Earlier this week the team from Clown Shoes, a long-time New England-based contract brewery stood on the brew deck at Harpoon in Boston and mashed in batches of Galactica IPA and The Exorcist stout, on what was now officially their system. The brew day came less than a week after it was announced that Harpoon, the venerable brewery of traditional ales would acquire the brand that was once known for irreverent and childish beer names like Tramp Stamp, a Belgian-style IPA.
“I can tell you, it’s not who they are, I know they did it, it’s one of those stupid things they regret, and it’s not who they are today,” says Harpoon co-founder and CEO Dan Kenary. That particular label has been retired for a while, although stigmas remain for some customers.
In a telephone conversation last week Kenary talked of how after he initially dismissed the idea of bringing a brand like Clown Shoes into the Harpoon fold, he eventually came to realize how it would be beneficial to both businesses. First and foremost, he said, the misogynistic past along with beer names in poor taste, has been addressed “we’re going to be reviewing all of that, and we’re not looking to censor these guys, but there’s a right way to do things and that’s the direction they had already been going, and that we’ll continue to go.”