Saw this on Gothamist... Burnside Brewing Co., based in Portland, is pulling its plans to release it special "Kali-Ma" beer -- yes, inspired by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom -- after experiencing online backlash over the Indian-influenced, movie-themed beer: Brewery Apologizes To Hindus For Temple Of Doom-Inspired "Kali-Ma" Beer.
Here's the response and apology that Burnside Brewing Co. posted last week on its Facebook page:
We at Burnside Brewing co.aspire to create exceptional craft beer while sustaining an enjoyable, livable workplace for our crew of approximately 20 employees. In response to pleas from the Hindu community we have decided to postpone the limited release of "Kali-ma" our imperial wheat ale flavored with Indian spices and Scotch-Bonnet peppers. It is NEVER our intention at Burnside to offend or alienate any race, creed, religion or sexual orientation. The inspiration for the beer label simply came from a favorite childhood movie in the "Indiana Jones" series and we were unaware that it could be offensive to anyone. We are currently scrambling to re-name the beer and intend to release it soon afterwards. To those who have been patiently waiting, we humbly ask that you wait just a little longer and to anyone we have offended we sincerely apologize. We will keep our loyal customers informed on the new release dates. Thank you for all your patience and understanding in this matter and we hope you will enjoy this ale and all the fine ales we produce here at Burnside.Props to Burnside Brewing for taking a moment to think about what the hell they were doing, which cannot be said about a lot of companies. More here: Kali-Ma beer back in the can.
This incident also illustrates how little sensitivity people still have about -- or perhaps have never even bothered to think about -- the shitty representation of Indians in Temple of Doom.
