Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/19/brewers-association-to-crack.html
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Ok. hold on here. The Raging Bitch by flying dog is not sexist in the slightest bit. Its a dog…a female dog is termed a bitch. Their brewery name is Flying Dog. This clearly has no intention to be sexist, so no on that one at all.
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Never had it, don’t intend to.
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I’m drinking a Raging Hard On by Boner Brewery, right now.
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I beg to differ. While the word “bitch” does refer to a female breeding dog, the pejorative meaning by far overshadows that definition in terms of general use and visiblity. The words “raging bitch” have certainly been used as negative descriptors for women.
I am a craft brew drinker. And I am glad to finally see a conversation about the objectification of women in the industry.
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I like “colorful” beer labels. Does that make me bad?
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Suspect sarcasm!
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It’s not though 
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Well that’s the problem with the vague wording, isn’t it. It makes any sort of saucy pinup or sexual expression risky, even if it’s not the intended target of the rule.
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No. But labels can be colorful without using women to do so.
Here is a comment that I copied and pasted from another discussion on the topic. Not my words, but a good explanation.
"What many seem to be missing in their commentary is that there is a serious issue with the images on labels (and often combined with their names), not just the names alone. Whenever this topic is raised, someone always says “oh, come on, you can’t be offended by words and dumb puns…” I urge you, if you think this, to consider the bigger, broader picture. The name, the doll-like, top-heavy woman in a seductive pose and the fact that the product is an intoxicant all combine in an inappropriate combination that ultimately will not be healthy for the industry.
When a woman on a lablel is objectified – literally, made into an object, in a way that she is reduced to parts, or lacks any autonomy, or is purely there for the purpose of attracting and titilating the male audience – then it is a statement of the brewer’s vision and attitude towards their audience, which they assume are straight men who will be “attracted” to the label. The label, then is created soley as enjoyment for men, and thus, so are its contents. Because the beverage itself is not gender-specific, it is problematic to not just target heterosexual men, but do it at the expense of women.
As a woman who shops in beer stores where lines of packaged beers greet me at eye level, it would be easy with some breweries to assume that their beer is clearly “not for me” just by looking at the vacant women staring back at me from their labels. And to that, many of you say, “vote with your wallet and just don’t buy it.” But there’s a problem with that. First, I (still) make up a minority of beer consumers, so my “vote” not to buy it will not matter enough to make a dent. But perhaps more importantly – it rubs off on the other breweries in the industry that are not making the choice to sexualize their beer labels.
The reason that I agree that All About Beer and The Brewers Association and groups and publications like them need to take stand on this is that letting it continue unquestioned hurts the entire industry. If I see those labels as a beer-curious consumer, I don’t just think that the particular brewery is being sexist, but that craft beer as a whole is not a welcoming place, and that can hurt everyone.
If the craft brewery industry is in it for the long haul, they need to either stick up for the minority voices that are raising these objections, or do whatever they can to make these examples seem like outliers in an otherwise friendly industry. But if they want to continue to court new craft drinkers who are ready and willing to spend money in the beverage sector – silence is not going to be an option."
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You’ll have to pull the Dirty Guera from my wife’s cold, dead hands.
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I always kind of wondered why beer bottles should have objectified females on the bottle. Who’s the kind of brewmaster who’d think “we need a half naked chick to represent how good this beer is?” Would it be the same kind of weird perma-teenager inclined to dip his dick in the mash tun on the cool down?
Or is the implication that you can have a beer and a fap in one? Which, like, is the ultimate brah kind of thing, amirite? high fives all around
Although yeah, wait for the “you people are such snowflakes” backlash. In fact, ready on 3… 2… 1…
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Here’s hoping Fat Bottom Brewery, which is in my area, will join in cleaning up its labels. The samples I’ve tried are quite good and I want to support a local brewery, but I just can’t bring myself to support the labeling.
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As most of you know, I’m married to a craft brewer who brews for a company with exactly zero naked women on the labels, and the same number of “clever” sex jokes. Which is the right number if you are selling delicious beer to people who can taste the difference
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My question is always this: Is there an actual offense or are you looking to be offended?
One of my favorite beers and favorite labels also is Wailing Wench.
Is it sexist? It can be deemed to be yes…but is it? I don’t think it is, but I am also not looking to be offended.
take this one for instance…
I like the name, it hearkens to the style of ale they produced, is it sexist? I would say yes…NOT because it shows a voluptuous, sensuous black woman to connect with "Sexual Chocolate; but instead because it is a woman ONLY. I would have designed two versions of the label, one of the female, and one of the male figure. Or had both face to face as the label.
That to me is when something cries sexist. When the option to call to what is “sexy” and only references one gender. It goes both ways, either all female reference or all male. Again, this is how I see it.
I’d also simply state, I do not look to be offended by a beer label. I just don’t. We have a POTUS who bragged about groping women and people still voted for him…people I am friends with…family members. THAT is what I choose to be offended by.
If someone else wants to champion the “cleaning up” of the beer label industry; have at it. I really just don’t see it as a hot button issue for me. I only have so many f***s to give.
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I think this sums up my feelings exactly. I want a good beer. No “sexy” label is going to sell me on buying a crappy beer. I also don’t feel I would refrain from buying a good beer because the label or name is questionable.
I just don’t think it is necessary nor a value add if you just make a good damn ale in the first place! No gimmicks. No games. No controversy. Just good beer.
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Well Magdlene, maybe you’re right. I’m kinda’ torn.
It’s between free expression and objectification… for me this line is not easily drawn.
An interesting test for me though is that were I to perceive a beer label as racist, I wouldn’t buy the product.
So… maybe you’re right.
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Darn it, I guess I will have to stick to the Trumpkin Small-Fingered Orange Ale… 
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I wasn’t offended , but I am now. I just explained my position as a female consumer. You’ve just attempted to invalidate that opinion by suggesting that I’m some kind of “raging bitch”, looking for a fight.
The labels you posted are both sexist and racist.
But I’m fairly certain that you aren’t really interested in my opinion.
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