‘Wor’fare breaks out over fans’ fave beer name

A typically spectacular Wor Flags display at a St James’ Park game.

‘Wor’fare has broken out between two Tyneside breweries, after a trademark dispute over a key word in the Geordie vocabulary.

Wylam Brewery has changed the name of its ‘Wor Beer’ to ‘NCL Flags’, after a legal threat from Anarchy Brew Co, which trademarked the same name in July 2022, legally claiming the sole right to use if for 10 years.

And the move has prompted some anger among Newcastle supporters, who feel Anarchy have betrayed the spirit of a partnership with their flag-display group, Wor Flags.

Wylam’s pale ale came from a 2022 collaboration with Newcastle United fan-group Wor Flags, which previously partnered with Anarchy to produce the original ‘Wor Beer’, with 50p from every pint going to fund the group’s impressive displays at St James’ Park. The collaboration came to a harmonious end in July, with Wor Flags expressing ‘great gratitude’ towards Anarchy.

The Newcastle supporters group subsequently partnered with Wylam Brewery in August, to again produce ‘Wor Beer’.

But Anarchy pulled the plug on the Wylam Brewery version of ‘Wor Beer’ by threatening legal action due to their trademark of the word ‘Wor’.

In a statement, Wylam backed down and renamed their beer ‘NCL Flags, saying they did not “want to risk their donations or get dragged into a costly legal fight”.

Wor Flags said that they were “hugely disappointed” in Anarchy Brew, stating that it was “frustrating that someone we trusted to brew our beer has claimed the word ‘Wor’ and is now using it against us and our partners”. They also iterated that Wylam Brewery’s ‘NCL Flags’ beer is the official ‘Wor Flags’ beer and any other ‘Wor’ beers do not support the group.

Anarchy Brew told The Newcastle Chronicle that they have “worked long and hard to build its brand and Wylam Brewery could have avoided this situation by doing their due diligence and checking what, if any, trademark existed”.

This is not Anarchy’s first encounter with a trademark issue: in 2012, the company changed its name from Brew Star after receiving a complaint from Brewsters Brewery in Lincolnshire, which believed the name was too close to their own.

Commenting after a similar dispute in Scotland two years later, Simon Miles – director of Anarchy Brew – advised other companies: “If you think your company name or a product name is worth protecting… then apply for a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office sooner rather than later.”

Some punters have criticised Anarchy, with one X user saying they would “never buy this or anything else” from the brewery again. Another expressed their disappointment, stating that it felt like a “cynical move against the very supporters who made ‘Wor’ iconic”.

Anarchy will continue to produce its ‘Wor Beer’.