NRW
Brewery removes «Z» from label due to Ukraine war
A bottle of Zwickel beer from the Moritz Fiege brewery. The “Z” on the bottle label should disappear. Photo: Moritz Fiege Brewery/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The letter “Z” is considered a symbol of support for the Russian war in Ukraine. A Bochum brewery is therefore removing the letter from its labels.
Due to possible misunderstandings in connection with the Ukraine war, the Bochum brewery Moritz Fiege is removing the red «Z» on the labels of its Zwickel beer.
“The letter “Z” took on a new meaning as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and has been used as a symbol by the Russian army and its supporters since the beginning of hostilities,” the brewery said on Wednesday. The company expressly distances itself from this.
The labels would be redesigned. As long as this lasts, the bottles would be delivered without a belly label, a spokeswoman said. Zwickelbier is a naturally cloudy cellar beer that the brewery has been offering since 2018. The «Z» stands for «gusset». The beer remains recognizable by the smaller label on the neck of the bottle – but without the highlighted “Z”, according to the spokeswoman. The “WAZ” had previously reported.