New York breweries discontinue Lord Shiva beer

India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Buffalo (New York) based breweries— Pressure Drop Brewing and Big Ditch Brewing Company— discontinued their collaboration beer “Aqua Shiva” named after Hindu deity; within few hours of protest from aggrieved devotees, who had called it “highly inappropriate”.

Matt Kahn, President & Co-Founder of Big Ditch Brewing Company, in a “joint response” email to Rajan Zed (who spearheaded the protest), wrote: We very recently became aware that our collaborative beer, Aqua Shiva, was offensive to Hindus. We deeply apologize to the Hindu community for this poor choice of our beer name and artwork. We simply did not put enough time into thinking about this beer name and artwork and what the use of the name Shiva means to the Hindu community. This beer is discontinued and will never be made again…

Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention, as we will learn from it. Again, we deeply apologize to you and to the Hindu community; we meant no harm; Kahn added.

Rajan Zed is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, thanked Pressure Drop Brewing and Big Ditch Brewing Company for understanding the concerns of the community, which thought that placing image of Lord Shiva on a beer, was quite insensitive.

Lord Shiva was highly revered in Hinduism not to be used in a re-imagined version for pushing beer or to adorn beer cans. The linking a deity with an alcoholic beverage is disgusting and disrespectful

In Hinduism, Lord Shiva, along with Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, forms the great triad of Hindu deities. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

 “Aqua Shiva” (8.5% ABV), both on tap and in cans, was described as “a hazy NE-style double IPA…with strong citrus, passion fruit and pineapple flavor and aroma, with a touch of underlying dank and a soft mouth feel”.

Awards-winning Pressure Drop Brewing, opened 2017, claims to be a “West coast inspired brewery”; and Karl Kolbe is its CEO and Head Brewer. Big Ditch Brewing Company, a craft beer microbrewery opened in 2014 and whose tagline is “The spirit of the Erie Canal”; claims that its “beers are innovative, flavorful and drinkable…glass after glass”.