The Armed Forces Brewing Company threatened legal action against its loudest critics last year, amid the closure of its Norfolk taphouse and reports that the company hadn’t paid some former employees and vendors. Now, the controversial brewer has filed a lawsuit alleging defamation.
When the brewery closed its Norfolk headquarters last year, Beal blamed the “local woke mob.” Some people in the local community embraced the label and turned it into merchandise.
The lawsuit filed Monday names Craft Beer Professionals founder Andrew Coplon, his wife Stacie Coplon, Butch Bracknell, freelance photojournalist Zach Roberts and an unidentified Reddit user as defendants, according to what appeared to be a court filing attached to a press release from Armed Forces Brewing…