Misleading Labels/Names

I think you're confused. Lagunitas Brown Shugga is a strong ale/barleywine-ish type of beer made with brown sugar. One year, Lagunitas couldn't make the beer, and felt bad about it, so they made a new beer called Lagunitas Sucks: Brown Shugga Substitute Ale, which is a very hoppy, delicious Double IPA.

 

Not confused at all. I've had Brown Shugga' many times and have never tasted any brown sugar in it. And it is pretty darn hoppy, but it is based on an American barleywine so that makes sense. I like it, it just wasn't at all what I was expecting the first time I tasted it.

 

Ironically, the example beer posted by the OP--Lost Abbey Inferno Ale--is likely named the way it is as a hat tip to the unofficial tradition of Belgian Strong Pale Ales being named in some reference to the devil/hell. Meaning, if one knows about that tradition, the label is quite specific to the style contained therein. Some other well-known examples:

• Duvel (means "Devil" in Flemish)
• RR's Damnation (obvious)
• North Coast's Pranqster (Lucifer is often referred to as a "trickster")
• The Bruery's Mischief (same concept as the one behind Pranqster)
• Great Divide's Hades (obvious)
  
• Het Anker's Lucifer (obvious)

And then there are some that name their beer inversely, seeming to play on the naming tradition:

• Avery's Salvation
• Unibroue's Don De Dieu (means "Gift of God" in French)

But as far as my idea for a misleading beer label that hasn't been mentioned yet:

Bell's Double Cream Stout - I know they explain that it's called "cream stout" because of the smoothness of the mouthfeel, but seeing as how "cream stout" is also considered a synonym for the milk stout style, it's confusing. The beer has zero dairy.

 

Pretty much everything by DFH but especially DFH 90 min IPA and 120 min IPA. Both are just malty boozey pieces of shit.

 

reply: Age it awhile and it won't feel and taste like a DIPA

 

Interesting, I had on tap last year and thought it had strong brown sugar flavors, hence my confusion with your post. Maybe different batches vary in brown sugar flavor, or it's more pronounced on tap vs bottle? How did you drink it? On tap or bottle?

 

Bottle. I do think this year's is a bit sweeter than last year's, but it still doesn't strike me as very brown sugar-esque. I assume most of the brown sugar is fermented out anyway.

 

Stone's collab Coconut IPA barely had any coconut flavors, although I think that has been said quite a bit around here.

 

Surly's Furious because I'm always delighted to drink it...

 

Velvet Merkin...here's the etymology of merkin... (no offense intended)

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=merkin

So these days its not so bad...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin

And no - I had no idea, but 'tis a funny lookin' word so I looked it up.

I am having a wise-a$$ moment there, but I point it out because the majority of the names have nothing (or at least little) to do with what the beer "is". Deliberately misleading? I don't think so. The description or the "subtext" stuck with the name could be misleading, but the name is just something clever, witty, or otherwise meaningful to the brewer for the most part. I wouldn't know why a beer is named the way it is unless I go find the story. Drift through the Top 250 - the majority of the names really say nothing directly about what the beer is. Parabola? Pliny? Ephraim? Darkness? The style and name eventually become associated. (and yes - there are examples of style/name intertwined like BCBS and variants).

 

I don't buy any Magic Hat, I can't figure out what mysterious dark beer means.....All I need is a basic description, their loss.

 

Mikkeller's Beer Hop Breakfast. I had no idea what to expect, but it was great.

 

Shipyard Longfellow "Winter" ale. Porter does not come to mind when a beer is advertised as a winter ale.

 

I find myself avoiding things that say "Belgian-Style" on the bottle. I'm not a fan of a lot of Belgian yeast strains (banana/clove esters), but I bet I'm missing out on a lot of good beer due to crappily worded labels.

 

Yep. And the label did not have the Land o Lakes woman on it either. Surprise - it's Ringwood!

Clown Shoes' Genghis Pecan - I think they may have forgotten to put the pecan in my bottle.

 

Bigfoot had more crystal malt, a higher finishing gravity, darker color than most DIPAs. Having done side by sides, there is a difference between Bigfoot and DIPAs.

 

I often skip out in Sixpoint cans I have not seen before for this exact reason.

 

Cafe Racer is a type of motorcycle, I think of the old Triumphs and Royal Enfields that had low slung handle bars and the rider would almost be laying on the fuel tank. Google it and you can see. The name Cafe Racer 15 fits into the the racer branding they have.

 

Gumball Head does not taste like gum balls.

 

it takes me less than 60 minutes to drink 60 minute IPA