A complaint against a Sheffield brewery’s tap handle and pumpclip has been upheld by the alcohol industry’s Independent Complaints Panel.
The complaint, about Little Mesters Brewing’s Stan IPA tap handle and pumpclip, said: “The idea of Stan is a homage to one of the last ‘little mesters’ in Sheffield. As much as I appreciate the respect to the history of the city of Sheffield, I feel using a knife handle as a tap handle is perhaps a step too far and could encourage alcohol-related violence.”
It was upheld under code rule 3.2(b) which states that a drink, its packaging, and any promotional material or activity should not in any direct or indirect way suggest any association with bravado, or with violent, aggressive, dangerous, anti-social, or illegal behaviour. The full decision can be read here.
The panel noted the company’s response that the tap handle was an honorific design to commemorate Stan Shaw, who was a little mester, a title which referred to a master craftsman usually associated with Sheffield.
It took into consideration that images of blades and knives are used widely on UK alcohol packaging as they are not necessarily always used as weapons, and therefore may not automatically create a sufficiently strong link with violence and aggression.
A spokesperson for the brewery said: “We respect the decision made by the Portman Group, and the important role they play in our industry.
“However, we do not agree our branding, celebrating a master craftsman and the huge part he, and other, little mesters played in building industry in our fantastic city, in any way encourages anti-social behaviour nor promotes knife crime.”
The brewery has now discontinued the product.
