A brewery has changed the name of its hare-inspired White Face beer after customers said it sounded a “bit racist”.
North Norfolk-based Moon Gazer Ale took the names of several of its beers, including White Face, from a medieval poem called The Names Of The Hare.
But as it began to sell its drinks further afield, some people did not know of the name’s origins.
In a statement on the brewery’s website, owner David Holliday said this sometimes gave rise to the “feeling that there was an undercurrent of discriminatory language”.
“But the fact that it created that impression was a genuine concern to us.
“To add to this, Mrs Moon Gazer and I were recently sitting in a pub beer garden and overheard a man showing his pint to his beer buddy and proclaiming, ‘Now this beer is totally lush’.
“There was a short pause before he continued, ‘Name’s a bit racist, though’.
“So, again this made us stop and reflect.
“Beer should do one simple thing – that is to bring pleasure – so if the beer, or more accurately its name was moving away from that, however small, for us, it was time for a change.”
The brewery has renamed White Face as Cheeky Jack.
“Its name is a play on the American name for a hare – jack rabbit,” said Mr Holliday.
