Fucking Hell
 Fucking Hell label | |
| Type | Pilsner |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Introduced | 2011 |
| Alcohol by volume | 4.9% |
Fucking Hell is a German Pilsner or pale lager. It is named after the village of Fucking in Austria. The beer's name (which also plays on hell, the German word for 'pale' and a typical description of this kind of beer) was initially controversial. Both the local authorities in Fucking and the European Union's Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office initially objected to the name. It was eventually accepted and the lager is now sold internationally.
Fucking Hell is a Pilsner with an alcohol content of 4.9%.[1]
History
In 2010, two German businessmen, Stefan Fellenberg and Florian Krause,[2] applied to register a Community Trade Mark to name a beer "Fucking Hell". The Fucking mayor, Franz Meindl, objected to Fucking Hell on the grounds that the beer was not brewed in Fucking.[3]
Initially, the European Union's Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office refused to grant a trademark for the beer on the grounds that it contained an expletive.[4][5] However, Fellenberg and Krause argued that the name referred to the village in Austria and that Hell was an Austrian and Southern German term for light beer.[4][6] The Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office then permitted the registration of the trademark, stating that the name was "an interjection used to express a deprecation, but it does not indicate against whom the deprecation is directed, nor can it be considered as reprehensible to use existing place names in a targeted manner (as a reference to the place), merely because this may have an ambiguous meaning in other languages."[3]
Fellenberg and Krause then stated they intended to use the trademark as a brand name and use it to produce Fucking Hell branded food and clothing.[4] The beer went on sale in Europe, Asia and Australia in 2011.[1] It was speculated that Fucking Hell would not be permitted for sale in the United States due to the brand name.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Fucking, Austria". Draft Magazine. 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "The German beer called 'F**king Hell'". Digital Journal. 2010-04-22. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
- ^ a b "Controversial Brand Name: German Firm Wins Right to Make Beer Called 'Fucking Hell'". Der Spiegel. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
- ^ a b c "В Евросоюзе появится пиво с неблагозвучным названием Fucking Hell (+фото) - Новости Харькова, новости Украины. Главное™" (in Russian). Glavnoe.ua. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
- ^ Phillips, Rhodri (2010-03-29). "Brewing scandal over F***ing beer". The Sun. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
- ^ "Photo Gallery: Fucking Hell Beer?". Der Spiegel. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
- ^ George de Piro (2010-07-01). "F*&#ing Beer and other stuff". Times Union. Retrieved 2013-01-04.