The West Michigan Whitecaps, Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, will change their name to the Beer City Bung Hammers for one game this season. The name change is a nod to the Whitecaps hometown of Grand Rapids’ status as one of the premier beer cities in the US—they were ranked first in USA Today’s ranking of the country’s best beer scenes in 2016 and 2017, and took second place this year.
As for the nickname itself, “A bung hammer is a specialized tool for sealing and unsealing the bung in the side of a barrel when aging craft beer,” the team explained on its website website. “A bung is a wooden stopper for the opening in a barrel. So, the bung hammer is used to fit the bung into the bunghole of a barrel.”
The primary logo features Beer City Bung Hammers in distressed text intersected by a stylized bung hammer-baseball bat hybrid. The cap logo features this adorable little guy here, a pint glass knocking a cork out of the park with his hammer-bat.
The West Michigan Whitecaps are changing their name to the Beer City Bung Hammers for “Salute to Beer City Night” on Saturday, August 4th.
Why are we doing it: https://t.co/2j1McqO6j9.
Thank you Michigan Brewers Guild for all your help! pic.twitter.com/XmZUEG9JzR— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) June 9, 2018
The “Salute to Beer City” promotion will take place August 4 in a game against the Dayton Dragons.
