Austin Brewery's New Beer Has Had It Up To Here With Electric Scooters

What's not to like about electric scooters? They're a greener alternative to cars. They provide a transportation option for those distances that are just-too-long-to-walk. And hey, they're kind of fun, right? Not everyone in Austin agrees, including Hi Sign Brewing, creators of the new beer No Scooters Double IPA.

If you've visited Austin in the past year or so, you've likely noticed the Bird or LimeBike electric scooters around town: Customers can rent them via smartphone app, then ditch them when their trips are complete. Because there's no need to return them to docks or designated areas, scooters sometimes litter public areas and private property. Headlines about the scooters' launch were ominous: "A flock of electric scooters suddenly descended on Austin" and "Austin's electric scooters injury count comes in higher than expected."

But Hi Sign's beer isn't railing against the scooters, the brewery says, just poking a little fun at them with a label depicting a stick figure riding a scooter with a red "no" sign over it.

"Every label that we can come up with, we try to make something that's relevant and relevant to the beer and relevant to the city that we brew in," Hi Sign owner Mark Phillippe told KVUE. "Sometimes, [the scooters] are dangerous. Sometimes, they're a great mode of transportation. I would like to see less scooters on my front lawn at 2 o'clock in the morning, I'll tell you that."

Comments on the brewery's Instagram are mixed, with some people in favor of the anti-scooter message—"lol I don't like IPAs but I hate the scooters so bad I [sic] totally drink this"—while others defend them. LimeBike itself chimed in via comment: "Weird flex, but okay 🤣. We love a craft beer though. Don't drink and drive. Or scoot! Oh, and support local breweries!"