Those living in the Broomfield area are likely familiar with a spot called Wonderland Brewing Company, which opened in 2014. Offering on-site putt-putt, pinball machines, pickleball courts, and small-batch craft beer along with a full kitchen food menu, the location has long been a popular hangout spot, currently at a 4.3-star rating on Google Reviews. That said, the spot has recently been facing quite a bit of backlash following a social media post that featured the image of Vanilla Ice.

The post was made on January 30 – a day that some Colorado businesses opted to shut down as a show of protest against recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. The since-removed post from Wonderland, however, wasn’t a closure announcement, but instead a reminder to the public that the spot would be open as normal.

“Ice Ice Baby… we called Vanilla, and he confirmed that several Colorado businesses and even some schools are closed today… but we opened at noon and you should get your ice cold beer on… Smile Wonder Fans,” read the text of the post along an image of the rapper best known for his 1990s hit ‘Ice Ice Baby.’

The post resulted in immediate social media backlash and apparent review-bombing of online, including on services like Yelp.

The day after the initial post was made, Wonderland Brewing Company issued a Facebook response that was attributed to Brian Budman, identified as a “former partner.” Starting with the line, “Let me say this plainly, and without apology,” the post described Wonderland as a non-political organization, stressing that serving beer to the local community is their priority and questioning how a ‘we’re open’ announcement referencing a 90s rap song was able to spark so much outrage.

That full post can be read below:

“Let me say this plainly, and without apology.
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.
Here is the pattern, and everyone honest knows it:
Facts are optional.
Context is inconvenient.
Outrage is mandatory.
If an event fits the narrative — amplify it.
If facts later complicate the narrative — ignore them.
If someone refuses to apologize for something that isn’t wrong — escalate.
And now we are apparently at the point where Vanilla Ice is being treated like contraband.
Somewhere, I assume, a task force is currently reviewing whether the Macarena has problematic structural elements.
Let’s also clear something else up.
Wonderland has never been a political organization.
It has never existed to serve one party, one movement, or one ideology.
It exists to serve customers.
To employ people.
To create something real.
Beer has a history older than any political movement currently arguing on social media.
Beer belongs to workers.
To soldiers.
To builders.
To farmers.
To people who disagree with each other and still share a table.
The idea that a brewery must now pass a political purity test before it can pour a pint is not progress.
It is performance activism dressed up as morality.
And here is the uncomfortable truth for the outrage crowd:
If Wonderland had posted the “correct” message, it would not have been enough.
Because this is not about standards.
It is about submission.
There will always be a new rule.
A new offense.
A new demand to bend the knee.
We are not interested in playing that game.
Wonderland is open for people who like beer.
For people who work hard.
For people who can laugh.
For people who understand that disagreement is not violence and that memes are not policy statements.
If that offends you, you are free to drink somewhere else.
That is how free societies work.
And if posting a 1990s rap song is now considered an act of rebellion…
Then I suppose history will record that the Culture Wars were briefly fought — and lost — to Vanilla Ice.
Wonderland is open.
The tanks are full.
The lights are on.
And we are not apologizing for existing.
—-Brian Budman
Former Partner
The world was not built by mobs. It was improved by people who got up early and made something.”

The follow-up post received a mixed reaction – while backlash continued, some fans seem to be standing behind the brewery. Though comments below the post are mostly negative, the post had 605 ‘thumbs up’ responses and 272 ‘heart’ reactions, along with 507 ‘laughing’ reactions, 14 ‘shocked’ reactions, nine ‘angry’ reactions, seven ‘sending love’ reactions, and two ‘sad’ reactions at the time this article was published.

As of February 4, the backlash from the initial post seems to be ongoing, with Yelp still alerting visitors about “Unusual Activity” on the brewery’s review page, describing that “while [Yelp doesn’t] take a stand one way or the other when it comes to this incident, we’ve temporarily disabled the posting of content to this page as we work to investigate whether the content you see here reflects actual consumer experiences rather than the recent events.” This is a policy that is regularly applied in similar scenarios in which businesses receive spikes of negative reviews.

Find the Wonderland Brewing Company Facebook page here.

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