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Feds Shut Down Sixpoint Craft Ales' Hop Obama!
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 12, 2009
Modified Feb 12, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 12, 2009
Modified Feb 12, 2009
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[Update Below]Sixpoint Craft Ales' most popular limited-edition brew, the "Hop Obama," dropped out of existence last month, with the last known kegs tapped on Inauguration Day. Most beer barons assumed that the Red Hook brewery had stopped producing it because it was always planned for a limited run, and while that is correct, today Brownstoner reveals there was a bit more to the story: The Federal Government actually came to Red Hook and ordered Sixpoint owners not produce anymore "Hop Obama."
It looks like someone from the brewery, now celebrating its fourth year, has left an explanation in the Brownstoner comments: "The reason behind the cease and desist order was having the President's name in conjunction with our product, which apparently violated some federal statutes as presented to us by the TTB [Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau]." Eater has more on the whole affair, but the upshot is that other great Presidential branding opportunities, like, say, ObaMarlboro special edition cigarettes, will probably never see the light of day.
UPDATE: Jeff Gorlechen from Sixpoint just got back to us and says, "This whole thing has gotten blown out of proportion." He clarifies that the Hop Obama brew ran afoul of the law not because it was named after the President, but because it was named after a celebrity, which is illegal since it can be misinterpreted as an endorsement. Gorlechen says, "We wouldn't have been able to name it after Scarlett Johansson, either." However, since the limited edition Hop Obama proved so popular, Sixpoint has not ruled out bringing it back. "We just need a new name," he tells us. Leave your clever suggestions in the comments (as if you needed any encouragement).
UPDATE DEUCE:Politico's Ben Smith gets a money quote from Department of Homeland Security spokesman Sean Smith, regarding an accusation from Sixpoint's Sean Welch that Homeland Security was calling the shots on the TTB action: "Sounds like he's sampling the product too much."
Tagged
brewery
feds
hop obama
sixpoint
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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