VANCOUVER, BC – Scout Magazine reports that Red Truck Brewing has released their latest limited edition brew, Red Truck Steam Beer:
This 5% amber lager is a deep reddish brown , having a light fruit aroma, followed by a sharp, clean hop bitterness and a lingering, light caramel aftertaste.
Steam Beers were popularized during the California gold rush, where there was a desire for lagers, as it was a popular style, yet could not be made due to a lack of refrigeration. The solution was to warm ferment these lagers, which gave it a bit of ale and lager character. This “hybrid” method is now an uniquely American style of beer.
Red Truck Steam Beer is a draught-only release, and is on tap now at a number of bars and restaurants in the Vancouver area.
I wonder if the people at Griffin Group (current owners of the trademarked Anchor Steam brand) would be interested to know about this brew?
Forget truck colours, this is a direct ripoff of a trademarked name from a world renowned brewery.
Dave – fair enough, but keep in mind that there’s been some controversy in the past about Anchor’s trademarking of the “Steam Beer” name, with other breweries arguing that it’s a style, not a brand. Search for “steam” on RateBeer, and you’ll find a ton of beers (most from brewpubs) that use the name.
Here in Ontario, Sleeman and Muskoka (IIRC) both had steam beers available at one point, named because they were in the style, not with the intention of ripping off Anchor. Although legal action by Anchor forced then to rename or discontinue the beers.
Greg,
Take any wort, add a 2112 yeast to it and ferment at 15 – 19 C. and you can call it a “Steam Beer”. It’s a process less than a style. There’s room to add more to the lexicon because you could run just about any wort through it and come up with something interesting.
Now, reference a specific beer’s history, flavour aspects and colour to a T in your press release, and that’s another thing altogether.
Semantics aside,
I dunno bout you, but if I just paid X Millions of dollars for a brand, I think I’d be interested in protecting and defending my trademarks.