What's in a name?

So we get this question a lot. Why the name Pipeworks?

It all started Belgium. The morning the Urbain had picked us up from the airport we ending up heading to the Netherlands to do some business with an exporter there. On this drive he told us that we would be brewing a collaborative brew with himself and Alvinne, complete with our own labels. This beer would later become Pipedream. Of course we were extremely excited and it wasn't until a few days later that we realized that we'd need some sort of name for our brewery to go with De Struises and Alvinne.

Up until this point we had toyed with several ideas, which we liked but realize didn't have the potential for longevity or a diversity of styles (artistically for than beer wise). We wanted a name that didn't pigeon hole us into a particular label art style or anything like that. So the brainstorming began.

While driving to Decca, the brewery where De Struise often brews, I for some reason spit out the name Pipeworks. Urbain thought it sounded pretty catchy and we starter joking about "Stove Pipe Smoked Porter", "Copper Pipe Pale", and "Warp Pipe Whit".

But are a couple of silly plumbing related beer names enough to commit to naming a beer company Pipeworks?

Well the story goes a little further. While Gerrit was in college and living in the dorms at an unnamed college. A little prank got a little out of control. I don't really have all the details, but I can tell you it involved an overflowing toilet on the 17th floor of the dorm building and some massive flooding. Since then Gerrit has gained the moniker the 17th floor plumber. So when westarted talking out the name hit seemed to have a great deal to do with us after all.

Oh right and of course there are quite a few pipes involved in your average brewery ;)

So while most of the silly plumbing references have since been forgotten, though we may resurrect one or two, the name has stuck.

We are Pipeworks!!!