Bundesliga beer carrier goes viral

Hot on the heels of @FootyScran, the Twitter page which shares football stadium snacks from across the globe, @FootyBevs has become a bastion for showcasing what the bars have to offer at halftime. 

6 pints at Dortmund (@BlackYellow @BVBBuzz)

💶 €14 (£11.50) for 6 during happy hour pic.twitter.com/lYAJyiOq9N

— Footy Bevs (@FootyBevs) April 19, 2022

Borussia Dortmund’s cardboard beer carrier is not a new innovation – similar gizmos designed to facilitate the transportation of rounds can be seen at all manner sporting events. However, the ambition of Dortmund’s “Herrenhandtasche XL” (meaning “XL Men’s Handbag”), which can hold an impressive squadron of six beers at a time, has attracted considerable attention. The happy hour pricing of €14 for six beers has also proven to be a popular innovation, garnering 27.4k likes at the time of writing.

The official Borussia Dortmund English language Twitter account shared the post, stating that “beer shouldn’t be a luxury at a football match” before then suggesting that foreign fans pay a visit to Germany for a pint that isn’t “all foam”. The Dortmund quote tweet has so far been liked by 100k accounts over the previous 24 hours.

With more than 50k followers, and rapidly growing, @FootyBevs is pumping out fresh content for a largely British online audience with an insatiable thirst for alcoholic enlightenment. Tom Sibley started @FootyScran back in November, and tells db that it “unexpectedly” took off after followers started sending photos of their match day meals.

It was the abundant pictures of pints Sibley also received that encouraged him to start a separate account devoted entirely to liquid refreshment. Both accounts have become phenomena, spawning imitations and gaining attention even from those who could not care less about football.

But what makes a good @FootyBevs post? Sibley explains: “essentially the best posts are ones which either show a bad drink at a bad price, or a good drink at a good price, which is why the Dortmund post has done so well.” However, Sibley goes on to say that the “majority of big posts” are images of “flat pints being sold at £6 or some other ridiculous prices because people like to debate and get involved with their opinions on the photos.” Football fans are passionate about their club, and they’re passionate about their pints.

Though the ingenuity of German engineering when it comes to carrying six pints at once may soon catch on in other grounds, it’s perhaps unlikely to take off in Qatar for the World Cup at the end of this year.