Bengals fans stocking up for the season now have a new option at the checkout line: a limited-edition, orange-and-black striped beer bucket from Garage Beer, the light lager company co-owned by former Cincinnati Bearcats stars Jason and Travis Kelce. The bucket holds 24 cans, split evenly between 12 Garage Beer Classic and 12 Garage Beer Lime, and is showing up at participating retailers across Greater Cincinnati while supplies last.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the buckets are being sold at Kroger, Walmart and Jungle Jim's locations throughout the region. Garage Beer CEO Andy Sauer said the company wanted to give Bengals fans something suited to tailgates, fan caves, garages or wherever else they watch the game, per the same report. The company is advising customers to call ahead to confirm a store still has buckets in stock before making a special trip.
A Bengals Partnership Rooted in Bearcat Loyalty
Garage Beer is now an official partner of the Cincinnati Bengals, and the tie-in runs deeper than a marketing deal. Jason and Travis Kelce are both Cincinnati Bearcats football alumni, with Jason playing for the program from 2006 to 2010 and Travis from 2008 to 2012 before each moved on to the NFL, according to University of Cincinnati Athletics. That connection gives the brand a built-in fan base in a city where the brothers' names still carry weight, and it dovetails with the Kelces becoming Garage Beer's largest shareholders back in 2024, as Hoodline reported when the brothers became largest stakeholders in the company.
At Paycor Stadium itself, fans can find 16-ounce cans of Garage Beer Classic and Garage Beer Lime, with dedicated Garage Beer caves set up in sections 148, 303 and 337, the Enquirer notes. The stadium presence puts Garage Beer in direct competition with Rhinegeist Brewery, the Cincinnati-based craft outfit that recently landed its own deal as an official hometown beer partner of the Bengals, introducing a Cincy Splash vodka soda at the stadium, as Hoodline covered in its report on Rhinegeist's new Bengals deal.
Garage Fest Brings Music, Games and a $10,000 Prize to Loveland
Beyond the retail rollout, Garage Beer and Cappy's Loveland will host Garage Fest on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the Enquirer's report. The event takes place within Loveland's Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area, a designated zone the city established in April 2019 and expanded in May 2020 to run seven days a week from noon to 11 p.m. under Ohio Revised Code § 4301.82, per the City of Loveland. Ohio DORAs allow patrons 21 and older to carry alcohol in designated cups within a mapped downtown area, and Loveland's stretches along Karl Brown Way through Nisbet Park, crossing the Loveland Bike Trail where it meets the Little Miami River.
Garage Fest will feature 11 participating bars and restaurants along with live music, games and a scavenger hunt, the Enquirer reports. Fans can begin collecting stamps for a Garage Fest passport challenge starting this past Monday, with the completed passport offering a chance to win prizes. Two of those prizes stand out: four club passes to the Bengals versus Ravens game on New Year's Eve, and a custom garage door valued at $10,000.
How a Local Spin-off Became a $200 Million Brand
Garage Beer's Loveland festival and Bengals bucket push come amid a broader commercial surge for the company. The brand started in 2018 as a craft light lager made by Braxton Brewing Co. in Covington, Kentucky, before spinning off in 2023 into an independent, Columbus-based company under Sauer, according to Companies History. The name traces back to the Rouse family's origin story of brewing out of their childhood garage, per VinePair.
In September 2025, private equity firm Durational Capital Management took a growth investment stake in Garage Beer that valued the company at $200 million, with Sauer projecting 2025 annual revenues between $60 million and $70 million, up from under $20 million in 2024, as reported by The Drinks Business. The company achieved 252% sales volume growth in 2023 to become the nation's fastest-growing beer brand, even as total U.S. craft beer volume fell 4% in both 2024 and 2025, according to the Brewers Association. Both Garage Beer Classic and Garage Beer Lime are 4.0% ABV light lagers with 95 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates per 12-ounce serving, marketed explicitly as “Beer Flavored Beer” aimed at domestic light beer drinkers. To keep up with nationwide demand across all 50 states, Garage Beer relies on contract brewing partnerships, including Founders Brewing in Michigan and BrewDog in Columbus, Ohio.
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