Last week, we discovered the story of ultra-MAGA enthusiast Seth Weathers, who aimed to capitalize on the anti-woke sentiment by selling a “woke-free” near beer as a response to the uproar surrounding Bud Light. Weathers boasted that he was receiving countless orders and planned to ship the first batch by May 11th. However, it seems his bigotry has left him high and dry without a brewer for his controversial beer.
Weathers initially believed he had secured a deal with Illinois-based Bent River Brewing Company, even going so far as to display their name on his website. But according to Mike Zoller, beer editor of PorchDrinking.com, Bent River Brewing claims Weathers used their name without permission. The brewery reportedly backed out of the deal upon learning how Weathers was marketing the product.
Bent River Brewing stated, “We were initially approached to possibly contract a beer for a customer. Without our knowledge, our name was listed on a website for a brief period of time. When we were made aware of the marketing for the product, we chose to pass on producing it.”
Weathers’ unauthorized use of the brewery’s name may lead to even more trouble. Bent River Brewing could potentially sue Weathers, especially if they experience any sales losses due to the perceived association with his divisive product. It seems that brewing bigotry doesn’t always lead to booming business.