Elon Musk has had a busy year so far: multiple SpaceX launches from Boca Chica, announcing Tesla headquarters’ move to Texas, hosting Saturday Night Live, and pumping up Dogecoin not quite to the moon. Most dads would be content to sit back and call it a year. But most dads wouldn’t name their kid X Æ A-12. Musk is not like most dads, which is probably why he thought it was a good idea to announce the release of a new beer, Giga Bier, by his automobile company, Tesla.
Musk made the announcement during the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg County Fair, a festival to celebrate the grand opening of Tesla’s new Gigafactory in Grünheide, outside Berlin. It wasn’t a full announcement but more of an exclamation mark to a list of things the new Tesla manufactory will feature. “And we’re even gonna have a beer,” he said in front of a large screen showing renderings of the Giga Bier bottle, designed in a modern and angular style reminiscent of Tesla’s Cybertruck. Judging by the mock-up, the bottle appears to be translucent. (The company may want to send that element back into R&D—beer comes in colored bottles to prevent skunking.) There was no mention of what type of beer this is going to be. He was in Berlin, so perhaps we should expect a Berliner weisse.
It’s also unclear where exactly the beer will be sold. A clue can be found in Tesla’s recent registration of two trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The company trademarked “Giga Bier,” the German name that adorned the bottle during Musk’s presentation. The other is the English version: “Giga Beer.” Now, here comes that Texan twist: an Austin brewery-to-be named Starbase Brewing registered its own trademark, on the same application date, for “GigaBeer.”
Starbase Brewing calls itself the “Official Brewery of Mars,” which is pretty bold for a brewery that has yet to open. (That detail hasn’t stopped its anonymous owners from selling T-shirts.) Despite being named after the SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica, the website makes it clear that “Starbase Brewing is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with SpaceX, or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates. We are huge fans, though.” The company is currently building out the space that once housed the now-closed Orf Brewing in Austin, but eventually plan to have at least one brewpub in Boca Chica itself. The ultimate goal, according to the site, is to open the first brewery on Mars. “GigaBeer” could be just the thing to launch Starbase’s beer dreams into orbit.
Like Tesla, Starbase did not respond to a request to comment (true fans, indeed). Did its owners register a very similar trademark out of fandom, or have they been contracted to brew the beer for Tesla? As with a good lager, the mysteries of Giga Bier will become clear with time. (Asked about the potential competition, Michael Graham of Austin Beerworks said, “What a coincidence—we’re developing an electric car!” Judging by the quality of Austin Beerworks’ beer, Tesla would have stiff competition if this were true.)
This isn’t the first time Musk has entered the booze market. In 2020, he released Tesla Tequila, which came in lightning bolt–shaped bottles and was produced by Nosotros Tequila in Hermosa Beach, California. The tequila is no longer officially for sale, but the empty bottles are still being resold online for up to $1,000. Giga Bier bottles, full or empty, are sure to be a smashing success.
We can’t predict how Giga Bier will taste or even if it will ever come to fruition, but that’s not really the point. Musk has already done what he does best—riled up his adoring fandom and gotten the internet buzzing about the potential launch. There’s no word on whether this beer will be self-drinking, but let’s hope not. That wouldn’t be any fun.
