Inspiration for your beers

[Anonme]

Hey everyone,
just wanted to throw a question out there mainly because I find it interesting, how do you guys come up with the names for your home brew?

Myself, I like to try and make them sound a bit like traditional English pub names like "The Oldwood Stout" that kind of thing.

how about you?

 

[Anonme]

i realize there are some previous threads about this, but the were at least 6 years ago, thought some new members could spread some inspiration possibly a fun game to play to name the beer which would be cool.

 

[ol-hazza]

I tend not to name mine really,other than my porter, which I call Chunky Monkey Porter after and old mate of mine whose last name was Porter and nick name was Chunky Monkey.

Im not going to win any competitions when it comes to naming beers

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Smart assery, puns, and wordplay is about it. I made a porter that my wife loved and didn't want to share. My idea... glue a bunch a dick-pics to the bottles and call it "Pecker Porter". Successful plan if you ask me.

Marijuana "hopped" ale...Well "High-PA", of course.

Other names include "Amber is a Lesbian", "Ale to the Chief!", "Mohawk Ale" (I made it when I had a mohawk), "Poisoned Candy" pumpkin ale, "Moose Knuckle" my Moose Drool rip-off, and my favorite... "Beeer". It's and altbier with a super clever name.

The labels are as crude and rude as you might think they are.

 

[Teromous]

Sometimes I will come up with a name, then I will forget it because I don't label my kegs or tap handles. I'll refer to it as the "____ clone" or "_____ style beer." I only have 2 taps so it's not hard to keep track. When I'm messing around with making labels I'll just come up with a name based on one of my other interests or maybe just something that sounds cool. If I'm watching a movie at the time I might name it after the movie. If I'm going camping that weekend then it might be named after the place I camp at...etc.

 

[Beernik]

Year - Distinguishing Characteristic - Style. For instance, I am currently drinking 2015 Midnight Wheat Stout

Not creative, but it makes the filing easier.

 

[1977Brewer]

Song/Band names and dumb jokes. My Saison is named after my toes, by another HBTer. Hobbit Toes is delicious. I only name them so I have something to call them in the what are you drinking thread, and because Mosaic IPA is s commercial name, I've brewed it 4 times, so SonRise I - IV.

 

[Anonme]

I'm lucky my wife doesn't like beer, floppyknockers I like some of the beeer names you have made. I like beernik's way it makes it sound sophisticated. I wonder if there is a way to create almost a game out of naming beer like mad libs style. I would be willing to try it with my brew I have going now, even make labels for it.

 

[Anonme]

1977brewer that's cool! What do you name your toes? I like to name them as almost a pride thing if I have friends having a pint of it.

 

[1977Brewer]

I'm lucky my wife doesn't like beer, floppyknockers I like some of the beeer names you have made. I like beernik's way it makes it sound sophisticated. I wonder if there is a way to create almost a game out of naming beer like mad libs style. I would be willing to try it with my brew I have going now, even make labels for it.

Put your iTunes on shuffle while you brew/package/sample. I got three beer names that way.

 

[Anonme]

Put your iTunes on shuffle while you brew/package/sample. I got three beer names that way.

What were the names? Did you take the three song names? Or lyrics from it?

 

[1977Brewer]

What were the names? Did you take the three song names? Or lyrics from it?

Both lyrics and titles. Bitter Pill APA, ERR Day IPA, and another I can't remember. There was a Runaway a Blonde in there, but that's a lyric/band/really obvious name for a blonde ale.

 

[Anonme]

Both lyrics and titles. Bitter Pill APA, ERR Day IPA, and another I can't remember. There was a Runaway a Blonde in there, but that's a lyric/band/really obvious name for a blonde ale.

That's a very cool idea, I will have to definitely try that thanks!

 

[Sammy86]

I come up with names based off what happens while making the beer or if someone helped me out with it. For instance my first all grain beer I named Worry Wort Ale because I worried the whole time during the brewing and fermentation...my second I dutifully named after my new born niece as it was her first brew day with Uncle Sammy...named it Charlotte's Batch of Old Glory Ale.

I just like having fun with the names and don't try to force it...I let it come naturally just like the women in college the more you don't try the more they come to you!

 

[slym2none]

I have no rhyme nor reason. Just whatever hits me as a "keeper".

I've had or will have soon (as in in the fermenter):

-Cascades Of Klondike Gold (amber hopped with Cascade)
-Novacaine (barleywine)
-Helluva IPA (red IPA)
-Blondes Have More Fun (blonde)
-Oktoberbeast (pseudo-Octoberfest ale)
-Duroracat RIS
-TBD name for my dark ale (maybe "Smug Son Of A *****" even though it isn't an Arrogant Bastard clone)

 

[Anonme]

Nice,

 

[hottpeper13]

Mostly after songs or lyrics, but I brewed a porter and used the conan yeast,so it's Conan the Porter....he doesn't carry a sword anymore just baggage.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

A combination of all of the above. If it's a clone, I'll play on the name of the original. My SN Torpedo clone became Full Speed Ahead IPA (get it? "Damn the torpedos, etc..."). Alchemy Ale became Chemistry Lesson IPA. Or I may relate to something particular that happened. When stepping up the starter for my Irish red, I spaced out and poured near boiling water into my decanted yeast, killing them all
(https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=526627). I had to get new yeast. Thus it became Irish Wake Red Ale. My last IPA is Old 82 DIPA because it ended up at 82 IBUs, OG 1082, 8.2 SRM and 8.2% ABV. Or I'll just have fun with words - Marzen Invasion Oktoberfest, Totally Nutz Brown Ale, Belgians Are Ringing Christmas Ale. Or I may try to invoke a scene or feeling - Saturday Morning Mocha Stout, Porch Swing Summer Wheat, Surf Dude Lager.

I never really set out to come up with a name. They just seem to happen. I like to think the name is already in the beer waiting for me to reveal it. Just like a sculptor says the object is already in the stone waiting to be revealed. (Boy, isn't that a line of BS!)

 

[Anonme]

Lol I love it!

 

[Sailingeric]

I like to play with model trains so most of my beers are train themed in name. :rockin:

 

[Anonme]

Like types of locomotives or train puns lol

 

[unionrdr]

^^Locomotive Breath! There's one. Anyway, I get inspired by darn near anything. While I was writing book one of my Time lords 2034 series, My character was doing a collaboration with a brewery in the city he & his crew needed to do something important in...an excuse to be there as it were. I had to think up a name for this brew, then it hit me. I named my Whiskely " Queen Anne's Revenge" after Blackbeard's ship. The story also has him placing a sticker on the kegs with an engraving of the pirate on it as well. Kind of a little turn of the screw to those he was battling against, just to see if they'd get it.
Another time, I'd just gotten a batch of pale ale in the fermenter in late afternoon & had to make a store run. The sunset colors were as burnished gold, so I named the pale ale, with it's amber/orange color, Sunset Gold. Or my hybrid lagers I named " Hopped & Confused", after the Zep song. I named my first good PM/IPA Cougar Country IPA, after Cogar Mountain in WV where my dad's side settled in the early 1700's from Upper Bavaria. Or a state's nickname, like Ohio being the " buckeye State", hence " Buckeye Red" for my Irish red.

 

[Kiichi]

I am going for song names. Sometimes I hear a song that brings a certain atmosphere with it, which I then try to capture in a recipe. Sometimes it also starts with a basic idea and once I have that a song feels fitting and I get the details of the recipe that way.

For example: I thought I should do a session beer. It was spring and I listened to No-Man´s "My Revenge on Seattle" and it just clicked. I had to make a session saison with green tea and citrus. It both fit the feeling I got from the song and when I think of Seattle I think of rain, coffee, and imperial stouts. This being my revenge turning that on it´s head just worked.

Things fall into place like that.

Now I am brewing a strong saison with only Nugget hops. Heart of Gold.

 

[razyrsharpe]

i try to incorporate warrior styles and indidual warriors throuout history into mine. Pugilist Pale Ale for instance...

 

[metanoia]

I try to be witty, funny, or clever if possible: Porter? I hardly know her; Hefe-vixen; Extra SMASHing Bitters

 

[Anonme]

It's great all the different ways people name their brews! It's very inspirational for my batch I have going now. Keep them coming!

 

[Anonme]

I'm thinking of name my black Munich lager after one of my favourite songs "black Betty"

 

[Anonme]

I bottled it today and after a large miss hap I think I might call it the oil spill I lost about half a one litre bottle

 

[CJ-3]

I try to use names that mean something to me.

Tipperary Irish Ale for where my ancestors came from.
Gateway Lager is brewed with my BMC buddies in mind.
Front Porch Ale is an easy session beer for my wife and I to enjoy together.

Whatever you name your beer will be great because it will be Your Beer.

 

[Natdavis777]

Movie characters... Im a big movie buff so I like to play off certain characters. Made a Johnny Utah IPA bc it was a big west coast pale. Same grain bill, but different hops, the next will be a Frank Castle IPA (bc it will punish your taste buds).

Mickey's Caravan Irish Red
Handsome Bob's ESB
The Tommy Gavin Special (Barrel Aged Stout)

You get the point

 

[Qhrumphf]

I used to name everything. I still sort of come up with a name for most beers, but it rarely sticks. I sort of BS'ed a lot of names for checking them in on Untappd, but then I got bored of that.

I have a few that are named that I brew pretty regularly, and a couple other theme names. My house Mild I first brewed under candle light during Hurricane Sandy while my neighborhood was being evacuated, and since it ended up being a whole lot of nothing the name was provided accordingly, "Sandy's Mild Breeze". I named my house ESB "Maggie's Six Feet Under" prior to the event in question, to be rebrewed in celebration each year on the anniversary of said event. If you grew up in 1980's England, you will understand. Otherwise I'm not explaining it. My house Bitter is "Hooligan's Heaven" because real ale, football, and aggro go hand in hand. And all of my Trappist/Abbey style ales are based on "Monkey" for a variety of reasons (one of which being the "monk" part), plus a nod to strength. My Single/Tafelbier is "Common", Dubbel is "Knightly", Tripel is "Noble" (the original ie the second beer I ever brewed, because of the noble hops, the rest came from there, and that beer has been tweaked since), and the Quad is "Royal". My Brett Tripel (still one of the best things I've ever brewed) became "Funky Monkey" appropriately. Nod to strength. Beyond that, names are a placeholder at best.

 

[wtaylor3]

I like the clones to be parodies of the original beer and others are just catchy I guess.

I'm working on a red ipa recipe based on a two hearted clone and I'm going to call it "Bloody Heart"

My brother and I always tease my dad about being a grouchy old man and I brew co3c for him as call it "Grouch Azz"

Brewed the recipe on here called pirate ale and I wanted a pirates of the Caribbean theme so I call it "Capt. Jack's Strongarm Ale" Strong arm on account of the 11.2% abv

 

[Reisende]

I pretty much have an overarching theme for my beers. They may be named after a historical event, may be a pun or parody, or may have something to do with where I currently work/live. But they all have to do with the Army in some way.

NOTE: Some of the following are names for bees I haven't brewed yet... backwards??

All-American - Pale Ale
Towed Jumper - Brown Porter
Jump Refusal - Cream Ale
Five Times Across - Saison
Lost-in-the-Woods - Amber Ale
High-Water - Brown Ale
Motor Vessel - Steam Beer
Tod von Oben - Weizenbock
Falschirmjager - Hefeweizen
WWCND? (What Would Captain Natalino Drink?) - Smoked Porter
1842 - Czech Pils
Screaming Eagle - Tripel/IIPA
Blackhearted Devil - Stout/something strong and dark
Propblast - I don't know what this is yet, but it will be the biggest/strongest/most in-your-face beer I [will] brew.

 

[Singletrack]

Sometimes superheroes, movie characters, villains, etc. But usually no name, just refer to it by the style. Now I realize that is a mistake and it has to stop. All beers must be named heretofore, by proclamation of the brewer, as witnessed by all herein. If someone wants to know what's "on tap" (I bottle), they will just have to ask.

I'll call my Belgian Wit (carbonating): "Snowflake."

I'll call my Saison with American hops (fermenting): "The SS Limpbucket"

...and hopefully I'll get better at this over time.

 

[bobeer]

I've named beers after the time of year, my dog, the style of beer it is, etc... I've named a few I've brewed for baby showers after the baby's name and I've even named my bbq's to which I name the beer I brewed after it. Some times I just called a beer nothing but what it is. IPA, Amber, whatever. There's usually an idea that sparks my next brewing recipe so the name usually follows suit after that thought. Sometimes, however, I draw a blank and name it nothing. Ha.

 

[dpatrickv]

It just depends. It could be something that happened during the brew day, it could be time of year, or it could be something completely off the wall.

I made a red ipa for Husker season and names it "New Era" since they have a new coach.

I named my coconut black ipa "Black Sand" as Hawaii has the most black sand beaches in the world, and also very much know for coconuts.

My house saison is Siddhartha of Suburbia as thats the song that was playing when I started the boil on it the first time around.

Makin' it Rain is the name of my mulberry saison...as thats...sorta how you pick mulberries.

Made a beer during the government shutdown, named it "The Furlough". I brewed it the day it shut down, and kegged it the day they came back.


Just a few examples.

 

[m00ps]

Ive got a bunch of random ass names for my beers and its mostly all personal experiences and references that I dont care if anyone gets. Most of the recent ones have been named after my recent hospital stay

Spongebath - dubbel
Anoxic Dain bramage - brett saison
Dino Skin (skin got so dry I was quoted as calling it this) - Saison
Sounds like Slinkys (hallucinations early on) - Tripel
Brixamytosis (radiohead reference)
Wild Fellers (hick cousin of a friend) - brett ipa
Spaceboots (what I called the recirculation foot cuffs)
Accident Prone - another saison
Rooster hammock - random experience in teh caribbean
tragedy + time - sour
therapy session - session IPA
winnie the pale ale (just loved winnie the pooh as a kid, uses honey)

I just keep a list of ideas for beer names and assign them with whatever I end up brewing

 

[Anonme]

Nice! I'm finding everyone's answers really fascinating!