Guns N’ Roses Lawsuit Against a Colorado Brewery

Joe: 106.7 WIZN. It’s Queen, “You’re My Best Friend.” I heard Quiet Riot and “Come On Feel the Noize.” And before that, Joe Vega here with you on your Wednesday rock and ride home. Got Ben Barry on the phone here from Martin, Harding & Mazzotti. Ben, how you doing?

Ben: Doing well, Joe. How are you?

Joe: So, Ben, it was great seeing you on Saturday. Let’s fill the listeners in real quick. On Saturday, I was at the Feed Your Neighbor campaign in Plattsburgh at the Hannafords and had some time off during the day. So I used that time to pop out to your place, and you had a very nice gift for me.

Ben: I did. Yes. I had a six-pack.

Joe: Tell the people what the gift was.

Ben: I had a six-pack of Guns ‘N’ Rosé as we had talked about on a previous interview.

Joe: That’s right. So for those people who didn’t catch that or don’t remember, a while back Guns N’ Roses sued a brewery in Colorado because they were brewing a beer that they called the Guns ‘N’ Rosé Ale. And, you know, Guns N’ Roses sued them. And so, we were talking about that on the air one day, and so you get me a six-pack of Guns ‘N’ Rosé Ale.

Ben: Well, you’re welcome, but I don’t know if it was really a nice gift. What did you think about the…?

Joe: We’re getting to that. We’re getting to that. So, yeah. Actually, you had a line that you said to me when you handed me the beer.

Ben: I don’t recall what that was, but it was probably something along the lines of, “Would you be happy if your band was featured on this label?” Something along those lines.

Joe: Actually, I think what you said to me was, “When you drink it, you’ll know why they sued.” And so, I don’t know if it was Sunday night or Monday night, but I had a bunch of people over my place and we were watching football, and I decided to pass them out. “Hey, let’s everybody let’s drink a Guns ‘N’ Rosé Ale,” and yeah, it’s awful.

Ben: It is not what Axl and Slash had in mind, I’m sure, for a brew with their nomenclature on it. It’s prickly pear beer for crying out loud.

Joe: Right. Right. Some people said they actually liked it. I hated it. It actually had like a grapefruit aftertaste to it and I was just like…

Ben: Yeah. It’s not my cup of tea.

Joe: It’s not my cup of tea either. By the way, did they ever settle that lawsuit?

Ben: There is an undisclosed settlement. I don’t think it’s been…well, I don’t think it will be filed with the court. The lawsuit has been withdrawn and dismissed from what I can tell. But there is some sort of settlement agreement. I am hoping that Oskar Blues Brewery changes the formula and keeps the label. The beer has a great label. I think the contents are concerning, but, you know, all things, I guess, have a way of working [crosstalk 00:02:39.689].

Joe: Two thumbs down. That’s what we’re telling the Champlain Valley on Guns ‘N’ Rosé Ale right now?

Ben: Yeah.

Joe: Two thumbs down.

Ben: Yeah. Guns ‘N’ Rosé is not my thing.

Joe: Nope, me either. All right, Ben Barry from Martin, Harding & Mazzotti. Hey, Ben, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Ben: Same to you, Joe. Thank you.

Joe: Of course, you can call Ben at any time at 1-800-LAW-1010 or go online to 1800law1010.com. I’m Joe Vega getting out of here. Hey, Champlain Valley, you have a Happy Thanksgiving, too. I’ll talk to you again on Black Friday. In the meantime, Mel Allen taking over. He’s got music from Led Zeppelin and Metallica next.