Last week The New York Times had a good article entitled “With Rude Names, Wine Stops Minding Its Manners.” The article focused on the wide variety of Bitch-themed wines in the US marketplace. The article describes Royal Bitch as:

one of a teeming sisterhood of cabernets and chardonnays from a variety of producers with labels like Sassy Bitch, Jealous Bitch, Tasty Bitch and Sweet Bitch. They’re reinforcements for a growing army of rude, budget-priced wines that have shoved their way into wine stores and supermarkets in the past few years — most recently Happy Bitch, a Hudson Valley rosé that made its debut last month.

The article closes by saying:

Winemakers have some way to go before equaling the shock value of Jersey’s Toxic Waste, a specialty spirit. But the bitch category may yield dividends. Take Rae-Jean Beach, a blended white wine. (The name needs to be said aloud.) She’s got a husband, a zinfandel. Sorry, but the name is not printable here.

Though Mrs. Pedasso’s husband may be too “rude” for publication within the august confines of The New York Times Dining Section, it is my pleasure to bring back Mr. Stu Pedasso and his lovely wife, Rae-Jean Beach.

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Some of the Clown Shoes beer labels, such as Tramp Stamp and Lubrication, are leading to lots of controversy. This got us to reading about the graphic designer for both. While we reserve judgment about the labels at issue, the blog post by the label designer for Clown Shoes is so good and vigorous that we wanted to cover it here. The designer of the label on the left is Stacey George. She is based in Massachusetts, and she talks about the issues in a July 6, 2011 post entitled “Sometimes, a Pipe is Just a Pipe.”

“Are Clown Shoes’ labels offensive?” Sure. Why not? Offensive is a subjective term. If you look at the labels and find yourself offended, there you go. Do you have the right to say so? Abso-friggin-lutely! Shout it from the highest mountain, or your Twitter account, or your brothers’ website, whatever your bullhorn is, use it, loud and proud. Here, let me loan you a sandwich board and a bell, you can be offended Town-Crier style, I got your back.

My labels for Clown Shoes—which were named Best Craft Beer Art of 2011 by PourCurator.com—are not illustrated with a sexist intent. For instance, a Tramp Stamp is a tattoo placed on the lower back of a woman to emphasize her sexuality. In Germany, they call it, Arschgeweih, meaning, “Ass Antlers.” Can you imagine if we had named a beer Ass Antlers!? We have nicknames for these tattoos because they have a purpose. The woman who has one is confident in her sexuality and she is enticing the viewer to appreciate her. A woman who is comfortable in her own skin and likes how she looks is a sexy woman. Sexy is not sexist. In fact, sexist is rarely sexy.

As a woman, and an artist, I have a hard time with [the] images being labeled chauvinistic. Chauvinism is an attitude of superiority over the opposite sex. I’m not designing women who are inferior, I’m designing women who celebrate who they are. So, who is bringing the inferiority? The viewer? The offended? It’s a complicated question.

Stacey George probably did not design the wine label on the right. But while we are appreciating Stacey’s work, and thinking about tramps, we wanted to include at least one more tramp-related label. Stamp du Tramp is bottled by Greg & Greg, Inc. of Sebastopol, California.

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For a lively discussion of whether such labels go too far, follow these links about Lubrication (by Clown Shoes).

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On or about September 17, 2009, Flying Dog Brewery requested permission to sell Raging Bitch beer in Michigan. About two months later, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission denied the application, asserting: “The Commission finds that the proposed label which includes the brand name ‘Raging Bitch’ contains such language deemed detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the general public.”

Flying Dog filed a lawsuit last month, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. In a later post, we’ll review the state’s rationale. But for today, we highlight a few of the juiciest portions from the pleadings submitted by Flying Dog (and attorney Alan Gura). The complaint asserts:

Regrettably, the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and its members have taken it upon themselves to control not merely alcoholic beverages, but speech as well. Acting as a censorial board, Defendants wield state authority to impose their personal tastes as a prior restraint against core First Amendment expression that happens to be placed on beer labels.

The supporting memorandum goes on to cite the Staub case wherein the U.S. Supreme Court said:

It is settled by a long line of recent decisions of this Court that an ordinance which … makes the peaceful enjoyment of freedoms which the Constitution guarantees contingent upon the uncontrolled will of an official — as by requiring a permit or license which may be granted or withheld in the discretion of such official — is an unconstitutional censorship or prior restraint upon the enjoyment of those freedoms.

The memorandum argues that the ban is too broad; “preventing all adults from all access to Raging Bitch [in order to protect some children] is hardly a narrowly tailored restriction.” The Butler case calls back from 54 years ago to remind us “by quarantining the general reading public against books not too rugged for grown men and women in order to shield juvenile innocence. … Surely, this is to burn the house to roast the pig.” The brewer’s memorandum concludes:

The First Amendment is incompatible with the notion that government regulators may sit in judgment of a beer label, scrutinizing it for conformance to their personal views on what sort of expression might disturb delicate sensibilities.

If your tender sensibilities are not yet disturbed, you can find other such labels here.

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Here is Ron Jeremy’s “Adult Rum.” It is imported by One Eyed Spirits, of Texas.

John was going to say something witty here. But, upon reflection, we should not touch it with or without a ten foot pole.

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We thought the Rumpmeister dress was pretty short, until we saw this attire (or lack thereof). The Cabernet label, on the left, pretty much speaks for itself. The Chardonnay label has more words, and they are no less risque than the images on the Cabernet label, though they are a bit more covered. The semi-covered words say:

MEN – NO SHIRT – NO SERVICE
WOMEN – NO SHIRT – FREE BEER

Beyond that, the verbiage on the right side says:

LIQUOR – IN THE – FRONT
POKER – IN THE – REAR

We are not sure whether it’s more funny, amusing, witty, or embarrassing. It’s a little difficult to believe these went right through, way back in 2004.

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First it was just the pants on the ground. Now there is a profusion of panties on the ground. And once again, alcohol beverages are not far from the root of the problem. Way back in April of 2009 we first uncovered this problem, and there is no sign of abatement in the time since then.

Panty Dropper is Late Harvest Zinfandel, produced and bottled by Christies of Sonoma, Inc. Liquid Panty Remover is Cherry and Raspberry Fruit Wine, produced and bottled by Alto Vineyards, of Alto Pass, Illinois.

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Because of that fancy umlaut, it is possible that it’s about something other than what you are probably thinking about at this very moment. But then again, now that I have watched the “banned Böner beer commercial” on YouTube, I am pretty sure I will decline if and when anyone offers me one of these. All these other labels didn’t bother us too much, but perhaps this one goes just a bit too far, such that you will have to Google the ad for yourself, so long as you are not easily offended. (Maybe the wit:prurience ratio was higher on the others.)

Böner Beer is made with orange, lemon, coriander and other flavors.

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Get your mind out of the gutter. It’s not about sex. It’s about good beer from eastern Pennsylvania.

Intercourse Blue Ball Porter is Ale with Natural Flavor. Intercourse Brewing Company is located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  Blue Ball is a small community also located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

It’s not about this. It’s not about this. The funny looking silo above is just a silo. Intercourse is quite popular and as of today, this Facebook page confirms that 415 people “like it.”

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Long Trout Winery has quite a few eccentric labels. Some of them are eccentric due to the unusual blend of ingredients. But quite a few of them are eccentric in referring to the panoply of human sexual organs.

Featured above are the trusty Swollen Member, the good old German Helmet, and Old One Eye. The latter is made with tomatoes, raisins, onions, sweet peppers, celery, string beans, carrots, hot peppers, parsley, horseradish, garlic and soy sauce. Would you drink it? Long Trout is in Auburn, Pennsylvania. Before we depart the topic of Long Trout and their risque labels we’d be derelict if we did not mention this label about everyone’s favorite garden implement.

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