Wild fans pose with the Beer Twigs before Monday’s game.
Peter Baugh / The Athletic
ST. Paul, Minn. — About four years ago, Kevin Bowles and the Minnesota Wild’s food and beverage team noticed the rising popularity of beer bats at baseball games—long plastic bats open at the top, allowing fans to sip beer like unorthodox cups. “Why aren’t we doing this?” Bowles thought. “We need this, too.”
Last season, Bowles and his Levy Restaurants catering crew introduced plastic hockey sticks filled with beer to Grand Casino Arena, just in time for the playoffs. The sticks were an instant hit, says Bowles, a senior executive chef with 16 years on the team. Made by a company called Beer Twig, these plastic vessels are described as “part drinkware, part souvenir, and all energy” on the company’s website. Bowles notes that the Wild were the first NHL team to adopt the product.
“We just wanted to do something cool, something ‘wow,’ something over the top,” Bowles said. “Then, boom. Beer Twigs.”
Each Beer Twig holds 24 ounces of liquid and is sold at four locations on the main concourse. Fans can fill it with their preferred beer or Slap Shot Seltzer, a green, cherry limeade flavored drink exclusive to the arena. About 90 minutes before puck drop, a group of friends stood in the main concourse holding their Beer Twigs.
“It’s sick,” said Chase Carlson, a 22-year-old wearing a Devan Dubnyk jersey. “C’mon, you get two beers with these puppies, too.”
“It looks awesome,” added Carlson’s friend Karsen Brickson. “It’s going to be a keepsake at my house.”
Carlson saw a TikTok video of the Beer Twig on Sunday. The next night, he and his friends were thrilled with their purchase, joking they’d use the empty sticks as lightsabers.
The Wild sold the Beer Twigs during the regular season, but sales have surged since the playoffs began. “We have noticed it is much more of a playoff, ‘wow,’ good-time fun item,” Bowles said. “They’ve really been booming again as we’ve gotten back in the playoffs.”
The Wild are not alone in this trend. The Hurricanes have a beer skate, priced at $19 empty or $31 full, with 4,687 sold at their Game 1 win against the Flyers—equivalent to one out of every four fans. Buffalo introduced a Beer Sabre this season, and the Utah Mammoth offer a tusk mug.
“It’s kind of turning into an arms race right now,” Bowles said, comparing the trend to collectable popcorn buckets at movie theaters. “People love a collectable gizmo.”
Bowles enjoys watching fans leave the arena with their empty Twigs. He keeps some in his garage, though he admits, “In my old age, it’s bigger than I can chug.” He added, “People love them. I personally like watching people walking out of the building holding them. It’s just a cool thing to take out of here with you.”
