Leprechaun from Classic Viral Video Inspires St. Patrick’s Day Beer Can
These days, the internet is a mean, nefarious place that inspires vicious tribalism and allows us to indulge our worst impulses. But once upon a time, it was a simpler place where we could come together to share a laugh over a video posted on a new website called YouTube.
In an effort to both celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and throw us back to an era when the very concept of the “viral video” was new, a Louisiana craft brewery is paying homage to the infamous leprechaun of Mobile, Alabama with its new can design.
Right around Mardi Gras, Parish Brewing will release a new seasonal label for its Original Pilsner Beer which features plenty of shamrocks alongside an “amateur sketch” that should be instantly recognizable to anyone with an internet connection back in 2006. Back then, residents of Mobile’s Crichton district were convinced a leprechaun was lurking up in a tree, introducing viewers to a cast of colorful characters who each had their own amusing theory about the leprechaun’s origins.
While an homage to an almost 14-year-old video might seem odd, Parish Brewing owner Andrew Godley thinks you’re wrong. “Just for your information, outside of Mobile, the Mobile Leprechaun is still a big deal,” he told AL.com, adding that he thinks it’s one of the best news reports ever filmed. He also believes that Brian Johnson, who covered the story “should be the evening news anchor on ABC.”
Though Parish is a relatively small craft brewer, they have enough distribution reach to actually get this beer into Mobile, Alabama. While it’s a relatively small run for now, he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of doing a bigger batch celebrating Mobile’s favorite mythical creature in the future.
While the pilsner probably can’t ward off spells and isn’t as special as a leprechaun flute passed down over countless generations, drinkers along the gulf coast at least can sip on something that reminds them of simpler times and makes them believe in magic again. In these harrowing times, that surely counts for something.
