Funkwerks (Ft. Collins, CO) has changed the name of Maori King to Southern Tropic. The name change follows a recent controversy that arose over the label.
The label features a stylized facial moko on the bottle, which is culturally offensive to the Maori. Maori are indigenous Polynesian people from New Zealand. Funkwerks has apologized for the offense, stating it was meant to celebrate the culture, not demean it.
Funkwerks mentioned on their website:
Our goal at Funkwerks is to make good beer for our customers. Our intention was not to disrespect the MÄori people or their culture in naming our MÄori King beer. Out of respect, we are re-branding this beer as Southern Tropic.
Southern Tropic went on sale this month.