A Maine brewery may have avoided a costly legal battle over the name of its signature IPA.
Chris Morley, owner of Mason’s Brewing Co., in Brewer, said Tuesday that he reached a “tentative agreement,” with an Oregon brewery that had claimed the name of his flagship beer violated its trademark.
As long as their attorneys sign off on the deal, Morley will be able to keep the name “Hipster Apocalypse,” if he only sells the beer in the northeast, he said. The two businesses would have to renegotiate if he wants to expand distribution, he said.
“Either way, it seems like we’re moving to a resolution,” he said of his conversation with Jeremy Cox, co-owner of 10 Barrel Brewing Co.
The letter from the Bend, Oregon-based brewery, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch’s parent company, demanded Morley stop using the name “Hipster Apocalypse” because it violated the trademarked name of its “ Apocalypse IPA,” which has been brewed since 2009.
Morley, told the Bangor Daily News last week that he was in the process of filing for a trademark when 10 Barrel contested the name.
Cox said Tuesday that his conversation with Morley was “productive.”
“I’ll think we’ll be able to resolve this soon,” he said.