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Diversity and Morality Police

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  • Diversity and Morality Police

    From the so called Brewer's Association: "Diversity Committee:
    The new Diversity Committee met for the first time at the 2017 Craft Brewers Conference. Led by Scott Metzger, founder of Freetail Brewing and a member of the BA board of directors, this new committee will use 2017 primarily for gathering information. It will also engage in a variety of tasks, potentially including:

    Identifying issues related to maximizing the diversity and inclusiveness of Brewers Association membership and of the industry as a whole including beer lovers.
    Enriching the Association and its ability to serve members, along with the craft brewing industry, through integration of multiple perspectives and experiences.
    Conducting outreach and participating in conversations with like-minded groups to share best practices.
    Monitoring industry discussions among media, members, and beer lovers surrounding topics of diversity with regard to race and gender.


    Updated Advertising and Marketing Code:
    Language has been added to address beer marketing with sexually explicit, lewd, or demeaning brand names, language, text, graphics, photos, video, or other images. An Advertising Complaint Review Panel will address issues as they arise should a voting member brewery lodge a complaint tied to the code.

    The updated code will apply to winners of the BA’s competitions, the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and World Beer Cup. Beginning in 2017, brand names that are determined to not meet the Marketing and Advertising Code, and that win a medal or award, will not be permitted to use the GABF and/or World Beer Cup intellectual properties (trademarked names and logos) when promoting the winning beers. Additionally, the brand name will not be announced on stage during the award ceremony or promoted in competition materials, such as the winners’ list. The brewery producer and style of the beer will be announced/listed, but not the beer name itself.

    This addition is not in response to one specific brand or brewery. Additionally, it applies only to new entries of our competitions going forward. The Brewers Association believes in free speech, innovation, and creativity. As businesses, brewers can and should name and market beers in the manner they desire. However, the Brewers Association also believes that beer marketing should represent the values, ideals, and integrity of a diverse culture. We will not be a platform to promote or celebrate any brands that do not meet the Advertising and Marketing Code.

  • #2
    Is there any sexual connotation in the word "freetail"?

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    • #3
      No more Bitch Creek or Bitches Brew????

      In my opion, which means nothing; the industry does not need this. The market will decide.

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      • #4
        Overdramatic, much? If you don't want to change the names of your beers, and want to be as sexist as the big guys, and your customers don't care what they look like drinking from bottles and cans with overtly sexist labels, go right ahead and keep your beers as is. You're not prevented from doing anything you want to, in your own brewery. The Brewers Association is just drawing a line as to what it will publicly endorse as part of the craft beer industry. They are a private organization that can do what it wants. If you don't like it, resign from the BA and go about your business.

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        • #5
          All very PC, lovely. I particularly like this "Beginning in 2017, brand names that are determined to not meet the Marketing and Advertising Code, and that win a medal or award, will not be permitted to use the GABF and/or World Beer Cup intellectual properties (trademarked names and logos) when promoting the winning beers." I guarantee by 2018 if your brand doesn't meet their "code" you won't be able to enter the beer at all.

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          • #6
            I decided that the BA, AHA, AOB, and the BJCP and whatever code letters they want to hide behind could all go suck an egg a long time ago.
            Todd G Hicks
            BeerDenizen Brewing Services

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            • #7
              Let's get back to my question. Is the word "freetail" over the line? Lets say free tail is actually a type of bird. But is sounds sexual. But the logo is a bird... Is that sexist?

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              • #8
                Originally posted by BeerBred View Post
                Let's get back to my question. Is the word "freetail" over the line? Lets say free tail is actually a type of bird. But is sounds sexual. But the logo is a bird... Is that sexist?

                I would say no as long as the label doesn't play up anything sexual(given your description I doubt it does..). But given that its 2017 bet it wouldn't take long to find someone who is offended by it. Perhaps it is an endangered bird that you are exploiting for billions of dollars at your little brewery

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                • #9
                  I just saw a competitor's beer in the store yesterday, "That's What She Said Ale". <insert sensible chuckle>

                  Industry association guidelines for subjective interpretations is always unpredictable and sometimes misguided. But, if you do win a medal in some competition, you will be guaranteed one thing.......you won a medal in some competition .
                  Name your beers and sodas what you want them to be and, most importantly, what your customers want to buy.
                  One market to rule them all!

                  my two cents,
                  Prost!
                  Dave
                  Glacier Brewing Company
                  406-883-2595
                  info@glacierbrewing.com

                  "who said what now?"

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                  • #10
                    A Freetail is a type of bat. Lots of them in San Antonio.
                    Linus Hall
                    Yazoo Brewing
                    Nashville, TN
                    www.yazoobrew.com

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                    • #11
                      Freetail, eventually. This is a slippery slope, all it will take is one overly sensitive snowflake to take offense and let the ostracizing and banning begin.

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                      • #12
                        So, to be clear, I don't give a __ about the BA or medals. My place will be high volume distribution.
                        If a freetail is a bat, and the logo is a bat, will the consumer cause an uproar because they feel it implies free sex.... and do we care, because you can always find one dumbass to complain about anything

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                        • #13
                          Good for them!

                          The problem isn't any one beer or ad, it's that the sexism is inescapable, a death by a thousand papercuts. You can't go anywhere in beer without somebody telling you women are meant to be seen and not heard – the ads trotted out by the big guys go without saying, but you know you can't go into any bottle shop without somebody having slapped some scantily-clad, buxom young thing on their Blond or Red Ale. Heck, even the charity events have names like "breastfest" and "save the boobies!"

                          And before you say "well, it's still not that bad," ask yourself – how do you know? Is there anywhere in American culture where men are as objectified as women are in beer? Where somebody is trying to sell something with a slab of wordlessly beckoning manscaped dudeflesh everywhere you turn? Maybe certain neighborhoods in larger cities – but my guess is most guys would find it a little uncomfortable, maybe wouldn't build a career, or even a serious hobby, that required spending a lot of time in those neighborhoods.

                          Dudes aren't affected by this, and cannot know first-hand if it's a real problem or not; maybe we should take the people who are affected at their word?

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by bohclub View Post
                            Freetail, eventually. This is a slippery slope, all it will take is one overly sensitive snowflake to take offense and let the ostracizing and banning begin.
                            Funny how quickly some people like to trot out the epithet "snowflake" as soon as something they don't like happens. They're pretty defensive. Wish we had a word for that...

                            Also funny how it's always an issue regarding being more open to the disadvantages and privileges that are unevenly distributed through society. Like being closer to your fellow human beings is somehow a negative. What a disappointing worldview.
                            Last edited by spetrovits; 04-27-2017, 09:31 AM.

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                            • #15
                              And it begins....

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