(Falls Church, VA) – Fair Winds Brewing Co. shared the following news on its website on Thursday.

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We wanted to update all of our followers on a CHANGE IN THE NAME under which we will produce and distribute our beers, from Topsail Brewing Company to Fair Winds Brewing Company. This change is a result of the fact that a brewery from Oregon (which will remain nameless) alerted us that they would be challenging our Trademark application for the Topsail Brewing Company name. Apparently this brewery has decided to challenge any organization with “sail” and “beer” or “brewing” in its name. While our mark is very different from this other brewery, and we think it would be unlikely to cause any brand confusion amongst consumers, the way the process is set up we would have to spend anywhere between $30-$50K to defend the mark. Since our name is not crucial to our ability to develop and deliver excellent craft beer, nor for us to be able to provide a home brewer’s platform in the NoVA area, we have decided to change our name.

If you have ever gone to sea in a sailing ship, you know that no matter what your charted course, you need to make adjustments as the winds and tides shift. We view this as one of those many adjustments that one makes as part of the journey to the ultimate destination. Our new name is based on a common saying that sailors share when they part ways – Fair Winds and Following Seas. It is a wish for easy conditions in the remaining voyage. We hope that our new name conveys our desire for Fair Winds beers to be part of your journey and something that helps to ease your voyage.

In the coming days all of our web and social media sites will be adjusted to reflect this change in name.

Thank you again for all of your support to date. You have helped to provide us with Fair Winds on our journey and we look forward to the opportunity to reciprocate soon.

Cheers!
The Fair Winds Team