White Face craft beer rebranded over racist name fears
Craft beer bosses had to rename White Face pale ale, which is named after the type of hare, for fear of being called racist
- The Norfolk beer has been renamed ‘Cheeky Jack’ to avoid fear of racism
An award-winning beer that was named White Face after a hare of sorts was forced to change its name – for fear of being perceived as racist.
The beer was launched three years ago by craft brewers Moon Gazer, who name their beers after folklore alternative terms for hares.
The picks are inspired by a 13th century poem entitled Names Of The Hare, and also feature Jigfoot, Pintail, and Nibbler. The White Face is a mountain hare with a brown coat that turns white in winter for camouflage in the snow.
This year the Campaign for Real Ale judged it to be the best cask ale in Norfolk. The accolade helped boost the pale ale’s popularity, but meant some new drinkers were unfamiliar with the brewery’s practice of naming beers after hares were unhappy with the name.
An award-winning beer named White Face after a hare of sorts was forced to rename it – for fear of being perceived as racist
The beer has now been renamed ‘Cheeky Jack’ by Norfolk brewery bosses
David Holliday, 58, founded the brewery in Hindringham, Norfolk, with his wife Rachel, 56. He said: ‘We became aware that the name wasn’t entirely comfortable with some people.
Feedback on the name has also become more frequent and louder. Some people were unaware of the connection between the name hare and the white mountain hare – and unfortunately in some cases it gave rise to the feeling that there was an undercurrent of discriminatory language.
“This is of course a complete misunderstanding, but the fact that it gave that impression really worried us. We were recently sitting in a pub beer garden and heard a man showing his pint to his beer friend and proclaiming ‘This beer is totally luscious… Name is a bit racist though’.’
White Face has been renamed Cheeky Jack, a pun on the American name for a hare – Jack Rabbit. Mr Holliday added: ‘We’ve had calls and emails about the White Face name, but mostly through feedback from the pubs we supply.
“We worried that we would be accused of giving in to pressure to change it, but at the end of the day, beer should only do one simple thing: bring pleasure.
David Holliday (left), 58, founded the brewery in Hindringham, Norfolk, with his wife Rachel (right), 56. He said the beer’s name didn’t “sit right” with some people
“So if the beer, or rather the name, changed from that, we thought it was time for a change.”
Some 40 to 50 casks of the beer are produced each week, mainly for pubs in Norfolk and Suffolk.
The poem Names Of The Hare is said to have been written to be recited by a hunter on his first encounter with a hare, and contains 77 names for hares. Originally written in Middle English, the author is unknown.
Misunderstood? White Face became Cheeky Jack