American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
A Long Island brewery’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement has led to a boycott backed by thousands…
Here’s the deal…
On June 2, Montauk Brewing’s co-owner Vaughan Cutillo left a message on the brewery’s streetside chalkboard which read “The founders and team at Montauk Brewing Company support the movement with all our hearts. Black lives matters,” and noted that it had donated and will continue to support organizations that further the cause.
And weeks after that chalkboard message was left, the beer company became the target of a sometimes venomous online boycott.
“Robert Frank, a police officer in Suffolk County, and his real estate agent wife Valeria Frank formed the Facebook group “Defund Montauk Brewing Company” on Aug. 12, according to the NY Post.
And entrance to the private “Defund” Facebook group, which requires users to answer yes or no to the questions “Do you support extremist radical organizations?” and “Do you believe ALL LIVES MATTER?” currently has nearly 30,000 followers.
In addition to posts blasting the craft brewer as a “Marxist hate group” and a video of a can of Montauk Pumpkin Ale being poured down a sink, many took their grievances to Yelp. In fact, there were so many negative posts that Yelp added a warning that posts could be “related to media reports.”
As the Montauk Brewing boycott grew, the company’s owners responded on August 15 by issuing a lengthy letter to assure the public that the company was not financially supporting Black Lives Matter.
This from Montauk Brewing’s statement…
“That is why this past June we spoke up about an event that displayed racism and responded by donating to two nonprofits BEAM (focused on emotional mental health and healing) and the NAACP.”
(Cortesy Trip Advisor)
“While our post received overwhelming support initially, recent responses made us realize we should clarify and affirm our intent. Our post was specifically in favor of racial equality. We unequivocally and unapologetically stand against racism and violence in any capacity.”
Montauk Brewing was founded in 2012 by three friends who attended East Hampton High School together. And it is currently the second largest brewery on Long Island.
In a statement to The Post, a brewery spokesman said…
“Montauk Brewing Company values and respects everyone… we’ll always support the people of our Long Island home, and their right to peacefully protest but never condone violence of any kind against those who keep us safe and secure.”
