Sam Adams, Boston Beer Co. Will Not Be In St. Patrick's Day
Boston Beer Company, the manufacturer of Sam Adams, has announced that it will not participate in upcoming South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade. The move follows a decision from the Club Café in Boston's South End, to stop serving Sam Adams because of its association with the annual parade.
In an open letter on Facebook, Club Café wrote that it was "disappointed that Sam Adams does not understand that the organizers of the St. Patrick's Day Parade continue to demonstrate that they do not respect LGBT Irish Americans by excluding LGBT members of this community from openly marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade."
The letter circulated quickly on social media, and prompted a supportive statement from Sam Adams, which has decided not to take part in the parade. The full statement from Sam Adams follows:
"We have been participating in the South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade for nearly a decade and have also supported the St. Patrick's Day breakfast year after year. We've done so because of the rich history of the event and to support veterans who have done so much for this country.
We were hopeful that both sides of this issue would be able to come to an agreement that would allow everyone, regardless of orientation, to participate in the parade. But given the current status of the negotiations, we realize this may not be possible.
We share these sentiments with Mayor Walsh, Congressman Lynch and others and therefore we will not participate in this year's parade. We will continue to support Senator Linda Dorcena Forry and her St. Patrick's Day breakfast. We wish her all the best in her historic stewardship of this tradition."
Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.