In this day and age with over 700 breweries in California alone, finding just the right name for a brewery or beer that both defines and expands the brand can be a research task that becomes a wormhole to a lost day of work.
Adding humor to that mix too, just adds a dimension of field testing as rigorous as recipe development. Simply because there are so many people out there who seem to be waiting to be offended, to the point where actual offensiveness can almost be obscured.
With the interwebs fueled (and for once justifiable) rage against Special Ed’s brewing enterprise now run its course to the inevitable name change, I offer my services as one-man focus group as to what other words should be avoided unless you enjoy controversy.
Anything to do with bodily functions and undergarments. I know that everyone poops but when I order and drink a beer, I don’t want my impression of your beer to be about stains or skid marks. That is not the image that I want in my mind when drinking your beer. Nor do I want to think about nether regions either which takes nuts and dicks off the table. So (not) sorry to the Ass Clowns of the world.
Second, we don’t need any more buxom women on labels. Not until there is an equal amount of six-pack ab’d men. I’m sure that Portuguese football star Ronaldo will model for your beer. Excuse me for not ordering your Bombshell Blonde but it seems lazy to sell your Kolsch/Helles in that Bud Easy Way. Take the better route that Deschutes did with their Non-Derogatory Blonde Ale.
Those are just two categories of offense and maybe I should be glad that the breweries tip their juvenile humor hand because it makes it easier for me to winnow the field of choices when I am beer shopping.
Stay classy out there
Peel the Label is an occasional series where I opine about the big picture of craft beer and blogging without photos, videos or links.