BEER LABELLING

Brewery apologises to Hindus for 'inappropriate' beer labelling

By Daniel Woolfson

- Last updated on GMT

Ganesh image: brewery criticised for inappropriately depicting elephant god
Ganesh image: brewery criticised for inappropriately depicting elephant god
A Spanish brewery accused of upsetting Hindus by depicting the religion’s deities on its packaging has apologised to its followers.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed slammed Ibiza-based brewery Ibosim BrewHouse for depicting Shiva, Kali, Ganesh and Hanuman on its beers, saying their images were of great significance to Hindus and should not be used to aid “mercantile greed”.

A spokesperson for the brewery said: “It was not our intention to offend anyone and their religious beliefs. If that has been the case, we offer our most sincere apologies.”

No longer in production

The beers in question, Shiva Session Black IPA, Kali Session IPA, Ganesha Double IPA and Hanuman Coffee IPA, are now listed as “historic – no longer in production” on the brewery’s website.

Zed welcomed the brewery’s apology, calling it “a step in the positive direction”.

The linking of deities with alcoholic beverages was “very disrespectful”, he said, adding that symbols of any faith “should not be mishandled”.

This is the second time this year Zed has blasted a brewer for appropriating Hindu imagery.

Knife and sausage image

In September, he condemned Belgian brewery The Musketeers for featuring the image of Lord Ganesh carrying a chef’s knife and a sausage​ on the labelling of its Jack’s Precious IPA.

However, a spokesperson for The Musketeers told The Morning Advertiser​ at the time: “Instead of insulting them, it was actually an ode to the Indian elephant as a symbol.”

An Indian elephant called Jack that was sadly killed and made into sausages after the closing of Ghent zoo early in the 20th​ century had inspired the branding, he said.

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