A man dressed in medieval garb delivered an unusual cease-and-desist letter to a Minneapolis brewery Friday.
As Modist Brewery unleashed its new beer, called "Dilly Dilly" Mosaic Double IPA, named after the popular Bud Light commercials, it was immediately scolded — in medieval language — via a message from the king, or rather Anheuser-Busch InBev.
A video posted on the brewery's Facebook page of the unidentified man reading from a parchment paper scroll on behalf of Bud Light has already received 19,000 views. The brewery has since sold out of its 200 crowlers of the new beer.
"Hear ye, hear ye!" he began. "Dear friend of the crown, Modist Brewery Company, congratulations on the new brew: Dilly Dilly Mosaic Double IPA ..." the man read. "We are duly flattered by your royal tribute. However, 'Dilly Dilly' is the motto of our realm. So we humbly ask that you keep this to a limited addition one-time-only run. This is by order of the king. Disobedience shall be met with additional scrolls, then a formal warning, and finally, a private tour of the pit of misery."
According to The Growler Magazine, the owners had an idea they would be getting a message from Bud Light after they found out "Dilly Dilly" had already been trademarked as a slogan.
"But then we said, 'Screw it, let's see what happens.' And that's what happens," Kale Anderson told the magazine.
The brewery's lawyer, Jeff O'Brien, told the Star Tribune Friday evening that he has seen plenty of cease-and-desist letters, but nothing like this.
"There's so many brewery names and beer names out there, and we try to resolve it short of suing each other," O'Brien said. "They did it in a funny way and protected their mark. I thought it was a really cool way of handling it."
O'Brien said Modist can sell the rest of the Dilly Dilly at the taproom, but won't be able to brew it again under that name.
The scroll was hung under the "Dilly Dilly" sign at the brewery and may be framed, he added.
To add to the good-natured request, Bud Light offered the brewery two "thrones" at the Super Bowl — better than the pit of misery.
Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647
Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora
