New Asheville brewery has a new name: Bhramari Brewhouse

A just-announced Asheville brewery has adopted a new name to avoid any future battles over its moniker. HiveMind Brewhouse, which just announced its plans to open a new craft brewery on the South Slope, has changed its name to Bhramari Brewhouse, brewery co-owner/spokesman Joshua Bailey said Monday morning.

Controversies over craft beer names and trademarks have become increasingly common as more and more craft breweries open up. In Western North Carolina, a high-profile trademark dispute between Innovation Brewing in Sylva and Bell’s Brewery in Michigan blew up earlier this month.

Bailey said that, in researching the name HiveMind, his attorneys came across Chicago’s Forbidden Root brewing, which uses the name Hive-Minded for a beer. Bailey reached out to Forbidden Root, they negotiated, and in the end Bailey said the Asheville brewery crew decided to change its name. It was an amicable talk, he said.

The name Bhramari works, Bailey said. “Bhramari Devi” is the Hindu bee goddess, and “bramari” means “bee” Hindi.

Bhramari is renovating the former Asheville Music School space at the corner of South Lexington and Hilliard avenues. The brewery plans to start making beer there by summer, according to Bailey. Bhramari is buying Asheville craft brewer Green Man brewing’s 14-barrel system, a move that Bailey said he’s excited about. The system is a proven one that’s produced great beer in Asheville, he said, adding that Green Man has been great to work with.