Branford’s Stony Creek Brewing, one of Connecticut largest brewers, is challenging two brewers in Massachusetts and Maine over what it argues is an infringing beer name.
Stony Creek filed a trademark infringement suit in federal court on Wednesday, naming both Peak Organic Brewing and Shipyard Brewing. Peak brews beer at Shipyard through an “alternating proprietor” relationship, according to the Bangor Daily News.
At issue is a Peak IPA called “Ripe” which is blended with fruit juice and sold in Connecticut.
Stony Creek says the name is too close to its own trademarked “Ripe ‘N’ Cranky” line of beers, which include fresh-pressed Valencia orange juice, Costa Rican pineapple juice and Ecuadorian passion fruit juice, which are sold throughout New England.
Stony Creek alleges that the similarity is likely to confuse consumers and “will continue to cause irreparable injury and damage to Stony Creek unless restrained.”
The brewery’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning. Shipyard and Peak have not yet entered an attorney in the case.
It’s not the first dispute over beer trademarks in Connecticut.
In 2015, Hartford’s City Steam Brewery settled a similar suit brought by California’s Anchor Brewing, maker of Anchor Steam beer, agreeing to modify its name on bottled beers to one word, CitySteam.
