A question of taste

[David Edgar]

Just a word of caution - for those devoting their valuable time and money - and others' valuable time and money - to a new brewery project:
Craft beer IS all about the flavor. But it still has to be presented in good taste. It is equally (some would argue more so) about image/presentation/marketing because you still have to sell it and someone will have to want to buy it.
While you may have great ideas for beer & brewery names, you may want to take a step back and ask yourself - can I picture my accountant or banker, or my friend's mom, taking a six-pack off the shelf when it has a name like "Wanker"? Or would I want to be seen, myself, walking out of a store carrying a bottle of a beer named "Red Ass"? (Both real examples from the 1990s, the last time craft brewing was skyrocketing in sales.)
If the goal is to sell hats and t-shirts, then that's a different story (Gator Lager?) and it's not really about craft brewing or craft beer.
Am I the arbiter of what constitutes good taste, or what will really succeed? "Heck" no!
(I remember seeing a new brewery with gargoyles on the labels and thought "that'll never fly"....)
Just saying - if you want to create a company that's "built to last," (more than a few years) you may want to err on the side of caution, in terms of how you present the beer & the brewery - if you truly want to eliminate the "veto" factor, or any chance you'll be alienating a substantial % of your potential market.

[wailingguitar]

Just a word of caution - for those devoting their valuable time and money - and others' valuable time and money - to a new brewery project:
Craft beer IS all about the flavor. But it still has to be presented in good taste. It is equally (some would argue more so) about image/presentation/marketing because you still have to sell it and someone will have to want to buy it.
While you may have great ideas for beer & brewery names, you may want to take a step back and ask yourself - can I picture my accountant or banker, or my friend's mom, taking a six-pack off the shelf when it has a name like "Wanker"? Or would I want to be seen, myself, walking out of a store carrying a bottle of a beer named "Red Ass"? (Both real examples from the 1990s, the last time craft brewing was skyrocketing in sales.)
If the goal is to sell hats and t-shirts, then that's a different story (Gator Lager?) and it's not really about craft brewing or craft beer.
Am I the arbiter of what constitutes good taste, or what will really succeed? "Heck" no!
(I remember seeing a new brewery with gargoyles on the labels and thought "that'll never fly"....)
Just saying - if you want to create a company that's "built to last," (more than a few years) you may want to err on the side of caution, in terms of how you present the beer & the brewery - if you truly want to eliminate the "veto" factor, or any chance you'll be alienating a substantial % of your potential market.

THANK YOU! I couldn't agree more!

[LuskusDelph]

Good points there, definitely.
When I walk into a package store and look at the increasing numbers of beers available I also notice that a lot of brands label their products with what looks like bad comic book art (or just downright amateur graphic design technique).

It's probably just me, but I find that it is hard to take such branding very seriously, since it makes it look like the brewer doesn't take his craft very seriously.
Guess I'm just like an old fuddy-duddy.
As long as the labels appeal to someone I suppose it hardly matters what I think.