Klan-like covering leads to beer ban

World of Beer pulls product after social media backlash

World of Beer, an eatery in West Hartford’s Blue Back Square, has pulled an expensive beer cloaked in a Ku Klux Klan-like covering from its shelves in response to a social media backlash when a Black man and his white friend were presented last week with the bottle.

Responding to a negative review that included a social media post about an incident in West Hartford, World of Beer said Monday: “We have pulled this beer from further sale. Please accept our apologies for the lapse in judgment in serving. While we can’t speak for the intent of the brewer, the visual representation does not have a place at our establishment. We appreciate you bringing it to our attention and welcome the opportunity for discussion.”

The beer, Yellow Belly, was brewed in a collaboration between Swedish brewery Omnipollo and Buxton Brewery in the United Kingdom. The beer comes in a paper bag that resembles hoods worn by the Ku Klux Klan.

According to a Facebook post, a waiter promoted the beer and then presented the

beer to the author’s husband, a Black man, and his friend without mentioning the appearance of the bottle.

The post read: “This KKK bottle was brought over without warning about its appearance.” By Monday afternoon, the post had received more than 140 comments and 18 shares on social media. A copy of the post was shared in the negative review. The original poster said that at best the server was ignorant and tone deaf.

A follow-up post read that management from the West Hartford restaurant called the author’s husband to apologize and said they had disposed of all the Yellow Belly beers. The author’s husband was told that they were working to have the beer removed from other World of Beer locations.

The brewers of the beer have said their intention was to shine light on cowardice and denounce racism, noting that a yellow belly is someone “who is without courage, fortitude, or nerve; a coward.”

Omnipollo, in its description of the beer, said: “To us, one of the most cowardly deeds is to act anonymously, hiding behind a group. A signifying trait of institutionalized racism.”

Prior to being brought the beer, the men were not told of the brewers’ intend message behind the beer, according to the Facebook post.

The brewers discontinued production of the beer in 2018 following a trademark dispute over the name Yellow Belly.