Brewery CEO labels non-alcoholic beer ‘gay lemonade’ — then immediately resigns amid backlash

Brewing company faces backlash after posting seemingly homophobic meme on Facebook

The CEO of an Australian brewing company has announced his resignation shortly after branding non-alcoholic beer “gay lemonade” in a Facebook post.

Nick Warming posted a meme to a Facebook page operated by his brewery, Southern Bay Brewing Co., in which an old boxer is seen posing in a black-and-white photograph.

“Non-alcoholic beer,” the image reads. “You mean gay lemonade?”

The brewery’s post also included a caption that read: “Non-alcoholic beer…. what’s the fun of it?”

The Facebook page was quickly flooded with outcry from its nearly 2,000 followers, who described the meme as “not remotely acceptable” and “an absolute disgrace.”

Shortly after, Mr Warming announced he had stepped down from his role at the brewing company.

“I thought I would advise that following a board meeting, I have resigned as CEO of Southern Bay Brewing Co,” Mr Warming wrote earlier this week. “The board have accepted my resignation with immediate effect."

He also apologised “unreservedly,” claiming the meme “was posted without any thought whatsoever” and adding “no offence was intended.”

However, the company has reportedly already faced controversy for posting inappropriate content across social media. Australia’s Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) determined the brewery had violated its rules earlier this year when posting another meme on Twitter that read: “There’s nothing wrong with you that me drinking six beers can’t fix.”

Mr Warming told Brews News at the time that he had taken over the company’s social operations after the previous complaint was reportedly due to a third-party tasked with posting online for the brewery.