Portland could be ground zero in the beer branding wars

In January, two of California's most celebrated breweries found themselves on opposite ends of a trademark lawsuit. While it was swiftly dropped following a public outcry, the move by Petaluma-based Lagunitas Brewing to file an infringement suit against Chico's Sierra Nevada Brewing offered a glimpse at a growing problem: We're running out of unique names and designs for craft beer. According to the National Brewers Association, 2014 saw a 22 percent rise in craft beer sales and the creation of…