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You Might Shoot Your Eye Out While Laughing At These Holiday Brews

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Tribute Brewing Co.

Holiday brewskis are often called, well, holiday brewskis. Holiday ales, Christmas porters, and seasonal stouts crowd the shelves of liquor stores during the months of November and December.

But there are several craft brews that stand out – because their names and/or imagery are silly, funny or just plain goofy.  The names are sometimes so unusual that you might wonder why or how the brewmasters came up with them. Well, here’s a roundup of some holiday brews – and the inspiration behind them: 

The brew: Mele Kalikimaka, Tribute Brewing Co., Bill Summers, co-founder

The story: “This coconut porter was created in a panic. We released our first beer, Old Eagle Porter, on Dec. 8, 2012. Our next beer wasn’t scheduled to be released until after Christmas, but I really wanted a Christmas beer.”

The creation: Summers and his business partner, Marc O’Brien, decided to take part of their initial porter batch and add some additional flavors. But spicing up the beer can sometimes be risky, so they decided to add coconut. But then the question of how does coconut go with Christmas?

The resolution: “Well, my favorite holiday movie is Christmas Vacation, and the song Mele Kalikimaka  is featured in the movie. Christmas, Hawaiian, coconut? I think we have something here. Thus, Mele Kalikimaka coconut porter was born, and it has become a holiday tradition. You might even hear people sing its name as they order a pint.”

Karbach Brewing Co.

The brew: Yule Shoot Your Eye Out festive red ale, Karbach Brewing Co., David Graham, brand manager

The story: “The beer had been completed, but we still didn’t have a name for it. As we were all sitting around drinking the beer and chatting about the holidays, we got to talking about the classic movie, A Christmas Story, and how we could tie in the word ‘yule.’” 

The tie-in: “Out of nowhere, somebody shouted ‘You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!’ From that, it instantly clicked for us to change the spelling of ‘you’ll’ to ‘yule.’”

Why the naming is important: “The fun thing about a holiday beer, as opposed to other seasonal varieties, is that you’re generally not buying them to drink at home. You’re bringing them to holiday parties and family gatherings to share. A funny or cleaver name often brings a smile to people’s faces and makes it more fun to share with others.”

Thirsty Pagan Brewing Co.

The brew: In Darkest Minter mint chocolate milk stout, Thirsty Pagan Brewing, Kathleen Culhane, head brewer

The history: “The recipe was devised by my old taproom manager, Jackie, at a brewery in St. Paul called Sidhe. I took it and modified it. I don’t know what she called her beer, but I was trying to come up with a holiday, seasonal beer, and it just seemed like a kind of a cute name. This is the darkest time of the year, and in darkest winter, change the ‘winter’ to ‘minter.’ It seemed kind of clever so I went with that.”

The puns: “It's part of the fun. I actually called a pour of our pepper beer and a pour of our nut brown ale Hot Black Desiato just to see if someone got the pun. And someone did. That name comes from a character in A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He was the lead singer of a fictional rock band for whome it was more advantageous for him to spend a year dead for tax reasons. I have a double bock coming out in two or three weeks called I’ll Be Bock.”

The flavor inspiration: “Thin Mints are my favorite cookie so when the Girl Scouts are selling, I hope they manage to come by here. I’ll buy a case of them.” 

Jeanette Hurt

The Brew: Parka Porter, Goose Island Beer Co., Todd Ahsmann, president

The history: “Chicago winters can often be brutal, with zero degree temperatures and heavy snowfall. As winter descends across the Chicagoland area, natives dust off their park coasts out of storage to brave extreme temperatures. The parka fit perfectly with the theme of the classic porter.”

What’s in a name: “Some names are simple. Parka Porter is a nod to Chicago’s cold winters. Others have rich backstories, like Matilda, named for a legendary countess who founded a Belgian monastery where the monks learned to brew beer. Some are personal, like Sofie, named for our co-founder’s daughter. We put a lot of thought into our beer names and love sharing those stories with the people drinking our beer.”

Elysian Brewing

The Brew: Bifrost Winter Ale, Elysian Brewing, Dave Buhler, co-founder and Andrea Boyle, brand manager

The history (according to Buhler): “Bifrost Winter Ale was first brewed in the fall of 1997, as a paler version of our first winter beer and our first strong ale, Valkyrie. Both ‘Bifrost’ and ‘Valkyrie’ are part of Norse mythogy. Bifrost refers to the rainbow bridge that connects the Norse worlds.” - Buhler

Why the name helps (according to Boyle): “Craft beer shelves are incredibly crowded. Breaking through in that space is competitive. When beer drinkers scan the shelves, having both intriguing names and bottle are is key. It’s been important to us that our names and bottle art draw beer drinkers in and make them think twice. It’s more than just tasting the beer, but how you feel holding it in your hand, how you connect to the art and name. Having a unique name and art gives the beer a personality, a story of where it came from. All of this separates us out on a shelf and gives a bigger experience to beer drinkers.

Karben4

The Brew: Diet Starts Tomorrow chocolate oatmeal stout, Karben4, Ryan Koga, brew master and co-owner

The history: “I started my brewing career in Billings, MT at Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company, and we made an oatmeal stout called Black Widow. I moved back to Wisconsin with my wife, who I had met at the brewery, to join my friend and my brother in opening Karben4. As much as I loved oatmeal stout, I chose not to brew one right away, as I did not want to be copying the things that were staples of YVBC.”

The love of oatmeal stout: “A few years into K4, I began to really miss having an oatmeal stout. I wrote a new recipe and decided to add liquid cacao to the beer.”

How the name came about: “The first time it was released was around the holidays, and there was always a joke in the office about announcing the ‘diet starts tomorrow’ before someone gave into their vice. That led to the perfect name for this rich and delicious brew that brings out a feeling of indulgence.”

 

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