Lost Abbey Responds to Incorrect Info on NYTimes.com on Witch’s Wit
Earlier today, we posted a story we found on NYTimes.com, in regards to Lost Abbey’s Witch’s Wit label art being offensive to a Wiccan group.
The story states that Lost Abbey has agreed, and plan on changing the label by means of a label art contest. According to Sage Osterfeld of Lost Abbey, only parts of this story ran by NYTimes.com are true.
The New York Times story is accurate in that the Wiccan/Pagan community has been contacting us for the past week to object to there being a witch burning on the front label of our Witch’s Wit beer. It is also true that Vince suggested to one of the people who contacted us that he was open to changing the label and perhaps have a design contest. However, no decision has been made on changes the Witch’s Wit label, nor will one be made until after the “Halloween” news cycle runs its course.
Lost Abbey has produced Witch’s Wit for three years. It is released in the summer and we have been sold out of it for some time. More information on the beer itself, as well as the label art is available on the Lost Abbey website.
October 29, 2010 @ 11:11 am
Tsk, Americans!
Likening the burning of witches to the racial persecution of African-Americans or Jews is ridiculous and offensive.
The church in its time has burned many ‘heretics’ at the stake; a lot of whom were pioneers for societal evolution, because they were at odds with the wishes and directives of the church.
To get all upset by the depiction of burning witches on a beer label is petty, and belittles those who have genuinely suffered and died for their beliefs and/or their race.
October 28, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
The critics of this label need to get a life. It’s just artwork, and we’re stifling ourselves with all of this really idiotic political correctness. Is their beer marketed anywhere in the mid-west? I’d love to try it.
October 26, 2010 @ 10:25 am
This is horrible how can you use such a picture? The burning and murder of many innocent people is not something to be proud of and placed on a bottle or anything else for that matter. People like you make me sick. And yes I’m proud to say I am Wiccan.
October 26, 2010 @ 9:00 am
I’m do hope your beer is better than your story (what is all that nonsense about ‘a cross to bear’) and infinitely better than the way you have handled the media outcry.
Witch burning is contentious at best – on a par with burning crosses and swastikas for many people. Your marketing team needs a course in public relations. Soonest!
October 25, 2010 @ 9:37 am
Amazing how you’ve managed to attempt to down play the seriousness of this advertising blunder by marginalizing the group complaining. The scope of complaints about this products art work has gone vastly beyond “a Wiccan group”. You’ve made it sound like a focused special interest group were the only ones offended by the depiction of a woman being burned at the stake on this label, when in fact there were feminists, clergy, graphic artists and the general public leaving commentary at their outrage and shock about a representation of violence- sexual deviant violence against a woman who is being murdered and exploited as obviously male faces watch at that- on the label.The depiction of the murder of anyone presented in such a calloused manner is skewed and sick.