Fans of the Sunday night juggernaut that airs on the Fox television network The Simpsons are no doubt familiar with Homer Simpson’s favorite brew, Duff Beer. Up until now, there has never been an officially-licensed, real-life Duff Beer brand due to Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s fear that a beer named after his fictional creation might encourage children to drink. But, it seems that those fears have been allayed and Duff Beer has become a reality and “official” according to a press release from PR firm Rogers & Cowan.
Several attempts to bring the iconic brew to fruition have been made in the past, but most have been fought by 20th Century Fox, the production company responsible for The Simpsons television program. In the mid-1990s, Lion Nathan made an attempt to make and distribute Duff in Australia, but Fox emerged victorious from the legal battle that ensued and was able to have the product removed from store shelves and destroyed. A few years later, in 1999, a German brewery successfully registered a trade mark and has produced the beer under it since. Another German brewer began producing its own version of the beer in 2007 under the Duff Beer UG corporate banner. In Mexico, Duff Beer has been produced since 2006 with packaging identical to that on the television program. All of these enterprises have been, or in the process of being, challenged by Fox for trade mark infringement.
Officially, the first version of Duff Beer to be sanctioned by the powers that be at Fox and creator Gruening has been served at the recently-opened reproduction of Homer Simpson’s hometown of Springfield at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. Allegedly brewed by Florida Brewing Company in Melbourne, Fla., there are three variations of the brew available to theme park visitors: Duff, Duff Light and Duff Dry. The beer is reportedly comparable to Budweiser or Keystone Light.
But, there has been no official, wide-spread release of the beer. On May 28, that changes, at least for beer-drinkers down under in Australia. According to the press release, “The official Duff Beer is set to become available at BWS and Dan Murphy’s liquor stores from the 28th May. Ahead of its highly anticipated arrival in store, a pop-up of the iconic Moe’s Tavern will open to the public at the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel from the 23rd – 30th May.”
The press release describes the “new” beer as, “…a true premium lager that holds a clean, crisp and refreshing taste along with its iconic packaging. A superbly crafted lager, Duff Beer is a high quality, traditional beer with a perfect balance of flavor and refreshment featuring a deep golden color with caramel aromatics and a hint of fruit.”
For those in Australia that would like to be first to sample the new beer in an authentic setting, Moe’s Tavern will be taking residence on the 1st floor of the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel in Sydney for a limited time. Open to the public from the 23rd May – 30th May, the pop-up will be a true representation of the legendary Moe’s Tavern of Springfield fame. With Duff Beer exclusively on tap, Moe’s Tavern will also be serving up a host of Springfield’s finest food including; Krusty Burgers, Duffalo Wings and Lard Lad donuts.
