A brewery in Canada pulls Karen beer from shelves after backlash over branding
A Calgary brewery is pulling their Karen Cherry Sour beer from shelves this week after facing backlash over the name, a widely recognized term for a demanding, privileged white woman.
The team at the Common Crown Brewing Company apologized for the beer, saying that it was "tone deaf to racial developments."
The now-discontinued beer can featured a drawing of a white woman with the company's crown logo on her head. The company advertised the beer alongside slogans such as "Can we speak to your manager?" and "Celebrate Karen with us today!"
People on social media were quick to criticize the beer can for appearing to trivialize the recent Black Lives Matter movement that's been sweeping across Canada.
"This is absolutely shocking," one person wrote. "And the fact that this went all the way through with not one person in their company challenging the idea says a lot about the people who work there."
"Gross. No," another person wrote. "It's tone-deaf and kinda mean spirited given the way things are right now."
On Friday, the Common Crown Brewery Company issued an apology on their social media channels, saying that the Karen Cherry Sour beer "missed the mark."
"We wish to thank those who reached out and brought to our attention the error we have made in our recent release," the company wrote. "We promise to do better."
"Being tone deaf to racial developments is not an excuse, and we will work harder to stay informed and up to date on escalating situations."
Common Crown Brewery thanked everyone that reached out to educate them, pledging to collaborate in future with communities that support inclusion and diversity.
"We are committed to moving forward and doing better," they said.
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