Of Course There’s Tiger King Beer

The Show: Documentary Miniseries / 2020 / Netflix

The Beer: So many theme brews!

Hey all you cool cats and kittens, modern breweries are nothing if not on trend. When Netflix took a quirky, you-can’t-make-this-shit-up docuseries featuring tigers, alleged murder, and a gun-toting polyamorous dude named Joe Exotic AND released it right when a pandemic-stricken America was just starting to get bored with everything else on Netflix, it was only a matter of time before it became one of their biggest hits of the year. Naturally, it was also only a matter of time before pop culture-loving brewers started weaving it into their own creations.

They’re juicy and complex, and once you start, you can’t stop till it’s finished. Here’s a rundown of the beers that go harder with their Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, Madness obsession than your bored coworkers. And in case you didn’t realize just how widespread the Tiger King mania is, know that this is just a small, SMALL, sampling of everything out there right now.

Stash Exotic Hazy Blonde Ale – Hop Valley Brewing Co., Eugene, OR

On April 1, the folks at Hop Valley decided to post a joke on social media saying they were going to craft a beer “as golden bright as a fresh dye job and brewed with flavor strong enough for a Bengal tiger.” Turns out, their fans loved the idea so much that the brewers decided to make it into a 4.5% ABV reality.

Felt Cute, Might Feed My Husband to a Tiger Later IDK – Evil Genius Beer Co., Philadelphia, PA

Evil Genius Beer Co. has long been known for their expressive beer names. If you don’t know who this specific 4.2% ABV Pale Ale is a reference to, then you need to go watch Tiger King right now. That, or go ahead and Google the 1997 disappearance of Carole Baskin’s husband, Don Lewis.

Tiger King New England IPA – Back Bay Brewing Co., Virginia Beach, VA.

Apparently, this 7% ABV, single-hop Citra IPA sold out less than 24 hours in online sales after the brewers posted a Facebook announcement for the release. They also had a “Carole Baskin tasting pack,” but interestingly, that did not include the Tiger King beer. It also didn’t sell out as fast.

Eye of the Tiger King Hazy IPA – Narrows Brewing Co., Tacoma, WA

It’s a Rocky and Tiger King mashup! According to their listing on Untappd, the brewers used “exotic hops for Joe Exotic.” Specifically, they Strata, Vic Secret, and NZ Cascade for the botanical-meets-tropical fruit flavors in this 6.2% ABV quencher.

Joe Hopzotic Tropical IPA & Big Cat Radler – Fairhope Brewing Co., Fairhope, AL

Gotta hand it to Fairhope. They jumped on the bandwagon with both feet by brewing not one but TWO Tiger King-themed brews! The 6% Tropical IPA and the 5.5% Grapefruit Radler are both supremely drinkable, so why even bother choosing just one?

Tiger King – Montgomery Brewing Co., Montgomery, MN

It’s another New England Hazy IPA, but what helps this one stand out is the fact that the brewers used Sabro hops, which still are relatively uncommon (though picking up speed now in 2020). For beer fans who want a taste of two different rising trends, this is the brew to try.