Beer activism! Flying Dog Brewery is launching a campaign against censorship with its new beer, 451 Juicy IPA, out this month. As the name implies, it’s inspired by the Ray Bradbury novel Fahrenheit 451, in which books are outlawed and burned. The campaign hits social media with participation encouraged.

Here’s the pitch for 451 Juicy IPA from the email:

With a name and label art that refer to the often banned novel Fahrenheit 451, and the resurgence of book bans and burnings in our country this year – the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals (ALA State of America’s Libraries Report) – Flying Dog is taking this opportunity to remind people that banning books is dumb.

And, the full press release with details:

Censorship & freedom of expression at the center of Maryland brewery’s latest high ABV launch

The brewery known for high ABV beers and anti-censorship fights is releasing a new IPA that combines the two – Flying Dog Brewery’s 451 Juicy IPA, available now. This delicious 11% ABV beer not only embodies Flying Dog’s expertise in crafting bold and easy to drink IPAs, but also provides a platform to share the brewery’s passion for freedom of expression by paying homage to the novel Fahrenheit 451 through the beer’s name and artwork.

Despite being an 11% ABV IPA, 451 is an incredibly approachable and drinkable beer. Over 95% of the hops in 451 are added late in the process, this dry hopping amps up the aroma and flavor while keeping the beer’s bitterness low, letting 451’s juicy fruit flavors dominate. This medium bodied imperial stays soft on the palette with its alcohol content being nearly unnoticeable in the flavor.

The name and artwork on the bottle refer to Fahrenheit 451, the 1953 dystopian novel about censorship by author Ray Bradbury. The label art comes from a 2003 illustrated edition of the novel done by the one and only Ralph Steadman, in honor of the book’s 50th anniversary. The book’s title refers to the temperature at which paper ignites and spontaneously bursts into flames. Flying Dog Brewery, staunch defenders of freedom of expression, found this connection interesting considering the resurgence of book burnings and bans in our country this year.

“What’s beautiful about Bradbury’s novel – aside from the incredible art from Ralph Steadman – is that the human spirit’s innate thirst for knowledge, ideas, growth, and freedom ultimately wins,” said Jim Caruso, CEO of Flying Dog Brewery. “So, in the face of attempts to restrict the content our community can access, Flying Dog will always throw our support behind defending freedom of expression because truth-seeking and freedom of expression are inseparable.”

In support of 451’s April launch, Flying Dog will celebrate countless books that have been censored, removed or restricted from bookshelves for the past century. Using the hashtag #451BookReports, Flying Dog will share content highlighting the humor and absurdity of banning of these titles. Consumers are encouraged to participate in the tweet length book reports for a chance to win copies of Fahrenheit 451 and ‘fuck censorship’ wristbands.

Flying Dog has a long history of standing up to censorship. When Colorado and then Michigan violated Flying Dog’s 1st Amendment rights, Flying Dog sued and won both times. Flying Dog currently has a 1st Amendment lawsuit against North Carolina pending in federal court. While on the surface these lawsuits are about beer labels, they are really about defending the 1st Amendment at the margin where all of these battles are fought. Civil liberties are not lost overnight, they are chipped away at bit by bit unless vigorously defended.

451 Juicy IPA is a limited release beer that will be sold in 6-packs of 12oz bottles starting the week of April 4th. Consumers are encouraged to visit the brewery’s Beer Finder to locate inventory near them: flyingdog.com/beer-finder.

I love this idea, and would love to see more beers and activism like this.