Shotgunning Beer Is Cool Again Thanks to Celebrities

There is a spectrum of appropriateness when it comes to drinking beer. The shotgun method has always occupied some distant end, miles away from the aroma-heightening tulip glass or sleek and slender pilsner vessel. No, the shotgun tends to occupy the hangover-inducing territory mostly reserved for tailgating and absurd college parties.

Like merlot or ’90s fashion, the messy, beer-guzzling act is reemerging and we’re not entirely sure why. It’s no longer just the embellished theatrics of a blue-collar wrestler (here’s looking at you, Stone Cold Steve Austin). Celebrities and star athletes are sharing in the fun. But after shotgunning a beer for the first time in well over a decade — and once again feeling that silly, sticky, gut-punching, celebratory, woozy euphoria — I have a few theories.

Politicians once kissed babies and, largely still, visit small towns. It’s a sometimes patronizing act meant to exhibit some kind of folk sensibility — a closeness with everyday people. Social media makes our favorite people terribly accessible and we like love to ogle. So how better for a Heisman-winning quarterback or all-star influencer to prove their normality to countless followers? The shotgun, of course.

Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Aaron Rodgers have already been famously caught in the act. Tom Brady did it, but we all know it was Michelob Ultra. Justin Bieber has rather unsurprisingly attempted the shotgun many times. And Martha Stewart failed spectacularly under the tutelage of Snoop Dog. Some are better than others (and probably had more practice than others thanks to past fraternity lives) but there’s almost a nobility in just being okay at the shotgun. It’s not how much beer gets absorbed into your bloodstream. It’s how quickly you pour suds all over your face and shirt.


more on themanual.com