First folks came after SockObama, then the Sasha and Malia dolls, and now the Feds have forced Sixpoint Brewery to halt production of Hop Obama beer. But Sixpoint isn’t going quietly, per a Facebook message.
Sixpoint was raided by the Feds and they put the kabosh on our Hop Obama. Naturally, I was infuriated by the censorship so I decided to do what I’ve done from the start — turn it into a story and allow the company to serve as a platform for delivering the story. However, this was quickly squashed by the Feds as well. Apparently, they did not want us making the beer NOR did they want me to create a story out of it.
Then, the plot thickens …The Department of Homeland Security gets involved. We recently received an official cease and desist letter from them claiming we must take immediate acts to shut down and exterminate our production, dissemination, and distribution of this brand or the Federal government will enact punitive fines and/or seize control of our brewery.
Don’t worry though, the Hop Obama will live on, and be stronger than it ever was. We have a plan … Kind of like Obi-wan Kenobi when he was struck down by Vader and came back as the guiding voice for Luke Skywalker. There will be a new reincarnation of the beer, along with many others.
No word on how those Obama cheese fries will be affected.
Update: Politico checks in with a Sixpoint spokesman, who says the whole thing is being blown out of proportion: “In fact, the division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms that regulates alcohol labeling (and is now under DHS) sent a letter to the brewery in December raising to a variety of minor labeling issues, including details of alcohol content, the question of whether one beer should be referred to as ‘Belgian’ or ‘Belgian-style,’— and, in the case of Hop Obama, a rule against naming consumer products for celebrities who haven’t actually endorsed them.”
The Feds Ordered Sixpoint to Shut Down ‘Hop Obama’ [Brownstoner]
