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Future brewery name…
by Steph Weber - June 30th, 2009Categories: announce
I was thinking a lot about our future brewery today. As I was daydreaming, I came across a post on Starting a Brewery where he asked his readers for feedback on the name of his brewery-in-planning.
Tim and I trademarked our brewery name a few months ago, so now’s probably a good time to ask the Internet for feedback.
The name is Twin Leaf Brewery & Restaurant. What do you think? What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear it? What kind of thoughts/feelings does it invoke? What kind of imagery do you picture? What kind of place do you think Twin Leaf will be? Do you now feel like drinking a beer?
Leave any and all thoughts in the comments here; all feedback is appreciated. Thanks!
Update: For all interested parties, here’s a preliminary logo I’ve been working on. I’m sure I’ll tweak it and make a million variations before we ever settle on one, but anyhoo, here she is!
June 30th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Hmmmmmmmmmm, guess I’m not sure what “Twin Leaf” conjures up. More questions than answers… maybe once there’s a logo associated with it, it’ll make more sense. So, what ARE the twin leaves? (or leafs?) Maple leaves? Hop leaves?
June 30th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Thanks for your comment! I’ll post a sketchy logo once I get some more responses. First I want to see what people think of the words “Twin Leaf” before they see any kind of visual representation.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:25 am
I like the name but it does not make me think of beer or a microbrewery. Honestly the first thing I thought of was tea.
Perhaps the logo will clarify for me too.
July 1st, 2009 at 7:18 am
Do the stand-alone words “Sierra Nevada” make you think of beer? How about “Stone,” “Victory,” “Magic Hat,” “Nodding Head,” “Orlando,” or “Iron Hill?” Just sayin’ :)
I guess what I’m trying for here is more of a Rorschach test, but with words instead of inkblots. What do the words make you think of — colors, shapes, places? How does it make you feel — happy, bored, nauseated? I want to hear any random thoughts that pop into your head.
July 1st, 2009 at 7:46 am
The first thing it makes me think about is Twin Lakes Brewery which is not too far away in Deleware. Not sure where you guys are thinking about starting your brewpub, but if its nearby, the name might cause more confusion. I think a name doesn’t have much meaning till you have something to tie it into though.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:04 am
I think its catchy…I could picture myself saying “hey, lets head over to the twin leaf for some delicious gnocci”. seriously though, i really like it. it makes me think of vines and old kegs and … leaves.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:33 am
Re: david – We plan to open somewhere in North Carolina. Thanks for pointing that out though. It would definitely not be an ideal name if we stayed in the northeast.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:47 am
My immediate reaction was “winery”.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:13 am
It’s really catchy, and it rolls off the tongue like it’s a single word. That’ll be good psychology for you if the brewery takes off, because Twin Leaf will come to mean Brewery, regardless of what anyone’s initial reactions are right now.
As for invocations, right off the bat, I think of a high class pub that hobbits would go to. Stay with me. First, it sounds very peaceful and agrarian, so, hobbits. It also sounds just the slightest bit snooty, though, like in a good way. Makes me think of the sort of atmosphere you get at Iron Hill, but more sociable. Does that make sense?
July 1st, 2009 at 11:49 am
This is a hard bunch of questions to answer because I feel like I’ve had a sneak peek into the whole process. So when I hear “Twin Leaf” I instantly think “Steph and Tim’s beer!”
That said, I agree with Ray. It’s simple and catchy, and I think it conveys the styles of beer you’ll serve. Think of Iron Hill…solid, straightforward beers, with a few crazies thrown in here and there. Now, if your brewery/restaurant name was really bizarre, then I think it wouldn’t fit your and Tim’s brewing and cooking styles.
Damn, I’m rambling now.
In short and in long, I feel like if I said I was heading over to Twin Leaf after work, I would find a cool, calm oasis from the NC heat. The bar would be made of some fantastic wood, hand-carved by Tim probably, and there would be plenty of beer on tap, served in style-appropriate glasses. I’d be able to either order from a small plate menu — perhaps sitting at the bar — or have a multi-course meal with friends and family. I see a lot of green, brown, earth tones, maybe some interesting artwork on the walls, and smiling faces. And maybe, just like Cheers, it’ll be the place to go where everybody knows your name…a real sense of community.
How’s that?
July 1st, 2009 at 1:46 pm
You said:
Do the stand-alone words “Sierra Nevada” make you think of beer? How about “Stone,” “Victory,” “Magic Hat,” “Nodding Head,” “Orlando,” or “Iron Hill?” Just sayin’ :)
I think that you are on to something here. You can’t just look a the name alone.
It’s more important that the name (at this early stage) makes you and Tim happy and that it remains personal to the two of you.
Your name, logo, mission, menu, beers all need to work together to tell a story and you need to be a part of that story.
I know that you are familiar with Monday Night. If you looked at how they evolved and how much sense their concept is now that some of the holes have been filled in as you got to know their story, it’s going to be the same with you.
So ask yourself, “Do you love it?” Will it help you tell your story?
Are you excited to add the other elements?
If you are interested, here is how I arrived at my dream name.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f19/thoughts-naming-brewery-22925/
July 1st, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Re: olllllo – Very good points. We’ve got tons of concepts rolling around in our heads that will all be a part of what Twin Leaf is in the end. We definitely love the name and how it makes us feel about our future brewery.
I’m mostly just curious about what others think, and the associations people make with the name. If I got an overwhelming response of, “Twin Leaf makes me hate beer,” we might have wanted to rethink things.
Cool story behind your brewery name. And thanks for the feedback!
July 1st, 2009 at 2:27 pm
@penutty said: @StephWeber @TimWeber My wife’s first word that came to mind when I said Twin Leaf was “leafy”. My mind went to the NHL-Toronto Maple Leafs.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Without reading the other comments, my 2 cents.
Images of scenic mountains. maybe a few farms in the fore and middle. Just trees on the mountains. The trees in the image are either green or yellow with some orange. Think Shandoah valley in VA summer and then height of fall.
Small place where a few locals would come regularly and the occasional out of towner might find a hidden gem.
Beers would be clean, crisp in the summer, more rounded in the winter. No sour beers, nor a really big IPA. Possibly a good barley wine in the winter.
The question that comes to mind is with brewery in the name, you have beer, what is the 2nd part of the twin?
July 1st, 2009 at 3:51 pm
@djwebman said: @StephWeber Your are right about other brewery names flying dog etc. It has a nice sound and once you get brand recogition it will be fine.
July 1st, 2009 at 7:36 pm
The first thought that entered my mind was a winery. Probably because of the “Turning Leaf” brand.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:14 pm
I pictured a Mojito because that’s the first drink I think of that might actually have leaves in it. However, knowing it’s a brewery, I’m now picturing a glass of beer with a mint leaf on top. Knowing you, you probably know all sorts of beers that a mint aroma would work with. I also think of Doubletree hotels.
However, as many people have pointed out, the name is only a name until it has a (terrific) product associated with it!
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:55 am
Figured I should add my two cents.. :)
My first thought was Minneapolis / St. Paul. I see Twin [whatever] and think of the Twin cities.
After that, I though of two leaves falling slowly in the wind. The sort of thing you watch while siting in an Adirondack chair on the back deck while enjoying a good Oktoberfest from the local brewery.
July 7th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I really like it, boththe name and the logo. The font has a definite Celtic / LOTR / elvin feel to it; nothing wrong with that, of course, just the first thing I thought of when I looked at it.
Also, be prepared to have drunken idiots turn the W of “Twin” into a weiner with balls. I have the mind of a 12-year-old, I know.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Awesome, that’s exactly the look I was going for with the logo. And that last part had not previously occurred to me :)
Thanks to all for the comments! It sounds like the name and logo give exactly the impression that we were going for.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Cut the tail off of the “w” and the “a”. You will increase readability while still maintaining the style.
Initially people tend to like things they can understand more than things they have to figure out. Once you are established, then you can become more esoteric.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I came to this webpage via Twitter. Seeing the preliminary logo makes me think Irish or Celtic. The name Twin Leaf conjurs up thoughts of nature. If your brewing stays on the side of all natural ingredients, I think you’re on to something. I like it.
Good luck.