Casey sent me this tip:
That's "Shawinigan Handshake Beer" by Shawinigan, Que. brewery Le Trou, mocking Canada's former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's manhandling of a protester who got in his face back in 1996.
Apparently Mr. Chrétien liked the idea.
According to the Winnipeg Free Press:
Isaac Tremblay, co-owner of the brewery Le Trou du diable, said he had a secret dream of drinking a draft Shawinigan Handshake with Chrétien ever since his team created the strong German-style beer three years ago.
"And one day last fall, I walked into the bar and there was Mr. Chrétien, sipping a Shawinigan Handshake," Tremblay said. The two talked and Chrétien expressed his interest in getting a pack of the beer paying tribute to a moment in Canadian history.
"He liked the idea and thought it was funny," Tremblay said, adding Chrétien wanted to treat his friends with the Shawinigan Handshake.
At the time, the beer was sold only in draft during an Octoberfest at the brewery's bar.
But Chrétien insisted and Tremblay eventually bottled the Shawinigan Handshake with a label showing Chrétien choking the devil. Montreal illustrator Dominic Philibert created the drawing.
"Mr. Chrétien is known for his funny personality and he has made fun of this incident in the past," Tremblay said, noting he appreciates the politician's endorsement of his beer.
The handshakee, Bill Clennett, doesn't think it's funny at all. "It's quite extraordinary to trivialize his behaviour only to sell beer," he said. "It's pitiful"
I doubt he will be sharing a beer with the former PM anytime soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment