Cocktail Club

Dogfish Head introduces Asteroid City Lager

The beer celebrates Wes Anderson's quirky new film.

By Shira Laucharoen

June 3, 2023

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If a movie and a beer sound like the perfect combination for you this summer, this craft brewery has you covered.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery recently announced the introduction of Asteroid City Lager, a drink created in honor of Wes Anderson’s new film, “Asteroid City.” According to a press release, the beverage offers “a stratified, Earthy twist on a classic lager’s light and refreshing flavor profile.” Founder and brewer Sam Calagione said that he has admired Anderson’s quirky approach to directing for a long time and that his movies have been “touchstones” for the brand.

“Our approach to brewing [has] a sense of creativity and whimsy. We take what we make really seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Calagione said. “Our rallying cry has always been ‘off-centered ale for off-centered people.'” Anderson’s films, like “Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore,” synchronize with the brewery’s energy, he added.

Asteroid City Lager is brewed with regeneratively grown pilsner malt, Tuxpeño corn malt, and Zuper Saazer hops. It features notes of savory corn, as well as hints of wild blossoms and herbs. The beer is finished with a mid-20th century Pennsylvania lager yeast, a nod to the era when “Asteroid City” takes place. The label for the drink was created in collaboration with Anderson himself.

“[The artwork] was a meta mental exercise,” Calagione said. “[It’s] essentially a billboard of a billboard. One of the central design elements in the film is a billboard saying, ‘Welcome to Asteroid City.’ So we kind of made a billboard for the beer out of [the one] from the movie.”

The movie takes place in a fictional desert town around 1955.

In the film, a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, meant to bring students and parents together for “fellowship and scholarly competition,” gets disrupted by “world-changing events.” The film boasts a star-studded cast, with actors such as Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, and more.

“Asteroid City” hits limited theaters in New York and Los Angeles on June 16 and expands nationwide on June 23. Asteroid City Lager will be available at the film’s screenings at select Alamo Drafthouse locations nationwide. The drink can also be purchased at Dogfish Head’s coastal Delaware locations, as well as at retailers like Eataly in New York’s Flatiron District.