You guys responded in spades when we asked for a new pirate name for our Swashchuckler IPA. Frankly, Jeff didn’t think you were smart enough to come up with any good ideas. One idea quickly rose above the rest:

Eye Patch Ale

A subtle nod to the IPA (Eye… P… A.), the Eye Patch was coined by Seth over at Mostly Muppet, an esteemed reader who, sadly, hasn’t even tried our IPA. Seth has verbally agreed not to sue our pants off for using his handiwork. We are furiously working on a new label. (The Olympics have gotten in the way.)

AAAAAARGH!

UPDATE: Screw it. Experiment over. If it ain’t broke, don’t try to explain it to Jeff. That’s my motto.

You may have noticed that all of the comments have disappeared. This is true. We’re experimenting with a new comment system, Disqus, that theoretically allows us more customization and control over the comments. Unfortunately we (I) haven’t quite figured out how to import the old comments into the new system.

During this experiment, which could last indefinitely if successful, I suggest you create an account with Disqus if you don’t have one already. Of course, if you’re a “technology have,” you already have an account. For which I give you a hardy congratulations.

If you’re not a “technology have,” don’t worry. Joel isn’t either. It only takes a couple seconds to create an account. Either way, let us know what you think of the new commenting system.

A slight oversight on our part… we ran out of base malt last week and forgot to get some more over the weekend. Fortunately, we have plenty of bottling/drinking to do. We’ll be bottling some Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale and some of our still new Belgian Dubbel (tentatively named Southern Monk). Drop by Jeff’s to get in on the fun.

Shoot us an email for directions.

Prior to the last couple weeks, I had been out for about 2 months with ulcers. Jeff and Joel kept everything headed in the right direction, but we were unable to progress much on the ‘turning this into a money-making endeavor’ front. Unless they held some secret meetings without me…

Last week we had our first business meeting of the summer. We’re accustomed to regrouping about once a month to taste our recent beers, make minor corrections, set our brewing schedule and plan for launch. It feels like we are making real progress on the beer front (more on that from Jeff this week). We’re making equally real progress (that sounds weird) on the business front. We’ve conducted the majority of our research and have started to reach out to people and even gather some quotes.

It’s a great feeling. We’ve been going strong for almost 2 years now. The groundwork has been laid. Hopefully we’ll get our feet wet in earnest in coming months. Wet with beer.

Eeeew.

Thanks everyone for stupidly ceding your beer name ideas to us for zero monetary consideration. You’re truly generous and/or naive. Of the 13 responses we’ve received thus far, I’ve hand-picked out a few of my favorites:

• Eye Patch Ale (a play on IPA… think about it)
• Mutiny IPA
• Hoppy Plank IPA

Give us your thoughts on these, and suggest better ones if you’re pirate enough. A couple thought-starters:

• Landlubber
• Crossbones
• Plank
• Treasure

It is with a heavy heart that we retire the name “Swashchuckler.” We love the beer so much, but the name is just too hard to pronounce. Joel has trouble with “vowels,” but this has no bearing on the matter.

And so we open it up to you, dear readers, to provide us with a better name. We only ask that it remain pirate-themed, as pirates are the badass scourge of the high seas. Unfortunately Pegleg is already taken. In the 3 minutes of brainstorming we’ve conducted, our best idea is Plankwalker IPA. Swashbuckler is our fallback.

But surely you guys have something even better and more… pirately?

It seems that the ulcerous quest for mustachio’d sponsors is nearing a close! Thanks to you, dear readers, we have secured more than enough mustaches to heal all 8 of my known ulcers, thus allowing me to drink beer once again. Before we get into the latest round of sponsors, I would first like to acknowledge my co-worker Matt, who inspired the title of this post with his “Mojitos, Mo’ Problems” t-shirt, which he dons whenever the occasion seems casual enough. Matt, there’s nothing manlier than a mojito. Except perhaps 2 mojitos.

But enough of this jibber-jabber. To the mustaches!

7) Jerre’s 30minutestache

Jerre Maynor, notorious for his ability to grow facial hair in a short amount of time, has submitted the first in a series of photos to be taken every half hour until his mustache is full-grown. I think it will take approximately 2 and a half hours, all told.

8) Kenneth’s Grossstache

Kenneth, friend of the Beerbuddha, and his hairy little friend. The thing about the mustache is that it can turn even a normal photo into an excellent mug shot. It has that power.

9) Joel’s Semistache

Joel, this is disgusting. But I’ll give you credit, you can grow more hair than Jeff. That’s not saying a lot, but thanks for trying.

10) Bryon’s feeble attempt at a ’stache

Bryon, thanks for thinking of me. But my ulcers demand more (or less) than a beard. Shave the rest of that crap and get back to us.

And that should do it for now! I’ve got tentative mustaches on the way from a few other folks, but until I get photographic evidence, it’s a no go. There’s still time if you want to jump on board late. Who knows, I may even have a few extra ’staches to donate to ulcer research.