Ep. 12 Flying Dog Brewery: ‘Good Beer, No Censorship’

“Two inflammatory words … one wild drink. Nectar imprisoned in a
bottle. Let it out. It is cruel to keep a wild animal locked up.”


When artist and illustrator Ralph Steadman wrote those words for
the label of Flying Dog Brewery’s “Raging Bitch” Belgian-style
IPA, he had no idea that cruel imprisonment would be precisely
their fate.


In 2009, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission banned the sale
of “Raging Bitch” from store shelves in the state because the
commission claimed the beer’s name and its label, designed by
Steadman, were “detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of
the general public.”


Any other company might have accepted the commission’s
justification for censorship. But Flying Dog Brewery isn’t a
company to just roll over.


Flying Dog was founded in 1990 by George Stranahan, a close
friend of journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who pioneered a style of
journalism known as “Gonzo”: first-person, satirical critiques on
society and culture. The brewery has always maintained the
critical, anti-authoritarian message embodied by Gonzo
journalism.


So, when Michigan banned the sale of “Raging Bitch,” Flying Dog
didn’t back down. That’s not its Gonzo style. Instead, it took
the brew ha-ha to court and fought back with a First Amendment
lawsuit.


We wanted to learn more about Flying Dog’s dog fight in defense
of its art. Its lawsuit culminated earlier this year in a
resounding legal victory, and the brewery created a First
Amendment Society using damages awarded from the lawsuit, thus
proving that every dog has its day.


So, we headed down to Frederick, Md., where the brewery is
located. What’s the story? Nobody had bothered to say. So we
would have to drum it up on our own. Free enterprise. The
American dream. Horatio Alger gone mad on beer in Frederick.


Do it now: pure Gonzo.


www.sotospeakpodcast.com


Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/freespeechtalk


Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/sotospeakpodcast


Email us: sotospeak@thefire.org


Call in a question: 215-315-0100