Danielle Lirette
Audio By Carbonatix
A Facebook post landed hard for twelve-year-old Wonderland Brewing Company this past weekend, with critics blasting the post against the backdrop of a general strike called to protest the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On Friday, January 30, businesses across Colorado opted to become part of a broader show of opposition to ICE after the murder of two American citizens by federal agents during recent ICE operations in Minneapolis.
Many businesses shut their doors for the day, while others posted their support for the movement and pledged donations to various nonprofit organizations. Wonderland did neither. But it didn’t stay quiet, either.
Instead, the brewery posted a message referencing “Ice Ice Baby,” the 1990 pseudo-rap hit from Vanilla Ice, writing that it had “called Vanilla” and that while other businesses were closed, it would open at noon, encouraging customers to “get your ice cold beer on.”
Screenshot of Wonderland Brewing Facebook post
The timing of the post, coming during a general strike against ICE, enraged people who interpreted the repeated mentions of “ice” as a pointed reference to immigration enforcement. Commenters accused the brewery of mocking or minimizing the protest.
The post was taken down before the end of the day, and Wonderland soon followed with a public apology acknowledging that the post had been “insensitive and ignorant” and that what was intended as a joke had been “understandably perceived as a statement in support of the organization ICE.”
“We would like to clarify that this was a poor and thoughtless decision, and that this was not the intended message of the post,” the brewery wrote, adding that it does not support discrimination or hate. The statement noted that Wonderland is a small, family-owned business, cited the number of Colorado breweries that closed last year, and said the brewery could not afford to close its doors that day.
That could have been the end of this viral saga, but the apology was also deleted, and was followed by more posts from the brewery.
Screenshot of Wonderland Brewing’s Facebook post
The next message had a markedly different tone. In that follow-up, the owner said they were “not sorry” about the Vanilla Ice post, described it as a joke, and suggested critics had never visited the brewery or supported its charitable work. The post also complained about being told to remove the original message and then being pressured to apologize.
It accused “Broomfield moms” (possibly a reference to a Facebook group) of harassing the business, said the backlash had caused the owner’s children to cry, referenced a child’s disability, and stated, “I don’t support ICE,” while also saying, “I don’t really care how this goes down.”
“At the end of the day,” the post read, “I should’ve just left it up and said, ‘Are you kidding?'”
That response drew renewed criticism and intensified attention to the brewery’s handling of the situation.
That post was then removed, and a longer, more emotional post followed around 11 a.m. on Sunday, this one signed by “former partner Brian Budman.” It is the only post that is still active on the Facebook page as of today, February 2.
“Let me say this plainly, and without apology,” it begins. “Wonderland was built to serve beer, build community, and give working people a place to sit down together — not to submit weekly ideological homework to whichever outrage committee happens to be loudest online. The fact that a brewery posting Ice Ice Baby and saying ‘we’re open’ can trigger organized outrage tells you everything you need to know about where parts of our culture are right now. This was never about a song. It was never about a post. And it was certainly never about beer. It is about control — control of speech, tone, humor, and ultimately, whether small businesses are allowed to exist without first seeking permission from people who have never built anything themselves.”
In the comment thread below that post, a Facebook commenter pushed back against the idea that people were trying to control the brewery’s speech. “It IS about control,” the response reads. “Control of where we choose to spend our money in our communities. You get to choose how to act and how you present your business. That’s your freedom. And we get to choose where we go to have a couple of beers. That’s our freedom. Also very cringe to be addressing this with ChatGPT.”
The post has racked up over 800 comments. While the prior posts were all deleted, screenshots continue to circulate online.
Westword attempted to contact Wonderland Brewing for comment. A call to the brewery’s listed number went to voicemail, which instructs callers to email the establishment. An email requesting comment was sent; so far, Wonderland has not responded.
