a staff of approximately 100, Two Roads likes to tap the power of the crowd when it names its beers, said Kennedy, the senior marketing manager. They call it the name game and it entails an emailing brainstorm. A more recent result of the exercise was the name Two Juicy for a New England IPA. Two Roads is housed in the former U.S. Baird Factory, and it incorporates an industrial theme into much of its branding, Kennedy said. "We say 'let's look at our past and the roots in this factory and use that as names,' " Kennedy said. "But not too con- trived or over the top." Ol' Factory Pils combines the beer's aromatic dry hops with a clever pun. Lil' Heaven Ses- sion IPA has an inter- esting backstory. Kennedy said the brewery's owners were giving a tour to a group that used to work at the fac- tory when one visi- tor asked what hap- pened to "lil' heaven." The owners didn't know what the man was talking about. But the former factory employee explained there used to be a size- able space between the ceiling and the second floor where factory workers used to sneak away for a nap on a mattress. The hiding spot earned its name because it was a place of reprieve. "We thought that was the coolest name," Kennedy said. Two Roads now uses the previously undis- covered space for warehousing, he said. Stony Creek Brewery, Branford Launched in 2012, Stony Creek has quickly become one of Connecticut's largest brewers. "The liquids, obviously first and foremost, have to be good," said brewmaster Schwartz, who added that clever naming and packag- ing often go hand in hand in creating a successful beer. Stony Creek, named for a section of Branford, is perhaps best known for its "Cranky" line of IPAs, a nickname for a blue heron, common along the local shoreline. The heron is the uniting visual factor on all of the brew- ery's beers, from IPAs to lagers. Schwartz calls the heron Stony Creek's "sigil" or "mascot." The brewery works with artist Lisa Sotero to create a unique heron for each new beer. The Big Cranky can features an almost psychedelic bird, while the heron on the Black Water Pils, which features spookier art, looks almost raven-like. Schwartz collaborates on names with Jamal Robinson, director of sales. Stony Creek also makes a series of beers that mix various traditions and styles, like a sour stout or a soured double IPA. Those beers fall under the cleverly named "Flip the Bird" moniker. Schwartz is no stranger to letting go of favored names for new beers. An IPA the brew- ery plans to release next month was going to be called "Ripple Effect" — a tongue-in-cheek name meant to poke fun at copying in the industry. The logo design was nearly complete when irony struck: Stony Creek's legal team found an existing beer with the same name. Schwartz said the team had to decide on a different name, which will be announced soon. Back East Brewing Co., Bloomfield If there's a common thread in Back East's naming habits, it's music. Karlowicz said that five years ago, when he was thinking of call- ing his newest beer Back East IPA, a distrib- utor warned him against it. Creative names were becoming a trend. "I remember him saying, 'Dude, you've got to name it. You can't just call it Back East IPA,' " Karlowicz said. After some think- ing, he went with Misty Mountain IPA, a nod to the Led Zep- pelin song "Misty Mountain Hop" — "hop" being a crucial ingredient in the IPAs that to this day con- tinue to dominate the craft market. Suzy Greenberg, an American-style IPA, is a nod to a Phish song. The can's background design has orange and blue donut-shaped dots, like those on the mumu worn by the jam band's drummer. That connection wouldn't be obvi- ous to most people, and that's part of the point, Karlowicz said. "It's taking stuff we love and trying to spread it," he said. Intergalactic Lupulinary, which uses gal- axy hops, is a tribute to the Beastie Boys song "Intergalactic." Lupulinary is a made-up word that rhymes with the "planetary" portion of the lyrics, but lupulin oils are what gives the hop flower its characteristic taste. A previous single-hop malt (or "SMaSH") beer containing southern cross hops was named Crosby, Stills and SMaSH. Surely there must be a story behind Tony Goes Dancing Imperial IPA? Karlowicz insists there is not. A brewer simply thought it would be funny to order the beer out loud in a bar. "There is no funny story, I don't really dance," he said. n consumers' attention A lineup of Back East Brewing's beers, including Palate Mallet (far right), which was the Bloomfield brewery's first foray into creative naming. Many of Two Roads' beer names are a nod to the former U.S. Baird factory, where the brewery is headquartered. This Back East Brewing beer is a subtle nod to the jam band Phish. P H O T O S | C O N T R I B U T E D P H O T O | S T E V E L A S C H E V E R

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