Wrestling legend Eric Bischoff recently hired a brewery to create Buffalo Bill Cody Beer to “capture the spirit of the wild west.” The Bischoff Family has been homebrewing since the ’90s and found owning a beer brand to be a natural extension of that passion. The small Wyoming launch was quite successful.
Anyone who has spent 1 week on this earth knows good things don’t last very long. A legal battle over Buffalo Cody beer is brewing. (Pun intended.) Buffalo Bill Irma Hotel owner Mike Darby says there’s already a Buffalo Bill beer.
It’s going to be a little tough to sort this one out. The hotel has been ordering blank bottles of lager, and pouring it into Cody glasses. Viola! Buffalo Bill Beer. And he BEAT Bischoff to market by a whopping 2 days. Darby did NOT receive Federal approval for his Cody Beer, even though it is required by law. (He stated in a July hearing that he thought the lager producers took care of that.)
Bischoff took it a step further and had the recipe specifically created for Cody Beer, labels and all. Even applied for a trademark. Legal and above board. BUT! 2 days too slow. Soooo…which one is right?
In a beyond interesting twist/ life is freaking ironic, Bischoff’s brewer of choice is Buffalo Bill Brewing in California. Not named for Cody, but the owner. The legal battle gets larger now, with 2 breweries and 2 businessman involved. (Or soon to be involved.) This one’s going to court. [WSJ]
