“Osama Bin Lager” Beer Goes Viral In UK, Forces Brewery To Shut Website

The co-owner said that people laugh when they see the names of the drinks.

A beer named after Osama bin Laden, one of the world’s most notorious terrorist leaders, was sold out after it went viral on social media. The excessive demand forced Mitchell Brewing Co. employees to momentarily disconnect phones and shut down their website, as per a report in the BBC.

According to the company’s website, it is their “most popular production” and is a “light refreshing lager with a hint of citrus taste”. Its label shows a cartoon caricature of the Al Qaeda leader, who was killed in 2011.

Notably, the Billinghay, Lincolnshire-based firm also makes Kim Jong Ale and Putin’s Porter. The brewery and pub are run by a couple- Luke and Catherine Mitchell. Luke Mitchell, the co-owner said, “They’re all tongue-in-cheek names – a nicer outlook on some horrible dictators.”

Several pictures of the beer were posted on social media. “We’ve woken up the last couple of mornings with thousands and thousands and thousands of notifications,” Mr Mitchell told the BBC. His wife added, “It’s been crazy. The phone just hasn’t stopped for the last 48 hours.”

Mr Mitchell said that people laugh when they see the names of the drinks and he thinks that someone can get offended. “Everyone laughs when they see the names on the bar. As far as I’m aware, no one’s been offended, but I’m sure there is someone out there,” he added.

“I think there’s always a risk of somebody being offended,” Mrs Mitchell continued.

From every barrel of Osama Bin Lager, the brewery pays 10 euros to a charity that aids the victims of 9/11 terrorist attack.