Russian Legion Takes Dallas
Dallas brewery Community Beer Co. revealed the Russian-style imperial stout name it crowdsourced from hopheads in the area, which was submitted by local Ben Bascombe. The beer is now officially called Legion.
Said the brewery: “The name is historical, and denotes a large group of people … like our community, hence the great connection. A Legion of beer lovers.”
Last month the company was looking for D-FW creatives to help name its newest recipe, a Russian-style imperial stout that will hit local taps and retail shelves this fall. Through July 15, hopheads wrere submit entries via Community’s website. Community received more than 400 submissions.
Kevin Carr, the founder of Community Beer Company, an award-winning brewery located in Dallas, Texas. tells the story:
“Over the course of two weeks, we collected over 400 submissions from beer lovers throughout the metroplex, and then whittles those down to a short list of six names. We then took that short list to some of our favorite accounts around town to let their managers/owners vote on the final name.
The winning name is Legion, announced Thursday August 14, and we couldn’t be more excited. We’ll also have a limited amount of the newly named stout on draft at the brewery.
Naming a beer requires a lot of thought. It’s got to be short, possibly clever, memorable, and fit with the style of the beer. Then there’s marketing, labeling and public perception issues to consider. One challenge with this being a Russian imperial stout, despite being a well-liked, incredible style of beer, was to be careful to not glorify Russia too much given recent global events.
Needless to say, it was a fun, interesting, and challenging process. We had a lot of really clever names, and some, well … not so much. The list ranged from Russian-themed to more generic ones to those that give homage to NTX and Texas.
And we received lots of really good names we might use for future brews (we’re keeping those a secret). For grins, I thought it would be fun to share some of the names that didn’t make the cut.
CLEVER NAMES:
The creativity of the public really came through…
R.I.S.ky Business (RIS = Russian Imperial Stout)
Without a Nyet (can’t say no to this beer)
Black in the USSR (for Beatles fans)
Leo Tolstout (Russian writer Leo Tolstoy)
RISmmunity (RIS + Community)
Ruskie Brewski (Russian beer)
RISpect (Aretha would be proud)
Nichushkin #43 (homage to the stout, Russian, imperial Dallas Stars warrior)
In Through the Stout Door (ode to a Led Zeppelin album — rock on!)
FUNNY NAMES:
Some of the names were downright funny…
Tsar She Blows
Mail Order Bride (hmmm)
Hammered and Sickled (TABC would never allow this name)
Who Shot J.R.I.S (the Dallas TV show)
Scream and Stout
Moose and Squirrel Stout (Rocky and Bullwinkle Show)
Fur Hat (Russian hat — this beer will make you feel warm inside)
Bad Mamma Jamma (early ’80s song)
‘Impin’ Ain’t Easy (Big Daddy Kane rap song with similar name; ‘Imp’ = imperial)
OIL:
Given the dark/black color of the beer, there were several Texas oil references…
Texas Tar
Texas Tea (Beverly Hillbillies reference)
Jet Fuel
Rubik’s Crude (referencing the complexity of the beer and oil)
Fulton’s Shale (homage to our head brewer, Jamie Fulton)
THE MOVIE, Rocky IV
Given the Russian theme, there were a few Rocky IV references…
Drago’s Revenge
Drago’s Punch
“I Must Break You”
VLADIMIR PUTIN:
There were many references to the current political strife in Russia, specifically, Vladimir Putin. However, with his recent behavior, there’s no way we’d give him homage. But some of the names were funny, including
Putin Does Dallas,
Putin on the Ritz,
Uncle Vladdy’s RIS,
Putin Relaxer,
Putin the Band Back Together,
Putin’s Back Hair (gross),
Putin’s Kiss,
Vladimir’s Habit,
Razz Putin and, our favorite,
Putin Tamer.
And then there was one that was really, really bad … yet, disturbingly funny. We could never get away with it. Ask me about it if you ever see me.
We are really happy with the name that won. It speaks really well to the style of beer, has a somewhat ominous connotation, and ties in really well with the concept of community. Stay tuned for details.
Cheers!”
The Russian imperial stout is slated for a fall release Dallas brewery Community Beer Co.