I’m having another small episode of “writer’s block”. Even putting together a coherent post for this website is difficult. However, an even bigger problem I’m having right now is naming my Cascadian Dark Ale. I had a few ideas, but none of them really sounded right to me. Usually I come up with a name when I formulate the recipe. Sometimes I come up with a better one before I make a label. With this beer, I’m coming up blank. My relative loss of my creative energy could be your gain. I’ve decided to have a contest to name this beer. The rules are simple. Just tell me what you’d would name it if you had brewed it. It also has to be a name that no one has used for a beer before. If it’s on Untappd, it’s automatically disqualified.
Here’s what I’m offering the winner: a mixed six pack of my homebrew, & a small part of the label dedicated to any message you want to put on it. Want to promote your website or twitter handle? Fine. Want to be quoted? Great. Want to write a story or post a joke? Ok by me. Keep in mind though that your label is not going to get seen by a lot of people. I don’t sell my beer, but I do occasionally give some away to friends or family. Also the winner needs to meet me somewhere close by in Knoxville. I live in Vestal, I work near downtown. Sorry, but I’m not traveling all the way to Straw Plains or Farragut to deliver the winning 6 pack. I also will not ship it. Must be 21 or older to win. To enter, just post your proposed name in the comments below.
More about this style: Cascadian Dark Ale is also referred to by the oxymoronic “Dark IPA”.
On another note, I’ve been putting my new counter pressure filler to good use. Once I figured it out, it works perfectly. I still have a few bottles from each batch that I am naturally conditioning. For quicker drinking, I can bottle beer only a few days after it’s kegged using this system. It’s much faster then waiting a month for the priming sugar & yeast to carbonate the batch.
Until next time,
Ratchet
Ratchet Brews 
As an unabashed aging hardcore kid, I suggest “Everything Went Black” or “Everything Went Black IPA”. Not only does it honor a great band (Black Flag), but it also describes a side-effect of enjoying too much of it.
That is a serious contender for winning! A great name!
You could always name it Black Dog, since it’s dark and has a bite…
I’m sure I’ll come up with some others.