Polish Brewery Sparks Outrage With New Beer Called White IPA Matters
Ed Wight, Daily Mail, July 6, 2021
A Polish brewery has sparked outrage with a new beer called White IPA Matters and an advert featuring a black barman drinking it at a US-themed bar.
The Mentzen brewery, owned by right-wing politician Slawomir Mentzen, has been flooded with complaints by people claiming the commercial is racist.
It features a black barman cleaning glasses with the camera cutting to symbols of America’s Deep South, including a Confederate flag.
The camera cuts back to the barman before a customer slides him a bottle of the White IPA – a light-tasting ale generally marketed at people who don’t like the taste of beer.
The barman takes a sip and declares: ‘This is what I needed.’
The brewery says the beer has ‘the taste of extravagance’ with a combination of hops and ‘black Earl Grey’ that gives a ‘hoppy, fruity taste with a tea aroma.’
Rafal Pankowski from the Never Again Association said: ‘The beer exploits the death of George Floyd and the racist backlash to the global Black Lives Matter movement.
‘The producer plays with racist history and symbolism of the US South.
‘By getting a black person to drink this disgusting beer for promotional purposes, they mock the victims of racism.
‘No decent beer drinker should ever pay a penny for this far-right fund-raising stunt.’
Brewery owner Mentzen, who started brewing last year, is a member of Poland’s right-wing Confederation party.
Other beers produced by the brewery include ‘Polish Freedom’ and ‘Keeper of Texas’.
Mentzen has twice run for office, once for local elections in Torun in 2018 and also for the European parliament in 2019. He was unsuccessful in both campaigns.
He has recently been warning of a slide towards ‘totalitarianism’ with coronavirus legislation which bars unvaccinated people from attending restaurants and bars.
Mentzen has argued for the relaxation of all Covid restrictions in Poland, saying that in places where the rules are relaxed, such as Florida in the US, there has been no surge in infections.
