The Behemoth beer label yakes a dig at Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr. Photo / Supplied
The Behemoth beer label yakes a dig at Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr. Photo / Supplied
Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr has become a pop culture icon of sorts, getting a beer named after him.
Behemoth Brewing Company has released a “Not So Orr-Some OCR” beer - featuring an illustration of the “Churl Bank” governor, surrounded by bank notes, addressing media.
The Auckland-based brewery’s founder, AndrewChilds, said the aim of the marketing was to “try to find the lighter side of a situation that’s not so fantastic”.
The Reserve Bank has been lifting the official cash rate (OCR) aggressively to try to curb inflation, engineering a recession in the process.
Behemoth poked fun at the tough situation, naming the beer a “cold (re) session IPA”.
Unlike a regular session beer, the Orr-themed beer has a relatively high alcohol content of 5.25 per cent.
Behemoth beer label makes a dig at Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr.
Childs wanted the alcohol content to align with the OCR, but the Reserve Bank got ahead of Behemoth, hiking the rate to 5.5 per cent in May.
The beer’s label references Orr’s brother, who works in the hops sector, to make another dig at the governor: “So, while Fred, or Little Red as his brother calls him, is off making things harder for us all, we’re here to try to help a tiny bit.”
The Herald asked the Reserve Bank if Orr wished to share his view on the (very important) matter. Did he appreciate the high alcohol “(re) session” beer could cause headaches for some? Was he comfortable with people enjoying a brew while waiting for the OCR to become “Orr-some” again?
Orr declined to comment.
Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Fitting with the theme of monetary policy - interest rate cuts sending asset prices through the roof in 2020 and 2021 - Behemoth also has a “Paper Millionaire” imperial stout.
It previously caught people’s attention with a series of Donald Trump-inspired beers, including a “Dump the Trump” IPA, “Im-peach-ment” sour ale, and “Collusion Russian” imperial stout.
“We’re not political, we’re a fan of satire,” Childs said.
He hoped to drop a few cans of Orr-themed beer off at the Reserve Bank this week, as he heads to Wellington to attend the opening of a Behemoth bar at the Willis Lane precinct.
Jenée Tibshraeny is the Herald’s Wellington business editor, based in the parliamentary press gallery. She specialises in government and Reserve Bank policymaking, economics and banking.
