The beer that was named right but looked wrong

When I travel I like to check out the local grocery stores. I’m super curious about what kind of stuff people eat, drink etc. other places. It’s crazy, I know, but I like to just walk around grocery stores and look at things, at what people put in their shopping bags, at people in their familiar environment, and a grocery store is where people feel very comfortable, relaxed … Anyway…

On my recent trip I walked into a store somewhere in California — frankly, I don’t remember exactly where — and I ended up in the wine, beer and liquor section — where I always end up, haha! — and I went to the beers to see if they had something I’ve never seen before. So I was checking out the beers, and one label caught my eye – it said RAPIST. I immediately thought, What the fuck! What kind of name is that? I would never buy a beer called THAT!! So I went on, checking other beers, but I was beginning to feel strange. I couldn’t believe that someone would use that name for a beer. I had to know who!! So I went back and picked up the RAPIST bottle and what I saw next was THE RAPIST. I looked at the label more closely. The label has some green hops on it, so I thought, ok, hops… plants… rape plant… maybe?

When I travel I like to check out the local grocery stores. I’m super curious about what kind of stuff people eat, drink etc. other places. It’s crazy, I know, but I like to just walk around grocery stores and look at things, at what people put in their shopping bags, at people in their familiar environment, and a grocery store is where people feel very comfortable, relaxed … Anyway…

On my recent trip I walked into a store somewhere in California — frankly, I don’t remember exactly where — and I ended up in the wine, beer and liquor section — where I always end up, haha! — and I went to the beers to see if they had something I’ve never seen before. So I was checking out the beers, and one label caught my eye – it said RAPIST. I immediately thought, What the fuck! What kind of name is that? I would never buy a beer called THAT!! So I went on, checking other beers, but I was beginning to feel strange. I couldn’t believe that someone would use that name for a beer. I had to know who!! So I went back and picked up the RAPIST bottle and what I saw next was THE RAPIST. I looked at the label more closely. The label has some green hops on it, so I thought, ok, hops… plants… rape plant… maybe? But what does the rape plant have to do with beer? And even if it did, that still didn’t justify the name! I was sure there was an explanation for this name, I just didn’t see it. And I looked again, and then I saw! The name of the beer was actually THERAPIST. I was a little shocked, amused, befuddled… by the trick my mind played on me. The funny thing, my partner saw the same thing I did.

Personally, I think that’s the worst beer name I’ve ever seen; it can be easily mistaken for the wrong thing when the bottle is turned a little. Chances are that a certain percentage of the people who see the label see the same thing I did. And a certain percentage of those people, or all, would avoid that beer like the plague, and that’s lost sales, and that’s because of a name that doesn’t work on a beer bottle strictly because of the shape of the bottle. It will work great on a billboard, though!

See you,

Misty