Old Leg Over

Ok, I want the job of naming craft beers. Wouldn’t that be the perfect job?

Trying different beers and picking a good name to go with its ‘personality’.

And it seems the smaller the brewery, the better some of the names.

The big American breweries, like AB, for the most part have really bad names for their beers. Think about it. One of the biggest selling beers in the world is called Bud Lite. Wow! Is that ever catchy?

Or how about Busch? I don’t know. That name is almost becoming analogous for bad behavior.

Maybe when you sell so much, name doesn’t matter.

Think about it, the big names in beer titles in this country are; Bud, Bud Lite, Coors, Busch, Corona. Even the largest American owned, Sam Adams, breweries names are pretty boring, (I do however like SA’s beers, but am not a fan of AB), Winter Lager, Boston Lager, Summer Ale.

Even when AB makes better ale (so I have heard, I have yet to try one), they give it a boring name, ‘American Ale’. What’s with that? When AB did actually use some great names for craft beers, they usually only marketed them in tiny areas, for a short time. Remember Faust? I didn’t think so. (I believe they did keep ‘Bare Knuckle Stout’, is that correct Mike?).

I wonder if it is the same in the UK?

But as we go down the ladder of breweries the names start becoming more creative. Probably to get our attention, but I believe also to reflect the personality of the brewer.

Here are just a few; Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, Harveistoun Old Engine Oil, Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout, Ridgeway Santa's Butt, Buffalo Bill's Alimony Ale, McQuire's I'll Have What The Gentleman On The Floor Is Having Barley Wine, Wasatch Polygamy Porter (with the catch phrase, ‘Why have just one?)

What beer lover would not want to try most of these?

I also have a theory about the men (and women) who drink the Bud Lites of this world.

Ready ladies?

Now the men who drink the Bud Lites probably have more money, or not, are probably better looking, or not and probably have better jobs, or not, than the men drinking the Craft Beers.

But I would almost bet that the men drinking the craft beers probably have more personality, and are more interesting than the Bud Lite drinkers.

Now where is this going you ask?
As my one or two loyal followers know, I have been trying to keep a life list of some of the craft beers I have been trying lately and posting comments on those beers here.

If I were a Bud Lite drinker I would call it a bucket list, because on most Friday’s you can get a bucket of long necks real cheap at most bars.

But since I am not I am going to stick with ‘life list’ till I come up with a better name.

This past weekend after doing yard work and pool work I opened up a brew from the home country called ‘Old Leg Over’ from the craft brewer 'Daleside' in Harrogate Yorkshire.

It was fairly mild ale, with a good tea color to it. Not bitter at all, and it did not seem to have much carbonation to it, which I really liked. It was the closest I have had to some of my home brews (which may or may not be a good thing).

I definitely wanted another, which I did not have and I would be very glad if my local would carry it, which they don’t.
It is one I will try again, and I must say I was a little surprised at how well I enjoyed it.