Breweries apologize for naming beer after Hindu deity

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Say goodbye to this beer.

Two New York breweries have decided to stop producing a beer named after a Hindu deity, after it began drawing criticism from activists.

Two New York breweries are discontinuing a beer that was named after one of the major Hindu deities. (iStock)

Pressure Drop Brewing and Big Ditch Brewing have discontinued their joint beer called Aqua Shiva, New York Upstate reports. The label on the beer reportedly also featured a caricature of the Hindu deity, who is one of the religion's three major deities.

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The beer first came to the attention of a Nevada-based Hindu activist named Rajan Zed, according to the report.

"We very recently became aware that our collaborative beer, Aqua Shiva, was offensive to Hindus," said Matt Kahn, president and co-founder of Big Ditch Brewing Company, in a statement released on Zed's website. "We deeply apologize to the Hindu community for this poor choice of our beer name and artwork.”

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The statement continued, “We simply did not put enough time into thinking about this beer name and artwork and what the use of the name Shiva means to the Hindu community. This beer is discontinued and will never be made again.”

According to his website, Zed, who is president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, thanked the companies for discontinuing the beer. He also suggested that each company send senior executives to training for religious and cultural sensitivity.

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Before being discontinued, the beer was described as “a hazy NE-style double IPA…with strong citrus, passion fruit and pineapple flavor and aroma, with a touch of underlying dank and a soft mouthfeel,” according to Zed’s website.