Ever since Duff Beer made its first appearance on The Simpsons, money-hungry brewers have been looking to capitalize on its popularity by making it into something an actual human being can drink.
But you know, lawyers and copyright laws and all that.
It turns out 21st Century Fox finally decided this was a pretty good idea and decided to make the brew a reality. The only problem is that you’ll need to have your passport handy if you wish to consume it.
The company has been consulting with a brewmaster to get the flavor just right, and plans subtle packaging with no obvious nods to the TV show—just an exact replica of the cartoon brew that will play like an inside joke for Simpsons superfans.
As for the domestic market, outside of the “Simpsons” section of Universal’s theme parks in Orlando and Los Angeles, no Duff is available in the U.S., but Fox isn’t ruling it out.
“I think there’s potential to have Duff everywhere in the world,” said Jeffrey Godsick,president of the media company’s consumer products division. (21st Century Fox and Wall Street Journal-owner News Corp were part of the same company until mid-2013.)
You just know some superfan is going to drop thousands to taste it. And who am I to spend other people’s money?
Plus, who doesn’t love the classic story of a media giant sticking up to the little man?
Demand for rogue versions of the beer has continued to ramp up across the region, from Colombia to Mexico, and the company decided to jump in.
“Once you see enough piracy, you are faced with two choices,” Mr. Godsick said. “One is deciding to fight it, and the other is deciding to go out [into the market] with it.”
The next logical step is to make a real-life Moe’s for people to drink it in. But they’re smart. That’s probably in the pipeline somewhere.
A cheaper option, as always, is to just write Duff in permanent marker on your beer cans and use your imagination. You know, like a poor person.
[H/T: Wall Street Journal]