What is the single biggest challenge facing the entrepreneur looking to open a microbrewery? Choosing a name. I'll use my last name. Wait, that doesn't sound good. I have an idea! Oh no, state law says I can't use that name because it sounds the "same as" or "similar" to another. Quick, what about a street name? Favorite neighborhood? City? Town? Country? Favorite hang out? Area code? The list is endless. Will the chosen name be your first choice? Second? A coin toss? An aha moment? Alchemist, Jester King, Texas Ale Project, 903 Brewers, Ninkasi, Left Hand, Deep Ellum, Sierra Nevada, and Lost Coast no doubt required serious thought and effort -- hard work. A Google search of microbreweries in the United States show just how deep the rabbit hole goes. As individuals, friends, or family gather around to take the entrepreneurial plunge, the art and science of brewing no longer takes center stage. The bigger question now is what do we name it or what do we call ourselves? The KISS method should apply but you're already too late. Years and even decades ago the plumber, electrician, carpenter, and hardware store owner used that method and rendered a name that reflects their location, their community, or their city. The simple, for you, has been replaced with the creative. | So as the new kid on the block what are we to do? Brainstorm? Research? Write? Email? That's right! Gather your pad and pen and start writing. Boot up the PC or slide to unlock. Launch the notes app and have at it. Login to your email and correspond with state administrators who can give you the green or red light on your name selection. Email response will take a day or two, sorry, no chat room. Before you know it the hours have turned into weeks and those weeks have stretched into months. So be prepared. Quirky names are just that, quirky. Unusual names are just that, unusual. Creative names are just that, creative. But that's what works. In the world of craft beer where the ordinary is overlooked and the eccentric is embraced, go for it. The road less traveled applies here. Dogfish Head, Green Flash, Hogs Back, Saint Arnold, Two Brothers, Smuttynose, Shmaltz, Off Color, Magic Hat, Free State, Pipeworks, Franconia, Bootleg, and Cedar Creek are not characters or locations in works of fiction. These are the names of microbreweries and choosing a name is hard work. |