Think about this for a second: When was the last time you saw an athlete shilling for an alcoholic beverage? These days, sports stars sell underwear, shampoo, razors, and loads of sneakers, but rarely make booze a part of their brand. (Especially if they have a younger fan base.) Many actors and musicians, on the other hand, couldn't care less about the kids: Creative folks love slapping their names on liquor labels and beer bottles, and in some cases, even play a part in making their booze. Here are 10 surprisingly good celebrity-endorsed brews.
The band: Hanson
The beer: Mmmhops
The brewer: Mustang Brewing Company (Mustang, Oklahoma)
Literal band of brothers Hanson, who hit the big time in 1997 with their ubiquitous smash song "MMMBop," have long since grown up, cut their hair, and entered the beer game. Their signature pale ale, Mmmhops--because of course it's called that--boasts a spicy-sweet, citrusy flavor, and a generous 7.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
The band: Hootie & the Blowfish
The beer: Hootie's Homegrown Ale
The brewer: Rock Brothers Brewing (Charleston, South Carolina)
Speaking of bands that sprung to popularity in the 1990s, Hootie & the Blowfish did a much more consistent job of owning the pop charts than Hanson could've ever dreamed, with its panoply of hits like "Hold My Hand" and "Only Wanna Be With You." Years later, surprisingly, lead singer Darius Rucker made a 360-degree turn and became a monster country-music crossover star, scoring a string of number one singles.
Now that Hootie (a.k.a. Rucker) has conquered multiple genres, he and his former fishy friends have launched into the liquid-gold market, dropping Hootie's Homegrown Ale this past summer in concert with the 20th anniversary of their classic album, Cracked Rear View. The beer's an American Blonde brewed with Carolina gold rice, featuring hints of lemongrass and light-to-medium bitterness. At just 4.5% ABV, it won't knock you on your keister--but remembering all of Hootie's hits might.
The actor: Wil Wheaton
The beer: Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout
The brewer: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, California)
An unlikely collaboration between actor Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Drew Curtis (creator of Fark.com), and Stone Brewing cofounder, Greg Koch, the Stone Farking Wheaton is nothing short of a revelation in a bottle. At 13% ABV, this American Double/Imperial Stout is brewed with pecans, wheat, and rye--and on top of that, it's one-quarter aged in bourbon whiskey barrels. Drooling yet? Flavor-wise, it's sort of like an ice-cream sundae in your mouth: a nutty aroma mixed in with vanilla and bitter chocolate flavors. Heck, it's probably great on ice cream.
The bands: Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam, Miles Davis, Robert Johnson
The beer: Assorted beers
The brewer: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware)
Okay, we're cheating a little bit here. Technically more celebrity-inspired than -endorsed, craft god Dogfish Head has limited-released a stream of brews: Grateful Dead's American Beauty, a 9% ABV American Pale Ale with hints of its key, "crunchy" ingredient, organic granola; Pearl Jam's Faithfull Ale, a 7% ABV, low-hopped Belgian Golden Ale with fruity tastes upfront and a clean-and-dry ending; Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, a 9% ABV fusion of an Imperial Stout and Honey Beer, which emits an earthy aroma and goes perfect with spicy foods and meats; and Robert Johnson's Hellhound on My Ale, which has 10% ABV and uses citrusy West Coast hops --especially for their hints of lemon, in honor of Johnson's mentor Blind Lemon Jefferson.
The band: Iron Maiden
The beer: Trooper
The brewer: Robinsons Brewery (Stockport, England)
The first and only import on this list, Trooper is the result of a British heavy-metal powerhouse "hopping" on the bandwagon. Iron Maiden's brew is a deep, golden, traditional English cask ale, whose name references one of the band's lone cross-Atlantic hits, "The Trooper." An ESB (Extra Special/Strong Bitter), this 4.7% ABV brew has a malty flavor with citrus notes and is made from a blend of Bobek, Goldings, and Cascade hops. Find it Stateside here.
The show: Game of Thrones
The beer: Fire and Blood Red Ale
The brewer: Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, New York)
Ommegang has given the National Baseball Hall of Fame a run for its money as the Cooperstown, New York, destination. And the brewery's Fire and Blood Red Ale may just put it over the top. This brew takes its name from the dragon-owning House Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones, and each of its bottles' labels is randomly emblazoned with one of the three fire-breathers: Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion. At 6.8% ABV, this American Amber/Red Ale is, of course, licked by a fiery ingredient: ancho chillies. It also comes in 25.4 oz. bottles to go along with your dragon-like appetite for singed meat. The brewery has also produced the GOT-inspired Iron Throne, Take the Black Stout, and the soon-to-be-released Valar Morghulis (out October 1).
The musician: Jimmy Buffett
The beer: Landshark Lager
The brewer: Margaritaville Brewing Co. (St. Louis, Missouri)
Jimmy Buffett's logical next step after writing odes to an Edenic cheeseburger and everybody's favorite tequila-based cocktail was to launch his own line of island-living-friendly beers--an American Adjunct Lager called Landshark, to be exact. Known for being light, pale, and fizzy--think Corona Extra or Red Stripe Jamaican Lager--Landshark is the perfect beach or poolside beverage for that autumn or winter island-getaway. And at 4.7% ABV, you'll have to drink several before getting up in front of your all-inclusive-resort-mates to do a slurred rendition of "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes."
The show: AMC's The Walking Dead
The beer: Dock Street Walker
The brewer: Dock Street Brewing Co. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Dock Street, a West Philadelphia--based beer-maker, is in the process of brewing its latest batch of Walker, an American Pale Stout, which pays homage to AMC's zombie-apocalypse classic The Walking Dead. And get this: Aside from traditional ingredients like barley, wheat, and organic cranberry, Walker includes actual smoked goat brains. But depending on the pour, you may be drinking through a decent head to get to the 7.8% ABV brain-flavored suds. If you can't find Walker just yet, don't lose your head; Dock Street will start tapping/selling the beer on October 12, the day of the Season 5 Dead premiere.
The celebrity: Frank Thomas
The beer: Big Hurt Beer
The brewer: Big Hurt Brewing Co. (St. Paul, Minnesota*)
Former Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas was one of the most dominant hitters of the '90s, and Cooperstown came calling this past July. Besides being a recent Hall-of-Famer, Thomas stands out as one of just a few former athletes to have his name on a line of beers. The aptly titled Big Hurt Beer (after his hitter nickname) comes in two malt-beverage-y brands: "original" (a canned 7% ABV Imperial Lager) and "MVP" (a bottled 5% ABV American Lager). Although it's gotten mixed reviews from beer critics, BHB is on tap at the White Sox's home ballpark, U.S. Cellular Field. That's a major-league vote of confidence, as far as we're concerned.
*This is technically not where the beer is brewed. The brewer is actually Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin--a Minhas rep declined comment on whether it brewed Big Hurt Beer, but several reports say it owns the contract.
The celebrity: Lenny Bruce
The beer: He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.
The brewer: Shmaltz Brewing Company (Clifton Park, New York)
If you haven't sipped at the greatness that is Shmaltz's various lines of "Chosen" beers (i.e. Jewish-friendly brews), you've been missing out. Given that the Jewish religion highly respects its dead, it makes sense that there'd be a Mourner's Kaddish of beers--specifically, one for one of the greatest, earliest, and most foul-mouthed comedians of all time, Lenny Bruce. Packing a big 10% ABV, Lenny's is said to be "brewed with an obscene amount of malts and hops," and it's got a deliciously earthy and spicy taste. Drink too many Lennys, and you'll be lit like a Menorah.
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