They Might Be Giants

In 1976 in a Pennsylvania pub, André the Giant etched his name into legend with a drinking feat that has remained unmatched for nearly half a century as he consumed 119 standard 12 ounce beers over the course of just six hours. I used to sneak in the bars back then and sometimes I would get served. A beer usually cost a quarter. I don’t remember seeing him in any of those bars. I cannot find the name of the bar, but it was in Reading , Pennsylvania.

Averaging nearly 20 beers an hour, the 7 foot 4 inch, 500 pound wrestling icon displayed a tolerance that defied belief, turning an ordinary night of drinking into one of the most retold stories in wrestling lore.

I was on the wrestling team at high school and I was in the 119 pound weight class, until one day I ate too many total cookies and had to wrestle at 126.

To put it in perspective, 119 beers equals more than nine gallons of alcohol, a quantity that would overwhelm most men, but for André it was simply another reminder that everything about him was larger than life.

Some people I went to high school with, could drink a lot of beer. I think it would have to be a tag team match to put this into perspective.

Friends, wrestlers, and bartenders who witnessed the spectacle swore by its truth, and the story has since become a cornerstone of his legend, standing beside his dominance in the ring as proof of his extraordinary presence.

More than forty years later, no one has come close to breaking André’s unofficial record, which continues to amaze fans and reinforce his reputation as an unmatched force of nature whose larger than life persona extended far beyond the squared circle.

I know that’s pretty cool, but he also got to be in Princess bride.