New Orleans brewery Dixie Beer announced it would be changing its name but insisted it’s “a retirement of a brand” not rewriting “history” following George Floyd’s death.
“This is really a retirement of a brand,” brewery General Manager Jim Birch shared following a backlash over the name change, according to report by 4WWLTV in a piece published Monday. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
“This isn’t us trying to rewrite history or trying to tell a different story,” he added. (RELATED: Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct On Fire After Officers Evacuate Building Amid George Floyd Riots)
WATCH:
Birch continued, while explaining that “it’s probably one of the most difficult decisions that we’ve had to make because we knew people would be frustrated.”
“We know there’s a tremendous amount of heritage and great memories associated with the brand,” the brewery manager shared, while admitting that since news of the name change hit he has reportedly received threatening emails and angry phone messages from people upset about the change.
“What we’re making here is New Orleans in a bottle,” Birch added. “That’s what we’ve been saying about Dixie and it’s what we’re going to be doing in the future.”
The report notes that the name change will be inclusive and also reflect the history of the area. They are hoping that all the marketing and rebranding of the beer should be done in time to sell it for Mardi Gras 2021.
Country music groups Lady Antebellum and Dixie Chicks are among those who have also changed their names following protests and riots across the country after the death of George Floyd, the man who died while in custody of a Minneapolis police officer.