Hashtags to Hops | The Hawk Tuah Beer Sensation – PorchDrinking.com

In June 2024, the internet was taken by storm with Hailey Welch’s viral “Hawk Tuah” video. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, perhaps it’s time to consider coming out from under the rock where you live. No, I won’t explain it to you, but let’s just say you shouldn’t go looking it up with your kids around. It’s not explicit by any means, but it’s certainly… umm… suggestive. Think PG–13, not R.

When this trend arrived in the public zeitgeist, many breweries were quick to jump on that thang and market some of their brews to a broader audience. Did it work? Time will tell, but as someone who’s been around such a tap, this author can personally attest to a couple of instances where people have chuckled at seeing a Hawk Tuah beer and then ordered said beer, often with a shameful smirk.

Author’s Note: To be clear, I’m saying the name of the brew shows up in beer, not the spit. At least, I hope so, for all our sakes.

That’s A Lot Of Spit But Not A Lot Of Differentiation

How pervasive is this trend? After a look at the Untappd app, here’s what was found:

For searching, I tried every iteration of “Hawk Tuah” I could think of. Hawk Tuah, Hop Tuah, Hawc Tua, the list (sadly) goes on and on. I was a little unimpressed by the lack of creativity I found, though I put Grumpy Old Men Brewing’s “Hop Tuah Citra On That Thang” clearly at the top of the list.

All in all, I found 31 different iterations that capitalized on this trend: 15 variations of “Hop Tuah” and 16 variations of the classic “Hawk Tuah.” Or if you prefer visuals…

Inquiring minds must ask, “What beer style lends itself to a meme about spitting?” The answer wasn’t surprising. 19 of the 31 taps that paid homage to the meme of the moment sat firmly in the India Pale Ale family, another wildly popular trend in the industry. According to Beverage Industry, IPAs make up 46% of the craft beer sales in the U.S. The rest were a smattering of other lighter brews.

• 10 New England / Hazy IPA
• 7 American IPA
• 3 Blonde / Golden Ale
• 2 Hefeweizen
• 1 American Light Lager
• 1 American Pale Ale
• 1 Australian Sparkling Ale (Florida)
• 1 Fruit Beer
• 1 Fruited IPA
• 1 Fruited Sour
• 1 Imperial Cream Ale
• 1 Imperial IPA
• 1 Mexican Lager

Looking at Untappd ratings, the average rating of these brews was 3.76, with the highest coming in at a respectable 4.04. Congrats to Los Molinos Beer Company in San Clemente, California! Your Hop Tuah IPA is really the crème de la crème of summer 2024 meme beers. (If this isn’t a World Beer Cup category, it really needs to be.) 

To America, And Beyond

Now, where exactly is all this brewing being done? The answer is a little surprising. Most brews came from the United States, yes, but no one state was overrepresented. What surprised me the most was the inclusion of a few brews from other countries! We have one brew each from Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Isle of Man. It’s a tribute to the universal appeal of internet memes, really. 

Check out the full list here: 

The author compiled information for this table using the Untappd App. 

Toasting To Trends

There you have it: all the Hawk Tuah beer news you need to drive the beer fans crazy. I’m sure I missed some local brews out there, so if you find some I missed, drop a comment below to give them some love. 

In all seriousness, we love it when brewers scratch their creative itch to catch the eye of potential customers. If this means they need to engage in a little meme-savvy marketing, then so be it. It certainly caught my eye. Don’t judge establishments for it! Have a chuckle about it, and then enjoy a beer at your favorite place. Prost!

Photo compiled from screenshots courtesy of Untappd. Chart compiled using Canva.