We’ve always said that the word “sucks” is more than a pejorative: it’s a point of emphasis. While brands including Bioré have been increasingly using the word in advertising and marketing, we’re starting to notice a trend. And it’s happening in the beer and brewing industry.
The phrase “suck down a brew,” is common enough in everyday parlance that in 2019, Haymarket Brewing in Chicago, Illinois released Joe Madden’s Try Not to Suck, a German-style lager with a philanthropic component.
Now, Backcountry Brewing, based in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada, has introduced a new beer with a charitable element as well. The Suck It Cancer pale ale, which was released in October, features a can designed in collaboration with the estate of artist Chili Thom, who died of cancer in 2016. One dollar from each 4-pack, $0.50 from each sleeve served in the tasting room and $50 from each keg will be donated to the BC Cancer Foundation.
Ben Reeder, co-founder of Backcountry Brewing, said the name originated from a Saturday Night Live sketch. “It was called ‘Suck It Trebek.’ And then we realized, well, he got cancer,” Reeder said, referring to Trebek’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in early 2019. “And then we were like, why don’t we turn this into a cancer fundraiser beer. That’s kind of how it started.” Trebek died of the disease in November 2020.
Reeder said the effort has raised $26,000 over the last two years, even though it was under a different name. This year, he’s hoping to raise over $15,000.
Other beermakers have since followed suit. Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company in Orlando, Florida has a Suck It Trebek sour IPA; Barrel Brothers Brewing Company in Windsor, California released a Scottish ale with the same name.
Humble Beginnings
While the above examples prove how “sucks” can be used to convey a larger message, it’s worth noting that other breweries have also used the word just for the sake of it. Weyerbacher Brewing Company in Easton, Pennsylvania released a Dallas Sucks beer in 2017.
Meanwhile, Lagunitas Brewing Co. in Petaluma, California sells a beer called Lagunitas Sucks. It originally produced the beer in a bout of self-loathing, after the brewer realized that it was unable to make its Brown Shugga’ Ale in 2011. Though the “tragically named” beer was released in a moment of darkness, the name has stuck “as an act of supplication.”
Keely Wachs, head of corporate affairs and corporate social responsibility for Lagunitas, said there were few ramifications for using the word “sucks” in its product name. “Generally, people loved the beer and the name,” he said. “Folks loved the name and how the beer came about.”
Likewise, Reeder said that there hasn’t been any negative reaction to the Suck It Cancer beer. He said an earlier beer called Bullet Holes the Size of Matzoh Balls—a reference to the 1985 film Goonies—was cancelled by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (the governmental body responsible for distributing alcohol and cannabis products in British Columbia).
Some past Backcountry titles include:
- Don’t Let the Muggles Get You Down
- Kinda Hot in These Rhinos
- If I’m Not Back in Five Minutes Just Wait Longer
- Case of the Mondays
“We have some of the longest, most intricate names in the beer world in North America, I’m pretty sure.”
Ready to follow in Reeders’s—and the beer industry’s—footsteps and take your product marketing to the next level? Learn more about how CPG brands can benefit from .SUCKS, and check out these ideas for how e-commerce sites can use the domain.
Photo Credits: DisobeyArt / Shutterstock, momente / Shutterstock
