SPOKANE, Wash. — Two breweries are in a standoff over the use of the name “Born and Raised.”
You may know it as the IPA crafted by locally-owned No-Li Brewhouse. A brewery in Chicago says it is confident it has the rights to the name.
The owner and founder of No-Li brewhouse found this post on Untappd, a beer lovers app. A user checked-in drinking a "Born and Raised" No-Li IPA at a baseball park in Chicago. The thing is, No-Li doesn't sell its beer in Chicago. What happened was the user mistook Goose Island Beer Company's "Born and Raised" for No-Li's.
Born and Raised is one of No-Li's staple IPAs crafted right here in Spokane. Over the years, its received several awards since its birth in 2012.
No-Li's owner John Bryant discovered Goose Island Beer Company, based in Chicago, was producing a beer with the same name. Goose Island's parent company is Anheuser-Busch. It released its "Born and Raised" in April calling it a "Chicago style ale" that's been "brewed for our hometown."
In the past, No-Li made informal agreements with the name "Born and Raised." Bryant applied for the federal trademark, but another company already had the rights. He instead worked out a deal he calls "first use" rights to the name. He believes that trademark agreement gives No-Li the rights to "Born and Raised."
Goose Island told the Chicago Tribune it remains confident it has the rights to the name. Being a smaller, local company, Bryan wants to avoid involving lawyers.
He sent KREM 2 a statement saying he's hopeful Anheuser-Busch will do the right thing.
He said, "at the end of the day, 'Born and Raised' represents our collective Spokane community."
For now, No-Li and Goose Island appear to be in a standoff. Bryant is hopeful for a speedy resolution.