‘That’s crazy.’ Did this new Coors beer swipe a Boise brewery’s logo?

Raise a toast to corporate beer innovation, Idaho.

Coors has created a brew that’s nonalcoholic, yet, amazingly, still might make you think you’re seeing double.

Rolling out nationwide, Coors Edge has a logo that is strikingly similar to the branding at Boise-based Edge Brewing Company. Consequently, it’s leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of the local brewery.

To alert consumers, Edge Brewing’s sales and marketing manager posted a message on social media: “This ‘product’ is in NO WAY affiliated with Edge Brewing. Miller/Coors has used our logo, which we have trademarked. I want to ensure the fans of Edge Brewing that we did not brew this, nor did we authorize MillerCoors to use our logo.”

Coors Edge walks precariously close to the Edge in Boise — not just in name, but in design.

“It literally is the identical logo,” Edge Brewing general manager Tony Knipe said in a phone interview. “... If you look at it, they’re identical fonts. That’s the problem. The similarity between the two is too close.”

MillerCoors declined a Statesman request for comment.

Founded in 2014, Edge Brewing operates a brewery and restaurant at 525 N. Steelhead Way. A second brewpub opened this fall at 205 N. 10th St.

Employees first heard about Coors Edge and the potential conflict in 2018, Knipe said. That’s when MillerCoors released the beer in Canada.

“Somebody brought it up, and we were kind of Googling it, and found it,” he said, “and we were like, ‘No way, that’s crazy.’ ”

Edge Brewing sent a letter to MillerCoors last year pointing out the similarity, Knipe said, but the company did not respond.

Then Coors Edge appeared in Idaho this month.

Edge Brewing is troubled by the situation for multiple reasons, Knipe said. The immediate concern is that Idaho consumers will think the Boise brewery is working in conjunction with MillerCoors.

“It looks like some sort of collaboration,” Knipe said. “We don’t want to be associated with big beer.”

It’s not the only brand with a name similar to Edge Brewing Company. Icehouse Edge, a high-gravity lager also under the MillerCoors umbrella, has been around since 2012.

Edge Brewing is seeking legal advice about Coors Edge, Knipe said. At a minimum, a cease-and-desist letter is likely to be sent to MillerCoors, he said. “We’re fully trademarked for our entire logo and brand.”

On the MillerCoors side, “Coors Edge” also is trademarked.

MillerCoors is no stranger to court squabbles. In 2018, California-based Stone Brewing sued the company for highlighting the word “Stone” on the side of Keystone beer products.

Locally, Knipe is reminded of a branding dispute involving barbecue. The owner of Boise-based BBQ4Life filed a lawsuit in 2018 against national chain Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, alleging that it misappropriated creative imagery. Dickey’s eventually agreed to stop.

Like BBQ4Life, Edge Brewing does not have stacks of cash to set ablaze to protect its brand.

“I think there is a plan to definitely send a cease-and-desist,” Knipe said. “It’s nothing that I think is worth going to court over. Who knows, they could ignore it on that one, too. It is what it is. But somebody’s got to say something, I think.”

One thing’s certain: Whoever designed Edge Brewing’s logo should ask for a raise. After all, MillerCoors seems to think it’s special, right?

“I would take it almost as a compliment,” Knipe said. “If a multibillion-dollar company is using our logo, we must be doing something right!”

Online: edgebrew.com.

This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 3:49 PM.