Change in the Bellwether

There's a new order for the brewery formerly known as Modern Monk.

Owners of the planned 1.5-barrel nanobrewery on North Monroe had been aware there was a Nebraska brewery named Modern Monks, but didn't think that would be a problem so long as they weren't distributing.

But after hearing recently from the midwestern Monks, they agreed to find a new identity.

"We mutually decided there should only be one," says co-owner/brewer Thomas Croskrey. "There were no threats of court, no hard feelings."

Shortly afterward, Croskrey and partner Dave Musser explained the situation to some friends at a tasting party and put out a jar for name suggestions.

The winner: Bellwether, which means leader or trendsetter, after an Old English word for the lead sheep in a flock.

Croskrey, who plans to brew Old World beers like braggot, a honey ale that originated in Wales, appreciates both the word's ancient origins and its modern meaning. "Folks are really liking it so far," he says.

While the brewery's recent Kickstarter campaign failed to reach its goal, he says, they're still hoping to open by the end of summer.

It's not the first time a local brewery has faced naming challenges, something that's becoming more common across the country as the number of breweries keeps skyrocketing.

Downdraft in Post Falls had to change its name from Cloudburst after a Seattle brewer trademarked that, while Spokane's planned Hanson Brothers Brewing has run into issues with a contract brew by the singing brothers of the same name.