L20 Crack One Open

Sweet Baby Jesus is one of several beers from Baltimore's DuClaw Brewing Co., which recently added Ohio to its distribution ranks.

(Marc Bona, Northeast Ohio Media Group)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Heinen's has pulled Sweet Baby Jesus, a chocolate peanut-butter porter from DuClaw Brewing Co. in Baltimore, from its shelves after complaints from customers about the name.

A rep at Heinen's confirmed the beer was pulled, but Marketing Director Kathryn Falls said it was a non issue and the store had no comment.

"We have thousands and thousands of items in and out of our store all the time," Falls said. "For us it's a no-comment situation."

The brewery, though, did comment.

DuClaw founder Dave Benfield said it's not the first time some people have complained about the beer.

"We occasionally get complaints about Sweet Baby Jesus," he said. "Some people are not happy about the word 'Jesus' being on a beer."

DuClaw Brewing Co. recently came into Ohio.

Sometimes, people contact the brewery directly, he said.

"When they contact us by email our usual position is we don't respond," Benfield said. "We know no matter what they say we are not going to put them at ease and it's not our position to upset anyone. ... When they call we talk to them. We are not trying to offend Jesus."

Early in the brewing process, the beer had a working name. But a brewer loved the marriage of flavors and exclaimed 'When I drink this beer I think "Sweet Baby Jesus!" It's got chocolate and peanut butter!' Benfield said.

"With 'Talladega Nights', growing up in that (pop-culture) era, you have that connection," he added.

Benfield's reference is to "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," the 2006 movie starring Will Ferrell. The actor plays a race-car driver, and in one scene with his family at the dinner table, they debate to which image of Jesus they are praying.

"When you say grace you can say it to grown-up Jesus or teenage Jesus or bearded Jesus or whoever you want," Bobby says.

DuClaw recognizes the importance of keeping the peace.

"We do reach out. We have a relationship with them (stores and distributors)," Benfield said. "We are interested in keeping the beer on the shelves; it's what we do. We are not trying to poke the bear in any way. Anything that incites (consumers) on one side has, inevitably, another side that might not like it. Ultimately it's the store's decision and we have no influence. We're happy with the success of the beer."

The beer is selling very well locally, Benfield and Cleveland-area store representatives said.

"From what we can gather it's not an overwhelming amount of complaints," he said. "Sales have been strong. We've been well received."

Sweet Baby Jesus was eagerly anticipated locally. In a cleveland.com poll in May, readers were asked which of several DuClaw beers they were most looking forward to seeing in the Ohio market. DuClaw came out a strong No. 1, at 44 percent.

DuClaw was founded in 1996 and in April announced it would enter the Ohio market. Sweet Baby Jesus was introduced in 2012. This week, the brewery announced it would bring in a summer variety pack in mid-June, including:

* Sweet Baby Jesus.

* Funk, a blueberry citrus wheat ale.

* Neon Gypsy, citrus and grapefruit IPA.

* Euforia, toffee Nut Brown Ale.

Other stores, other labels

Other area stores have not received complaints. Giant Eagle is not dropping Sweet Baby Jesus, a source said. And Acme does not have it because of the crowded market, although some customers have asked about whether the store will carry it, a source said.

Whether Beverage Distributors, Inc., the local distributor for DuClaw, would change its approach with DuClaw is not known; a representative for the Cleveland company did not return a call.

When labels are offered for approval, the government does take into account taste - the moral kind, not flavor across the palate. This is why you don't see beers named F*** You Lager or similar moniker.

Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland has sold Raging Bitch, a Belgian-style India Pale Ale for years. It plays off the literal meaning of the word and shows a crazed dog on the label. It is sold in Northeast Ohio.

Atlanta's SweetWater Brewing released an Imperial Stout called Happy Ending, which shows a winking Asian woman and a box of tissues, playing off an Asian stereotype and suggestive act. It made news when a Chicago store pulled it from its shelves.

Several years ago, Wasatch Brewing in Utah came out with Polygamy Porter with the slogan "Why have just one?" It's still out, and a nitro version has been released.

European labels often push things further, with one depicting a crucified rabbit on the label of an Easter ale.