(TDB) - A Texas beer company has been criticised for using the tagline, “goes down easy” to advertise one of its beers –“Dallas Blonde”.

The Deep Ellum Brewing Company in Dallas was celebrating the beer’s first anniversary with a new wave of marketing featuring the beer and the phrase on its delivery vans, leading critics to claim the company was “relying on rape culture” to sell the product.

Although alluding to the beer being very drinkable, with a logo featuring a doll in a blonde wig, the use of the tagline is a very obvious double entendre.

Writing on the political blog Burnt Orange Report, Genevieve Cato, said that the use of a “well-worn sexist comparison of women to alcohol” was, “disappointing and insulting,” adding that it “fuelled the acceptability” of rape culture.

Brewery owner, John Reardon, admitted that there had been some negative response to the campaign but insisted the catchphrase was merely a play on words and apologised to anyone offended.

The phrase will also be removed from delivery vans but not from the can.

However, Reardon strongly denied the accusation that the brewery was promoting rape culture, saying to local newspapers: “I think it’s just completely out of proportion, complete overreaching.

“Likening a tongue-in-cheek campaign to sexist capitalism and rape culture that’s just gone too far.”

The beer industry is no stranger to brand names which are close to the bone. Early last year, the drinks business reported on a British beer in the House of Commons bar called “Top Totty”.