HOW MUCH BEER COULD ANDRE THE GIANT REALLY DRINK?
By PAULI POISUO
History - Science
Andre the Giant, the famous 500-plus-pound professional wrestler, was estimated to be as tall as 7'4", and as per reports, he wolfed down an absurd 7,000 calories in booze alone on a daily basis. Furthermore, while traveling in his customized trailer, he was known to empty a case of beer in an hour and a half, chasing the brew down with the occasional bottle of wine or vodka.
As legend has it, when Hulk Hogan was still a rookie, Andre used to crush every can of beer he drank in his hand and throw them at Hogan's head. It was Hogan's duty to count the hits, run to the nearest booze store during the next break, and resupply the Giant with all he could carry whenever he realized Andre's stash was depleting.
Andre once drank 119 12-ounce bottles of beer in six hours and then topped that by downing either 102 or 108 bottles of beer in just 45 minutes before a flight. He was known to empty anything between six and 16 bottles of wine before a match, and still be able to perform — and according to Andre, it took around half a gallon of vodka "just to make me feel warm inside."
The Giant's wrestler colleague Mike Graham even witnessed the big man drink as many as 156 16-ounce beers in a single sitting. While it's probably fair to say that Andre the Giant just liked a drink, a major reason for his booze-flinging antics was the pain his acromegaly — the condition that caused his massive size and assorted health troubles — caused him.