Fucking Hell is a German pale lager, a Pilsner, with an alcohol content of 4.9%.[1] It is named after Fucking, the previous name of the village of Fugging in Austria; hell is the German word for 'pale' and a typical description of this kind of beer. The beer's name was initially controversial. Both the local authorities in Fucking[2] and the European Union's Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office initially objected to the name. It was eventually accepted and the lager is sold internationally.
 Fucking Hell label | |
| Type | Pilsner |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Introduced | 2011 |
| Alcohol by volume | 4.9% |
| Website | fucking-hell |
Production edit
Fucking Hell is not brewed in Fugging, but was originally brewed in the Brauerei Waldhaus, a brewery in the Black Forest town of Waldhaus, Weilheim in Germany. From 2013, production moved to the Brauerei Hartmannsdorf in Hartmannsdorf, near Chemnitz.[3][4] At the time of the launch of Fucking Hell, there was no brewery in the village of Fucking.[2]
Fucking Hell is a pilsner and is not considered to be a true Hellbier, as beers brewed in the traditional Munich style have a malted taste and are slightly darker in appearance.[3]
History edit
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In 2010, three German businessmen, Stefan Fellenberg, Florian Krause and Hans-Jörg Schaller, devised a plan to bring a new beer to market. Krause was originally from Bad Reichenhall, a Bavarian town 10 miles (16 km) over the border from the Austrian village of Fucking. The village's name inspired them to devise a humorous brand name, combined with the German word "Hell" for 'pale lager', and they applied to register a Community Trade Mark for "Fucking Hell".[5]
The European Union's Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office initially refused to grant a trademark for the beer on the grounds that it contained an expletive.[6] 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 pale lager.[6][7] The Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office 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."[2]
Fellenberg and Krause intended to use the trademark as a brand name and use it to produce Fucking Hell branded food and clothing.[6] The beer went on sale in Europe, Asia and Australia in 2011.[1] In 2020, it was granted a United States trademark.[8]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Fucking, Austria". Draft Magazine. 2011-09-28. Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c "Controversial Brand Name: German Firm Wins Right to Make Beer Called 'Fucking Hell'". Der Spiegel. 2010-03-29. Archived from the original on 2016-10-21. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
- ^ a b Klohr, Markus (28 August 2012). "Bier aus Vaihingen: Verfluchter Etikettenschwindel". Stuttgarter Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "Fucking Hell - Ein verdammt gutes Bier - Bierspot". Bierspot (in German). 2 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "The German beer called 'F**king Hell'". Digital Journal. 2010-04-22. Archived from the original on 2016-08-21. 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. 23 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
- ^ "Photo Gallery: Fucking Hell Beer?". Der Spiegel. 2010-03-30. Archived from the original on 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
- ^ "Fucking Hell". United States Patent and Trademark Office. November 24, 2020. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
External links edit
- Privatbrauerei Waldhaus on the German Wikipedia (in German)
- List of active breweries in Germany on the German Wikipedia (in German)