Whip In's in-house Namaste Brewery claims they are being forced to change its name after Delaware-based Dogfish Head issued an email they call a "cease and desist with a velvet glove" to protect the trademark of their Namaste beer. Reddit is hosting a lively discussion on the issue, with commenters pointing out that previously craft brewers have handled this issue with collaboration. Dogfish Head describes their Namaste beer as "a witbier bursting with good karma," but Whip-In's GM Dipak Topiwala says the alleged C&D is another example of why "cultural imperialism sucks," especially "in such direct irony to the very nature of the word namaste." Whip In's first in-house brew was a "post-colonial IPA."

Update! Dogfish Head has passed along this blog post, in which they say they have not sent a cease and desist or engaged in legal action. They hope to resolve this situation "brewer to brewer."

Update 2! Dipak Topiwala has been chatting up a storm on Facebook and now describes Dogfish's contact with him as a "C&D with a velvet glove" but no legal papers have been served. Eater has corrected its earlier mention of the communication as a cease and desist.

· Whip In Forced to Drop 'Namaste' Title [Reddit]

· All Whip In Coverage [EATX]