The episode is a parody of the TV show The Untouchables, with Rex Banner based on Prohibition agent Eliot Ness. Homer even references the ending of the series when predicting correctly that prohibition won't last when he said, "It didn't work in the movies."
By making his own beer, and then selling this particular beer, Homer would've had grounds to be criminally charged even when the prohibition law was discovered to have been repealed, as he would've been subjugated to moonshining and bootlegging laws. It is in fact commonplace in the US illegal to both do not make and not sell alcohol without licenses. One show which notably exploited moonshining and bootlegging laws in the post-Prohibition era was The Andy Griffith Show, which Simpsons co-producer James L. Brooks wrote two episodes for, as well as one episode for its successor series Mayberry RFD, at a young age before having greater fame with Room 222 and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Simpsons episode "Three Men and a Comic Book" also previously noted how it is illegal to sell beer without a license too, though the episode was not referenced.
Springfield isn't unusual in having a local prohibition law. Numerous counties and towns in the US have laws banning the sale and consumption of alcohol, many of them even pre-date prohibition.
The mob of angry Christian ladies demanding prohibition is based on real-life. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was one of the big driving forces behind Prohibition.
Duff breweries go bankrupt shortly after switching to making alcohol free Duff, which is odd given that they presumably would sell their beer to people outside of Springfield and those sales wouldn't be affected by the new law. Many US based breweries similarly went bankrupt during prohibition for the same reason.
The scene where John Bull's Fish & Chips gets blown up and the subsequent rioting was a reference to The Troubles (which explains why most UK versions of this episode edit out that scene on TV).
During the raid on Moe's everyone raises their glasses when Rex Banner isn't looking. Eddie and Lou notice this but don't say anything. Similarly they seem to be well aware that Homer is the Beer Baron and just never say anything.
Homer's nickname, "The Beer Baron" was a reference to the real-life gangster, Dutch Schultz who was also known as the Beer Baron of the Bronx for his involvement in the illegal alcohol trade in the New York Bronx area during Prohibition.
Homer's Night Out: A fat male character (Homer/Chief Wiggum) gets caught dancing with Shauna Tifton (Princess Kashmir).
Homer Badman: A protest group thinks a fat male character (Homer/Chief Wiggum) is a sexual predator (the protesters who think Homer grabbed Ashley Grant's butt/Helen Lovejoy screams, "PERVERT!" when Chief Wiggum walks up to her giving her the "old Wiggum charm").
Dr. Hibbert's wife, Bernice, is an alcoholic (is in the anti-drunk driving traffic school class/was one of the people who passed out when Prohibition gets enforced).
Bart Sells His Soul: Moe's Tavern gets reinvented (as a TGI-Fridays-style family restaurant/as a 1920s speakeasy)
Selma's Choice: A Simpson kid (Lisa/Bart) is high/drunk in public (Lisa, after she drinks the tainted water on the Little Land of Duff ride/Bart after he gets beer shot into his novelty horn).
Bart's Inner Child: A riot breaks out during a parade/festival (the "Do What You Feel" festival/the St. Patrick's Day parade).
Bart embarrasses the family during a holiday (shoplifts from Try-n-Save and tries to hide it/gets drunk during the St. Patrick's Day parade).
A jab at designated drivers (one of Troy McClure's PSA movies is called, Designated Drivers: The Life-Saving Nerds/Moe kicks out designated drivers before opening Moe's for St. Patrick's Day).
Lisa's Wedding: Something British gets destroyed (Homer and Bart accidentally burn the British flag when welcoming Hugh/John's Fish and Chips Shop blows up during the riot).
Apu and public nudity (got in trouble for it, only to be saved by Lester and Eliza/drunkenly urges everyone to get naked at the St. Patrick's Day parade)
A disaster happens at a parade (the I&S parade goes through the wrong side of the tracks/a drunken riot erupts).
Who Shot Mr. Burns, Part Two: reference to gays being banned from marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade (Smithers admits during confession that he tried to march in a St. Patrick's Day parade/Kent Brockman says that St. Patrick's Day parades aren't for Italians or gays).
Homer is set on fire and runs outside to stop, drop, and roll.
Homer Loves Flanders: Flanders is accused of being on drugs by a law officer (Chief Wiggum thinks he's "hepped up on goofballs"/Rex Banner thinks Flanders is a drunk because of his verbal tic).
Homer the Heretic and Homer Loves Flanders: Homer gets involved in an intense car chase (trying to escape the Flanders' family/trying to follow the Flanders' family/trying to escape Rex Banner).
Hurricane Neddy: Flanders mentions that he doesn't drink alcohol (even though "Duffless" showed that he drank a blackberry Schnapps one time and the worst he did was offend Maude by calling Ann Landers "...a boring old biddy").
Much Apu About Nothing: All the students at Springfield Elementary bully one kid in the hallway (Uter, because he's a foreign-exchange student/Bart, because he's not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day).
Goofs[]
A shamrock missing from Nelson's bowtie
When Nelson Muntz makes fun of Bart at the beginning, one of the shamrocks on his bowtie briefly disappears.
Bart's shorts and shoes are gray when he enters the school.
Lenny is shown to be both at Moe's Tavern and at the parade (pointing out the free beer at the latter event).
Apu's bottle of beer
The bottle of Duff Beer that Apu holds has a blue label instead of the usual red one, plus the text is much thinner than it usually is.
Ms. Hoover without glasses
The Prohibition is limited to Springfield. Yet, it never seems to occur to anyone that they could easily go to Shelbyville if they wanted to drink. Then again, the scene where Rex Banner debuted implied it may not have been limited to Springfield...or it shows that Springfield hates Shelbyville so much that they won't go there, even if Springfield enforces a controversial law.
While Rex is investigating Moe's "pet shop", the patrons at the bar raise their hidden beer glasses to toast the "best pet shop in town" while Rex has his back turned. However, Eddie and Lou were clearly facing the patrons and were looking at their beer glasses in the frame they raised them. Of course, Eddie and Lou more than likely weren't on board with the whole prohibition law to begin with.
The bottle between the green bottle and the cash register is not colored in
When Moe is putting the bar scenery back up, one of the bottles is not colored in for a frame.
When the crowd cheers after Rex Banner announces to have succeeded, some of the people's hair in the background flashes yellow for a few frames.
Flanders mentions that he doesn't drink alcohol, even though "Duffless" showed that he drank a blackberry Schnapps one time and the worst he did was offend Maude by calling Ann Landers "...a boring old biddy".
Production Notes[]
The final draft for this episode was published on September 11, 1996.[1]
