5 Unlikely Celebrities With Some Skin in the Craft Beer Game
Ever wonder what celebrities do with their spare time and money? We’ve all heard stories about Charlie Sheen taking a hit of the devil’s dandruff and threatening porn stars. Justin Bieber might get a little high, hurl some eggs at his neighbor’s house, and then blame cocaine possession on his African American friend when the cops show up. Should we go on?
Some celebrities, however, are productive, participating members of the community. And not just any community, we’re talking the craft beer community we’ve all come to know and love. In fact, we did a little research and put together a list of 5 celebrity-backed beers you’ve probably never heard of but should know about. There are some unlikely names in here, so get ready.
1. Tom Green: The Tom Green Beer
You remember Tom Green’s shenanigans back in the early 2000s. He shocked the world by humping a dead moose, interviewed pedestrians with an actual piece of shit on the end of his mic, and filmed the removal of his cancer-ridden testicle. It was awesome! More than 10 years later, Green’s back with a new TV show, Tom Green Live on ASX.
He’s also collaborating with Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company on an eponymously named milk stout. Naturally, upon release, Green gave this quote: “This is The Tom Green Beer. It’s not the Green Tom Beer. This is my favourite beer. Because it is my beer.” With 5% ABV, the chocolatey, coffee-like stout’s received good reviews, scoring an 84 on Beer Advocate.
2. Wil Wheaton: Stone Farking Wheaton w00tStout
Let’s take it back to ’86 for a moment, where Wil Wheaton played Gordie Lachance in Stand By Me. In addition to playing a role in a number of other hits--Star Trek: The Next Generation and Toy Soldiers, to name a few--over the past 28 years Wheaton’s also been busy running his own blog, Wil Wheaton Dot Net, playing Dungeons & Dragons, recording audio books, and, you guessed it, making beer.
Wheaton’s been collaborating with Drew Curtis, creator of the alternative news website Fark.com, and Greg Koch, CEO of Stone Brewing Company, on the Stone Farking Wheaton w00tStout. Said to be a major celebration of geekery, the 13% ABV imperial stout was released in 2013 and scored an impressive 91 on Beer Advocate. It’s brewed in rye, wheat malt, and pecans, and then partially aged in bourbon whiskey barrels.
3. Frank Thomas: Big Hurt Beer
It’s hard to believe Frank Thomas hasn’t played on an MLB field in almost six years. Ending his career with a cumulative .301 batting average and 521 home runs, “The Big Hurt” has a legacy that’ll live on forever in Chicago. His legacy’s also poised to live on for quite some time on the shelves of supermarkets, liquor stores, and gas stations, since the production of his Big Hurt Beer (also called BHB) seems to only be accelerating.
Contract-brewed by Wisconsin's Minhas Craft Brewery, the 7% ABV BHB has been described by many as more of a malt liquor than a beer. Beer Advocate scored it at just 66, giving it a poor rating. But, hell, if you’re looking to get drunk off malt liquor, why not do so while paying tribute to good old number 35? If you happen to be living in the windy city, reports say to keep an eye out for a physical BHB brewhouse some at point in the next few years.
4. Adrian Grenier: Pilsner Style Beer
Most known for his role as Vincent Chase in Entourage, Adrian Grenier has been acting for more than 15 years. He’s also a musician, playing bass, drums, and singing in two New York bands, Kid Friendly and The Honey Bears. When he’s not making art and participating in a number of other ventures around mobile apps, sustainability, and education, he’s running Churchkey Can Company, a Seattle-based microbrewery.
Churchkey was founded in 2012 by Grenier and his partner Justin Hawkins, a former designer at Nike. Interestingly, the name of the microbrewery comes from having to actually pierce the cans with an old school churchkey, which, of course, is included in each six-pack. Churchkey’s Pilsner Style Beer has a Beer Advocate rating of 80, a 4.9% ABV, and is currently only available in the Pacific Northwest.
5. The Hanson Brothers: MmmHops
Yes, you read that correctly. The Hanson Brothers have a beer and its name resembles their 1996 mega-hit, MMMBop. Despite the fact that they’re still keeping the boy band dream alive--their recent song “Get the Girl Back” made its way into the Billboard Top 40 in 2013--you’re going to have to accept that Isaac, Taylor, and Zac are not only old enough to drink, they’re making the drinks.
Produced via a partnership with Mustang Brewing Company, the American pale ale received a modest 78 on Beer Advocate. At just 3.2% ABV, it might just be the perfect beer for throwing on an old ‘90s mix, sucking down a 12 pack, and calling your high school girlfriend at 2:30a.m. on a work night. Let us know how that goes.
How'd we do?
That's what our research turned up. Feel free to let us know how we did or add any additional celebrity-backed craft beers to the comment section below.