Yes, this is old news now, but I’ve been pretty much offline for a week or more, and it’s worth noting: Rogue Ales ordered to pull American flag merchandise.

Following a citation issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF), Rogue Ales has pulled all merchandise depicting the American flag, specifically items related to the promotion of its American Amber Ale.

During the weekend of the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival, held in February at the Rogue Ales brewery in South Beach, a BATF agent spotted a Rogue Ales delivery vehicle sporting an American Amber logo including the American flag. BATF regulations prohibit the use of the American flag on point of sale items promoting alcohol, including beer taps, posters, T-shirts, and delivery vehicles. While a likeness of the flag is allowed, such as the stars and stripes motif used on many items that promote the beverage, an actual depiction of the American flag is not….

American Amber Ale items with a stars and stripes theme – not including the actual American flag – will remain on the brewery’s coasters, the ale’s bottle logo, and on other promotional merchandise.

Man, if you’ve got any unopened bottles of American Amber Ale, or merchandise, hang on to them, they’ll be worth money. At least to collectors, anyway.