Hobgoblin cleared of offending lager drinker

By Iain O'Neil

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Beer Wychwood brewery

Hobgoblin's ad in question
Hobgoblin's ad in question
Wychwood Brewery has been cleared of offending lager drinkers with an advert for its Hobgoblin ale.

Wychwood Brewery has been cleared of offending lager drinkers with an advert for its Hobgoblin​ ale.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA)​ rejected complaints from a lager drinker that the advert slogan "Afraid of the dark, Lagerboy?" ​was aggressive and offensive.

The Oxfordshire brewery said the ad, which ran in the Morning Advertiser, had been aimed at men over 35 and was a humourous extension of their previous ad campaigns which included "What's the matter Lagerboy, afraid you might taste something?"

The ASA judgement said: "We considered that the slogan "Deliciously Dark" ​made clear that the claim "Afraid of the dark, Lagerboy?" referred to the taste of the beer and challenged lager drinkers to try something different."

Rupert Thompson, managing director of Wychwood Brewery told morningadvertiser.co.uk the decision was one in the eye political correctness

"It would have enraged Britain's ale drinkers if this ridiculous complaint had been upheld. Unlike almost any other bottled ale in Britain, our Hobgoblin is deliciously dark and oozes subtle caramel flavours, so it's absurd for anyone to complain that our ad was in any way misleading or challenging.

"It's all about Hobgoblin's rich dark taste.

"This is a victory for common sense and humour amid a sea of political correctness and nanny-statism.

"Overzealous and heavy handed controls or disproportionate responses only alienate sensible drinkers and risk having quite the opposite effect from that intended - so hurrah for common sense from the ASA."

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