Firstly I have to comment that this article is written while is nearly midnight in a North Cali Hotel Room after a night at Bear Republic.. and this brewery is the bone of contention among many Canadian beer lovers for suing BC brewer Central City. The legal mumbo jumbo can be read here..
Having lived in BC and experienced Vancouver brewer Central City in their Red Racer IPA for years on end I can attest to the quality and validity for it being one of the top 10 IPA’s in North America. I remember one of the first times a friend tried it he mentioned the similarities to Racer 5.. which is a Bear Republic product. I hadn’t tried this beer until about a year ago when this lawsuit came about.
Without dount I’m not a Laywer nor very good analyst, but I can summarise fact as I’m an analyst and make my living doing it. And though I have a soft spot for Central city, I don’t agree in breaking the law. In this area I can view both sides after now coming to Northern Cali to 
taste and experience Bear Republic first hand, and yes I now feel Central City ripped off Bear Republic. Although I think the Central City IPA is better than Bear Republic on personal flavor and quality. Assume the brew procedures are different as are recipes.
Before the parochial BC beer lovers get on this post and bash it, please ensure you have actually been to Bear Republic in Cali and not just consumed the beer from Bomber bottles from a liquor store. There are various points of reference in this case and I now can see too many similarities for it to be a close case. One of my mates who is a lawyer said that its like the case has a sympathetic judge, who had not actually tried the beers to see how they compare.
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- Enter the Bear Cave
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- A Drunk view from the bar!
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- Bear Taster Tray
This is a late night post and I know this is a contentious area for many but I also agree in trademark and legal issues being upheld. We spoke to a few locals in the bar tonight that used to make bicycles with the owner of Bear Republic and to be honest there are bikes around the pub. In Central City it is not a bike pub, the chick on the bike on the can is a cool logo 
In beer circles its a close community and I think its a brotherhood that was only common in wine circles in the early days before Fosters, Constellation and other large companies that take out the heart and sole in a brewer. According to sources at Bear there were early discussions that said lets work this shit out, but Central City said NO.. and you know what I’m not getting into a He Said She Said Mantra with it, but Central City should have spoken further on this issue.
I initially wrote on this case and now after going to the brewery in California and speaking to some of the staff and trying their beer I can see where the issues are. I do prefer Central City IPA, but I’m also biased as I used to live in Vancouver, but I can see copying issues from an analytical perspective. So what is the conclusion to this story??
I’m actually going to send some RED RACER IPA to the staff at Bear Republic to taste the IPA that they have heard about but never tried unfortunately, which I’m sure is about laws of shipping alcohol across borders.
Heading to North Coast Brewery Today after some wine tasting.. Day 5 Awaits..
Wanderingpaddy
March 29, 2011
I respectfully have to disagree with you my learned, fellow beer blogger and good friend. I do respect your opinion on beer and wine greatly, but I think you are not correct in respect to this matter.
First off, yes, I am Canadian, was raised in Surrey, the home of Central City Brewing, but this has no influence on my opinion. Reading the legal “mumbo jumbo”, and I did, and by comparing the two products for packaging and similarities in name, which is where the lawsuit was focused has influenced my thoughts and led me to form my opinion.
No, I don’t think I have to come to Bear Republic to taste the beer to make an informed decision. The lawsuit was not about what was in the bottles/cans, but about how the beers were branded and packaged. It was about whether Central City tried to take advantage of Bear Republic’s fame and good reputation to cause confusion and boost Red Racer sales.
I have not been to Bear Republic, but I have seen both Red Racer IPA and Pale Ale tins and compared it to the Racer 5 and Red Rocket bottles. To me, it is painfully evident that they are different products from different companies…the maple leaves on the Red Racer products alone should be a major clue. The logo styles are different and yes, they do contain same words, but so do Fat Cat Brewery and Fat Tug IPA, both made in Victoria, BC, but people have seemed to be able to sort out what is what. On that note, should Fat Cat Brewery have to change its name because there is an American brewery called Fat Tire?
No, I don’t confuse Red Racer with either Racer 5 or Red Rocket because of the names because they are different! I really do not think that Central Citiy’s master plan, as a small micorbrewery in Surrey, was to purposely make a brand that would confuse consumer’s with a beer produced thousands of miles away that is not even very well known in Vancouver (it is to us beer geeks, but we would not make the mistake of mixing them up). I also really don’t think that a girl on a bicycle was chosen as the logo because Bear Republic’s owner used to make bikes or because there are bikes in the pub in California.
There are some similarities, but as the judgement states, the average craft beer drinker should be able intelligent to easily discern the difference.
The taste of the beers are not relevant. If taste is an issue, many beers producing the same styles could claim they were ripped off. The case was not about recipes.
Similar names…see Fat Cat, Fat Tire, Fat Tug above…I know I have never been confused. And if I were, I would ask someone either serving or selling to me.
Similar packaging… bottles vs tins! Logos completely different. Colours are different. Maple Leaf on the front and rear of Red Racer. Because they are both retro looking? I can tell the difference between a 1940′s pin-up gal and a 1960′s logo that reminds me of Speed racer…maybe Speed Racer cartoon trade mark should be looking at Racer 5 IPA for infringement issues?
Having said all that, it is just my opinion…a strong opinion, but mine. I too am not a lawyer or judge.
I can tell you one thing…since the lawsuit, I have definitely been able to tell the difference between the 2 brands and I will never drink a Bear Republic product again because I believe they launched a very frivolous lawsuit that was a waste of time for all parties involved and an insult to the craft beer community who are a little smarter than they were given credit for by Bear Republic.
If I were in Central Citys’ shoes, I would have refused to change anything as well.
Carry on with the blog updates and reports from your trip Bierfesten…enjoying following your journey!!
Cheer
VanEast Beer Blog
http://www.eastsidebeer.blogspot.com
bierfesten
March 30, 2011
Thanks for an alternative opinion Vaneast, but for me there were just too many similarities. As you know I’m a huge fan of Central City IPA, and how their brewery is lifting the standards of other brewers in Canada.
After visiting Bear Republic my viewpoint has changed on this issue based on several different conversations with the locals, and bar staff that were all aware of the dispute. Unfortunately a compromise was not reached before it made it into the public domain.
cheers,
bierfesten
Wanderingpaddy
March 31, 2011
Thanks for posting my response Bierfesten…discussion and debate are what these blogs are all about, at least in my opinion. I do not need to taste the beer to make my decision, but talking to the Bear Republic folks, to get their take on things, would broaden may breadth of knowledge for certain. I hope one day to have that chance!
Carry on with your great adventure…keep on posting.
Just as an aside…since you have left Vancouver, a few other brewers have stepped up and are pushing Central City! There is some debate, at times, about who is the best around locally!! Great to see.
bierfesten
April 1, 2011
No problems Vaneast as we both know beer people are very passionate on beer topics and about their ‘favorite’ breweries. Your differing opinion on my posts are always welcome.
cheers, Bierfesten