Duff Beer

Duff Beer is a fictional brand of beer in the animated series The Simpsons. It is Homer Simpson's beer of choice. It is a parody of stereotypical American mass-produced beer: poor-quality, cheap, and advertised everywhere. The beer's official spokesperson is Duffman.

The name of the beer likely comes from the fact that "duff" is slang for somebody's rear end, with connotations of laziness and the weight-gain associated with the beer-guzzling couch potato lifestyle. There is also a possible riff on "Bud" (Budweiser), which is also monosyllabic and ubiquitous and has an amusement park (Busch Gardens). The name may also be related to the British adjective "duff" meaning "faulty" or "useless".

An article in the Scranton Times-Tribune states: "A trivia buff in the House Democratic caucus later informed me that the state’s 8-cents-per-gallon beer excise tax was last increased in 1947 under legislation signed by the late Republican Gov. James H. Duff. Thus, it is the "Duff beer tax"."

The show's creators appear to have designed the Duff Beer label for the making of the April 1989 episode "Some Enchanted Evening". The notes "MAKE UP BEER LABEL DUFF BEER?" can be found on p.16 of the first draft of the episode's script.

The chief competitor of Duff Beer is Fudd Beer. It is intentionally the "opposite" of Duff, with the consonant sounds being reversed, but with parallel spelling. Homer became aware of Fudd Beer while patronizing a "redneck bar" in nearby Spittle County. It was later revealed to be considered very popular in Springfield's rival town of Shelbyville. Moe said he thought it had been banned "after all those hillbillies went blind", suggesting that Fudd is laced with methyl alcohol.

Duff brands

Duff
Duff Lite
Duff Dry
Duff Jr.
Duff Dark
Lady Duff
Duff Lager
Raspberry Duff
Tartar Control Duff
Henry K. Duff's Private Reserve
Duff Blue (slogan: "Tap into the peppermint glacier")
Duff Stout ("the beer that made Ireland famous," according to Duffman)
Duff Zero non-alcoholic beer
Duff Extra Cold
Duff Microbrew
New Duff
Duff Gummi Beers
Duff Experimental
Duff Red
Duff Ice
Duff Special Reserve
Duff Draft
Duff Malt
Duff Christmas Ale
Duff Amber Fire-Brewed Barley Export
Duff's Double-Dunkin' Breakfast Lager

Some of these brands are parodies of specific brands or styles of beer. For instance, "Henry K. Duff's Private Reserve" refers to "Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve", a beer originally brewed in Matt Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon.

When Homer tours the Duff brewery, it is revealed (though apparently not to him) that Duff, Duff Lite and Duff Dry all come from the same pipe.

During the Springfield prohibition, Duff breweries started producing the alcohol-free Duff Zero, claiming that people drank Duff for its robust taste rather than its alcohol content. This drove the company to bankruptcy within thirty minutes.

In addition, Düff (pronounced "Doof") was created when Moe drew an umlaut on a bottle of Duff when Homer asked to try something new. Homer surprisingly knew what Moe was trying to do and Homer then tried a Red Tick Beer, which is brewed with dogs swimming in the fermenting tank.

Duff Gardens

In the episode entitled Selma's Choice, Bart and Lisa Simpson travel with their aunt Selma to Duff Gardens, a parody of the Busch Gardens amusement park, but also containing elements of Disneyland. There, they see the mascots of Duff Beer, the Seven Duffs: Sleazy, Queazy, Edgy, Surly, Tipsy, Remorseful, and Dizzy. Surly is often seen in other episodes such as when Moes is closing down, Surly poors some of his liquid onto the street in front of it. Bart and Lisa ride "The Little Land of Duff" attraction, where they hear this song (repeated over and over):

Duff Beer for me!

Duff Beer for you!

I'll have a Duff,

You have one too!

This is a direct parody of the "it's a small world" attraction at Disneyland. Unlike that attraction, the boats float on a brown liquid with hallucinogenic properties (probably polluted beer), which Lisa drinks on a dare from Bart.

Other Duff Gardens attractions include the Beeramid, the Beerquarium ("Home of the world's happiest fish"), the Beer Hall of Presidents, the Washing Machine ride, the Whiplash rollercoaster, singing group Hooray for Everything (who sing a politically correct version of Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" and are based on Up with People), and a direct parody of Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade.

Real Duff Beer

In the late 1990s, Lion Nathan in Australia produced an unrelated beer called Duff Beer. 20th Century Fox sued for trademark infringement and won. Lion Nathan's Duff Beer has since become a collector's item.

At least two microbreweries have brewed beer called Duff Beer:

J.J. Bittings Brewpub in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Promotional material at the bar included pictures of Homer Simpson.

Daleside Brewing from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England produces both Duff Beer and Duff Blonde. Daleside claim 'Duff' comes from the Gaelic meaning "Dark" or "Black". One bottle of 2.5 ABV and is available from Tesco

Trivia

In the anime series Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, billboards for Duff Beer and Buzz Cola can be seen in overhead pans of the cityscape.

External links

Advertising of America's Beer Companies and the Duff Corporation

Sources