Logan Paul’s PRIME Energy Takes Center Stage in Complaint Against IPA Brewery Accused of ‘Flagrantly’ Marketing to Children

Look familiar? (Photo: Tiny Rebel)

A Welsh IPA brewer has come under fire for “flagrantly” ripping off popular non-alcoholic drink brands in an alleged attempt to market toward children.

Earlier this year, Tiny Rebel released four beers — Primed Blue Raspberry IPA, Monstar Hawaiian Punch IPA, Hywl Peanut Butter Flapjack IPA and TinyFast Milkshake IPA — that took clear design inspiration from the likes of PRIME Energy, Monster and Huel meal replacement. The new lineup was sold under the slogan “Made with love and fun to help chase away the January blues.” On the back of each can, the brand fishily proclaims, “Why So Serious? – The Joker.”

Were this an SNL sketch, Tiny Rebel would easily be covered under the protection of parody law. The retail market, however, demands more serious implications.

The Independent Complaints Panel (ICP) of The Portman Group recently upheld petitions to remove the dubiously branded beers from the market. According to regulators, Tiny Rebel’s packaging “irresponsibly” targeted products toward the under-18 market.

Nicola Williams, chairwoman of the group’s independent complaints panel, said: “It is socially irresponsible for a producer to mimic well-known non-alcoholic drink brands that are marketed on the grounds of weight loss, meal replacement and performance enhancing properties on alcoholic drinks packaging in such a flagrant manner.”

Tiny Rebel has now discontinued the products in cooperation with the complaints board. Other beers that remain for sale on its website include Member Berries (a South Park reference), Stay Puft (a Ghostbusters reference) and Pineapple Express IPA (clearly, a Pineapple Express reference).

Tiny Rebel’s packaging gambles big on lax copyright protection. (Photo: Tiny Rebel)

Co-branded alcoholic drinks have emerged as a hot-button issue among legislators over the past year.

A wave of officially sanctioned beverages — including SunnyD Vodka Seltzer, Simply Spiked Lemonade, Hard Mtn Dew and Monster “Beast Unleashed” — have drawn concern from lawmakers who feel that the products are being marketed alongside their virtually identical non-alcoholic counterparts.

Lawmakers in Illinois and Virginia recently took steps to regulate these beverage’s placement on convenience store shelves. A growing movement of scientists and food regulators are now petitioning for federal legislation.

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