The name is our take on a family named brewery. My last name is Lemp, so I couldn’t have a Lemp brewery. The Lemp Brewery was the largest brewery prior to Prohibition. We are not related to that Lemp family, but share a last name. So, the 4 Hands represents my wife, our two sons, and myself.
Kevin Lemp, Founder of 4 Hands Brewing Co.
4 Hands hails from my hometown of St. Louis and I’m lucky enough to know some of the financial backers. My wife and her family attended an event at the brewery and wrote about their experience. (P.S. 4 Hands’ Reprise Centennial Red Ales is one of my favorites.)
Why It’s Named … is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
One-legend goes that Geddes, on a routine jaunt from here to there, was stopped by Jamaican Police (whose uniform, it must be noted, featured a red stripe running down the side) for a routine check. Just then, a voice rang out from the brew house, “Boss, we need a name for this ale?” Geddes paused, glanced at the officer, and without much in the way of deliberation decided on the brew’s name.
Story#2 — a tale with every bit as much credence as the previous one, gives credit to Eugene Desnoes. Shortly after he and Geddes brewed their first batch of ale. Desnoes won a 10,000 pound prize in something called a “Green Stripe” Sweepstakes. History does not afford us into whether or not Desnoes was a superstitious man, but it does suggest he decided to keep his good luck rolling by naming his beer for the new benefactor.
So, one way of another, Red Stripe gained a name and business boomed.
Red Stripe Consumer Representative
Famous for their stout bottle with the bold look, Red Stripe definitely exhibits the free spirit of Kingston, Jamaica. Learn more about the beer and the company on their official website.
Why It’s Named … is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
Koval Distillery: An Intriguing Look at the Similarities between Beer and Whiskey
Written by Heidi Osmundsen (Edited by Kelly Hueseman)
Chicago, IL — Always in search of a new adventure in our favorite city, the Brewery Tourist and I headed to the north side of Chicago in January 2012 for a distillery tour and whiskey tasting in honor of our buddy Blake’s 30th birthday. Koval Distillery is located in the Ravenswood neighborhood and as the first boutique distillery in the city of Chicago, Koval produces all organic products, including handcrafted white whiskey, aged whiskey, eaux de vie, liqueurs and vodka.
Okole Maluna at Maui Brewing Company
Written by Heidi Osmundsen (Edited by Kelly Hueseman)
Maui, HI — In June 2012 I married the Brewery Tourist himself in St. Louis, MO and we took off two days after our wedding for the sunny island of Maui, Hawaii. We were looking forward to relaxing in the sun, enjoying the Island and hitting up a local watering hole — Maui Brewing Company!
The Great American Ale Trail: The Craft Beer Lover’s Guide to the Best Watering Holes in the Nation
Two Brothers Brewing Company was founded by Jim and Jason Ebel in late 1996. The business was envisioned by the brothers based on their entry into entrepreneurship with The Brewer’s Coop, a retail store catering to home beer and wine making. In 1993 The Brewer’s Coop opened its doors in Naperville, IL selling retail ingredients and equipment for the homebrewing community.
The more they were surrounded by brewing, the more passionate they became about opening their own microbrewery. In early 1996 they decided to take the plunge and start writing a business plan. Several months later their dream became reality. Two Brothers Brewing Company is still 100% family owned.
Two Brothers Brewing Company website
Two Brothers in located in a non-descript industrial complex in Warrenville, Illinois, just a little west of my hometown. Their beers are conveniently sold at Costco in cost-effective 24-packs for only $24. A buck a beer cannot be beat!
Why It’s Named … is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
When Ben presented the opportunity to join with him to help Finch’s Beer Company become a reality, Paul realizing Ben’s passion for the craft brewing industry saw it as an opportunity to do something fun and different. This endeavor has opened his horizons to great craft beers and the great community of craft brewers.
Finch’s Beer Co. website referring to its owners, Benjamin and Paul Finch
Paul is actually Ben’s father, not the putt-putt lovin’ Paul Finch from the American Pie movies. Finch’s is a promising up-and-coming craft brewer in Chicago. I have tasted their product on many occasions and have never had reason to complain.
Why It’s Named … is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
I drunkenly stumbled upon these amazing beer paintings and had to share them with you all. They’d make a classy addition to any bar or man cave.
Show your love for your favorite beers in a unique, elegant way. Commission an original painting of 1-4 caps from your favorite beers/breweries (or individual hop cones can substitute caps).
Visit the artists’ Etsy page or official website for more details on how to order!
From its earliest time under the Shiner Brewing Association in 1909, to that fateful day in 1914 when Kosmos Spoetzl saw an opportunity to bring classic Bavarian brewing traditions to his fellow immigrants, through the Great Experiment of Prohibition and the Great Depression, the Little Brewery has stuck to what they know the best — handcrafting the finest beer! Tucked away in the scenic Texas Hill Country between Houston and San Antonio, Spoetzl Brewery is the heart of Shiner.
Spoetzl Brewery website
If you’re like me, you know Spoetzl Brewery better by the name of their flagship beer, Shiner Bock. Now I’ve learned that Shiner is actually a town in Texas. Beer road trip, anyone?
Why It’s Named … is an ongoing feature about the stories behind brewery names
Anheuser-Busch recently launched a new website and accompanying iPhone app called Track Your Bud. I was initially skeptical, but this turned out to be kind of cool.
Basically, you enter the “born on” date and code from your bottle of Budweiser-branded beer and the website or app tells you the life story of your beer: when and where it was born, the brewmaster in charge, and a little background on the brewing process.
My particular Bud Select had been brewed 102 days ago in Columbus, Ohio by Jason McKibben. Not a ton of in depth info, but nifty nonetheless. Another cool extra … If you are the first person to “track your Bud”, then you get to name the batch. Mine was “Chitown Bound”.
The iPhone app is free, so you have nothing to lose. Download it and check it out for yourself!
