This beer defiantly celebrates the 2005 investigation and shut-down of the Lagunitas Brewing Company. After a two-month undercover investigation, the California ABC ordered the Petaluma, CA brewer to shut down for 20 days. The ABC found evidence of pot smoking on company premises.
The label packs a lot of good writing, and a good story, onto a small label. Tony Magee, the company founder, and a former reggae musician, wrote the label:
We Brewed This Especially Bitter Ale In Remembrance of the 2005 St. Patrick’s Day Massacre And in Celebration of Our 20-Day Suspension. … Whatever. We’re Still Here. … The extra large B. Franklin said it well that you can tell the strength of a society by the paucity of pages in its book of laws. Today we are all surrounded by … laws that make large and small criminals of us all.
Many thanks to Lance M. for bringing this label to our attention.
For the rest of the good story about Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale, see this video. Thanks to Professor Kerr at the Volokh Conspiracy for alerting us to it.