A micro-brewery in the mainly French-speaking province of Quebec has sailed into choppy waters.
Most of the beers produced by the brewery called “Le Corsaire” (the privateer) have nautical names, but the brewery in the city of Levis,has nonetheless drawn the fire of women’s groups for the names of some of its seasonal beer products.
Names like “La Tite Pute” (the little hooker/slut) have angered the head of Quebec’s Council on the Status of Women. Julie Miville-Dechene says “the name disgusts me” She adds, “[Prostitution] exploits women. There isn’t a lot of choice involved, there is a lot of exploitation, a lot of violence. It’s not something we should be laughing about,”
The brewery also has a brand called “Vicieuse” which can be loosely translated as “horny”.. and “La Perruche”, (Budgie) which features a naked woman on a swing in a cage, which others have found somewhat offensive.
Le Corsaire co-owner Julie Gagnon said they never intended to demean women or promote violence.
Élizabeth Germain is vice-predicent of the Federation of Women (FFQ) She says she understands the intention wasn’t to harm, but “they made a big mistake and it shows their insensitivity..we have to speak out so people will wake up”.
Co-owner Martin Vaillancourt apologized for “la tite pute” and says he is surprised by the uproar over the name. saying plenty of microbreweries have names that push the limit.
A quick internet search shows he may have a point. The Wasach brewery in Utah has a beer called “Polygamy- Why have just one” with the label showing a man hugging a woman with several other women in the background.
Santan Brewery in Arizona has a beer called “Sex Panther”
Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland, has brands called “Doggie Style”, “Pearl Necklace” and “Flying Bitch”.
Foothills Brewing in North Carolina has a stout call “Sexual Chocolate” featuring a stylized African-American woman.
And the Waldhaus Brewery in Germany has named a beer after the Austrian town of “F—ing” (yes it’s a real town, and there’s one in Australia as well). They are brewing a light beer or “hell” in German..and the beer is called…well you can guess.
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.