An Australian beer named Barely Legal, which used a label design similar to that of the world's biggest pornography website, PornHub, has been withdrawn on the eve of a major craft beer festival amid criticism it was "sexist" and "inappropriate".
Sunshine Coast brewery Blackflag's Barely Legal IPA was marketed with a "boozy" 18.1 per cent alcohol content as "something to tell your friends about."
It was set to be released and poured under that name at this weekend's Great Australian Beer Spectacular (GABS) craft beer festival in Melbourne, but its marketing was withdrawn late Thursday following backlash on social media.
Blackflag Brewing did not respond to requests for comment, but in a statement posted to its social media accounts, the Queensland brewery said it regretted any "offence or distress caused".
"We acknowledge that a single marketing theme, which was intended to be light-hearted and engaging, unfortunately missed the mark and inadvertently conveyed implications that were offensive," the Blackflag Brewing statement read.
"The marketing theme in question has been discontinued, and we are conducting a thorough review of our marketing processes to ensure that such missteps do not occur again in the future."
The Independent Brewers Association (IBA) said the marketing campaign represented a breach of its Code of Conduct.
"The IBA takes these matters very seriously and as a result has commenced discussions with the relevant parties to ensure the matter is addressed immediately and is not repeated in future," chief executive Kylie Lethbridge said.
A 'punch in the guts'
Jayne Lewis is the co-founder of Australia's first female-owned brewery, Two Birds, and among a group of industry leaders called Drink Agents For Change, which lobbied the GABS festival directly to reconsider the beer's marketing.
"If you google, 'Barely Legal,' the things that come up are all around young women and involvement in either some sort of pornography or involvement in sexual acts," Ms Lewis said.
"It's sexist and it glorifies sexualising minors and young women, which to us is inappropriate, and especially has no place in relation to an 18.1 per cent alcohol beer.
"These are the kinds of things that feel like a real punch in the guts for a lot of women."
GABS Craft Beer & Cider Festival chief executive Mike Bray said it was "crucial for all businesses to uphold responsible practices that align with the values and sensitivities of all consumers".
"By taking action to work alongside all parties on the matter, [GABS has] demonstrated how direct positive dialogue, on any topic, between industry leaders can help us all grow together."
Harassment and abuse reported
The findings of an internal industry survey released this week by Drink Agents For Change found issues of harassment, sexism and discrimination were still prevalent in the industry.
Of the 158 participants surveyed, 91 per cent said they had experienced discrimination throughout their career in the beer industry, while 57 per cent said they had been abused or harassed.
Tiffany Waldron is president of the Australian arm of the Pink Boots Society, a non-profit group that aims to support women and non-binary people working in the beer and fermented beverage industries.
She said reports of harassment at beer festivals and events were common, and that inappropriate and sexualised marketing could contribute to creating an unsafe environment.
"We have the data that shows beer events are often an unsafe place for those who work in the industry," Ms Waldron said.
"Think about it not only from the punter's point of view, but how many women and non-gender-conforming people are also working on the other side of the bar. As you can imagine, at a place where people are drinking, the comments can get a little out of hand.
"Think about how they feel when they have to serve a beer with a name like [Barely Legal]."
Sexist beer ads all 'played out'
Ms Waldron said the Barely Legal marketing was merely an updated version of the sort of hyper-masculine, occasionally sexist beer adverts and imagery of the past.
"If you look back over the decades, misogynist beer advertising was normalised," she said.
"Some people haven't quite understood that we've progressed on from that, and they still think it's interesting or funny.
"Really, it's boring, and it's played out."
Jayne Lewis, who now works to mentor people in the beer industry, said the fact both Blackflag Brewing and the GABS festival had responded to feedback was nonetheless indicative of a broader positive trend.
"It did have an impact. People's voices were actually able to make a change," she said.
"That's actually great to see people going, 'We've heard it. We've got to do something about it'."
