Human biology junior Steve Hanrahan is a craft beer drinker and a fan of the brand Flying Dog. But Hanrahan won’t get to taste the company’s newest beer at any East Lansing bar — it’s been banned in Michigan because of a potentially offensive label and product name.
“From what I’ve heard, it’s one of the highest-ranked beers of 2010,” Hanrahan said. “I’d like to (try it.)”
On Monday, Flying Dog CEO Jim Caruso came to East Lansing to file a civil rights lawsuit against the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, or MLCC, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Caruso said the name of the beer — Raging Bitch — was inspired by the rapid fermentation process of the beer combined with a female name for a dog in relation to the company’s name.
“I think it taps into the fun of the industry,” Caruso said.
Sharon Martin, the director of licensing with the MLCC, said the committee “disapproves any beer label deemed to promote violence, racism, sexism, intemperance or intoxication or to be detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the general public.”
According to a complaint filed by Flying Dog, a MLCC official also found the label’s artist Ralph Steadman’s statement on the label to contain language “detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the general public.” The statement also contains obscenities.
Flying Dog’s beer is not the first to be regulated in the state of Michigan because of possible offense the title might cause. Dogfish Head’s Bitches Brew was regulated for similar reasons, according to the company’s website.
The company has run into problems with its branding before with other brews. The state of Colorado objected to a label that also used obscenity, but the case successfully was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The beer, with the label, currently is sold in about 35 states as well as 20 European countries. Thus far, Michigan is the only state to bar the product from being sold. The ban denies the company a profitable market, Caruso said. In 2010, the first year the beer was offered, 4 million bottles were sold.
“Michigan has almost always been one of our top markets,” Caruso said.
Many local liquor stores and bars sell Flying Dog products. Crunchy’s, 254 W. Grand River Ave., offers several of Flying Dog’s beers on tap throughout the year, such as Snake Dog and Old Scratch. Mike Kruger, the general manager of Crunchy’s, said the establishment would sell Raging Bitch if it was approved for the state.
“It’s a good brand,” Kruger said. “They do a lot of good, craft seasonal beers.”
Communication sophomore Rebecca Gidley said she felt most people wouldn’t mind the name.
“I know some people would get offended at the use of the word ‘bitch,’” Gidley said. “(But) most people think it’s funny, especially our age.”
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