What will be the fate of offensive beer labeling?

Beer labels that aren’t exactly politically correct are nothing new in the alcohol industry. But in the past year or two, beer associations and brewers alike are speaking out against overly offensive names.

So what are some of the worst offenders? And what are people saying?

Offensive beer labels
Offensive labels may be getting more attention in today’s #MeToo era because they’re largely focused around female sexuality. In that realm, examples include Village Idiot’s Thong Remover Belgian Tripel or Pig’s Mind Brewing’s PD (Panty Dropper) California Style Ale, both of which have labels with drawings of women in their underwear, Vinepair stated.

The Tramp Stamp Belgian IPA from Clown Shoes is another one, and the label features a picture of a woman’s backside in jeans.

There are also many offensive beer names in the religious arena that are getting people talking. One example is Duclaw Brewing’s Sweet Baby Jesus, which is a chocolate peanut butter porter. Evil Twin Brewing also features a beer called Even More Jesus.

It seems that the trend toward the distasteful, however it started, has led to more and more breweries trying to one-up each other with both their beer names and their label art. But that trend may be coming to an end soon.

What are people saying?
Brewer Seth Morton from Jackie O’s Brewery in Athens, Ohio, recently sat down with Beacon Journal/Ohio.com and he said that he’s not a fan of the offensive beer label trend. He said “You’re not doing yourself any favors, and consumers are being more forward on calling breweries out for this.”

And Morton isn’t alone. Last year, Brewbound reported that the Brewers Association isn’t a fan, either. The organization said it would take steps to prevent breweries that use offensive names and labels from marketing their products with the association’s intellectual property in the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Fest.

The association also said that these brewers could still participate in competitions, but that their names wouldn’t be celebrated or read aloud in awards ceremonies. Though the group recognized that legal implications may apply if they were to exclude these breweries from the association all together, they said they want to encourage brewers to stay away from offensive labels since people are often turned off by these messages. Or, of course, deeply offended by them.

The Brewers Association’s updated marketing and advertising code, according to Draft Mag, now indicates that marketing materials should not include:

• Sexually explicit, lewd, or demeaning brand names, text, or images that are inappropriate for the public.
• Derogatory or demeaning text or images.

Another reason beer makers are seeing a crackdown is because women have reportedly been harassed and mistreated in the beer world, not just on labels. Early in 2018, the BBC reported several cases of women being mistreated in the beer industry, which has largely been dominated by men over the years. The reports ranged from sexual harassment and groping to being belittled and overpowered in their jobs.

As more awareness spreads about the mistreatment of women in the beer industry, and as more organizations start to recognize the problematic repercussions of what was once considered innocent joking, offensive labels and beer names may be phasing out of style.

Label regulations are often in flux as trends change and laws update. Keep up with all the changes by viewing our label printers at Optimedia Labs’ U.S. page or visit our Canadian site.