Breweries release same beer under different name

Saint Arnold Brewing Co. in Houston just recently started producing their "Brown Ale" with a new look and new name, "Ale Wagger." Brown was their least selling beer so they changed the name and linked it to a charitable cause to support local animal rescue organizations (hence the name). Since then sales have been up at least 30-40 percent or so I have heard. It is funny, though, how people think they discontinued the brown ale. I have heard several people complaining about it at the brewery.

 

Bell's did a similar series in the past with the wheat series (not sure when original but certainly before 2013). They released Wheat Love again under the same name in 2013. So maybe they will do the same and redo a planet further down the road without even changing its name.

 

Dark Horse also had Smells Like Weed when it was a pub only brew and changed the name to Smells Like a Safety Meeting when they distributed it last year.

 

The new name certainly makes it sound like the change occurred due to ' legal issues.'

 

I was wondering what that one was all about... ha

Looked up the "bramble on" from dark horse on untappd and they are listing the full name as "Bramble On Brown, Style: American Brown Ale".

I know very little about what makes a beer a certain style but I don't think just adding choc. malt to your raspberry ale makes it a brown? could be wrong, but I have 4 more in the basement and I would never call it a brown.

 

Uinta's hop nosh/notch though believe there were some legal issues in there. Delicious beer under either name

 

I've always considered the Raspberry Ale to be an Amber Ale with raspberries added, so the replacement of some of the amber recipe's malt with the chocolate malt probably could put it into a Brown Ale category. However, with that fruit in there, it should always be in a Fruit category if you want to go by strict definitions. (Which is where the BA rating page places the Raspberry Ale.)