Top 10: Weird Beer Names

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Strange beer names that inspire empty mugs

When it was originally enacted in 1516, the Bavarian Purity Law stated that beer should only contain water, hops and barley. It’s a simple recipe that hasn’t changed much through the years. So, with these draconian limits governing their product, brewers have been forced to extremes when differentiating their products from competitors. Some spend millions on slick advertising, while others pay a king's ransom to athletes to pimp their beer. But for smaller breweries, it’s not that easy. Even if they produce a nectar that’s worthy of the Gods, it will rarely raise a blip in the crowded beer market.

So, these microbreweries have found an ingenious method to stand out from the clutter. Freed from the constraints of corporate, focus group-obsessed marketing departments, they’ve been able to develop bizarre, sometimes offensive and always attention-grabbing brand names, which results in strange beer names. It was a grueling bit of research but we managed to find a plethora of strange beer names, and here are 10 of our favorites.

Number 10

Fiddler's Elbow

Similar to tennis elbow, the intense pain and cramping of Fiddler’s Elbow can be treated using the age-old R.I.C.E. method of first aid — rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Or the sufferers can drown their agony by binging on this tart, citrusy wheat beer from the UK.

What’s in a strange beer name?

Wychwood, the small brewery responsible for this gem, draws its inspiration from the fantasy and mythical geography of the UK. So, while it is a catchy sounding and strange beer name, Fiddler’s Elbow is also a small village in Wales.

Number 9

Old Speckled Hen

This wildly popular English ale is proof that you don’t need a GDP-like marketing budget or a stodgy name like “Newcastle” to be the highest-selling premium bottled beer in the UK. Beer aficionados marvel at its combination of sweet and bitter flavors, which is something made possible by the special strain of yeast that has been used exclusively by brewers since 1896.

What’s in a strange beer name?

The raging drunks that used to build MG automobiles back in the day used one particular MG to ferry around the factory. They referred to this venerable, rust-spotted vehicle as “The owld speckled ‘un.” On the 50th anniversary of the car, the tongue-in-cheek brewmasters celebrated by creating a beer with the slightly more marketable name of Old Speckled Hen.

Number 8

Dogfish Head Snowblower Ale

A dogfish is a vile shark that feeds on small fish and invertebrates. A snowblower is an over-priced alternative to the shovel. Somehow, the two things overlap and for that wonderful reason, this glorious, seasonal beer was created.

What’s in a strange beer name?

Dogfish Head is a small craft brewery based in Delaware that is growing rapidly thanks in no small part to its immensely popular Lawnmower beer. So, playing off that name, they decided to go with the winter equivalent for their cold-season offering.

Strange beer names with holiday spirit and evolution in mind…