Maine nixes beer with Santa label

Santa's Butt Winter Porter is just too naughty for Maine. The state's Bureau of Liquor Enforcement has barred Shelton Brothers from selling the beer, which sports an image of the jolly old elf hoisting a brew as he checks his list. The butt in the name is a reference to both Santa's rear and to the barrel he's perched on. Once upon a time in England brewers used large barrels called butts to store beer.

With the help of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, Shelton has sued the state agency on the grounds that not approving its label application violates the First Amendment by censoring artistic expression. The state, for its part, says that it's in the right because showing Saint Nick on a beer label might encourage the wee ones to take to the bottle.

I'm not sure I buy the state's argument. For one thing, there are many winter beers with labels that show Santa Claus. You'd think there would be legions of preteen dipsomaniacs by now. I wonder if Rogue is allowed to sell its Santa's Private Reserve in Maine.

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