Colleges don’t typically flaunt their association with alcohol. But over the past decade, that’s started to change—in the form of school-branded beer. There are about a dozen colleges across the country with their own beers. University of Louisiana has a Ragin’ Cajuns ale, while UVA created Wahoowa pale ale in 2022. The latest to hop on the trend? The University of Maryland, which next week will release Testudo Premium Lager (it’s named after the school’s terrapin mascot).
The beer, a malt lager (5 percent ABV), is a collaboration with UMD alumnus Adam Benesch, who owns Union Craft Brewery in Baltimore. When the school searched for a brewer to partner with, Maryland Athletics Chief Strategy Officer Brian Ullmann says Benesch was a “jackpot” for them because the entrepreneur was already full of Terrapin pride. Union Craft has hosted alumni events and attended beer tasting events on campus.
When Benesch was in college, he realized that he hated the taste of “fizzy yellow” mass-produced beers and put his extra change toward buying craft beer for himself. During his senior year, he started home-brewing in his apartment, which eventually led to him founding his own brewery. Benesch says part of his aim is educating current students who are just starting to drink beer. “If they realize, hey, all beer doesn’t need to taste like macro lagers, it just opens up a whole other world of options for them.”
What’s in it for the university? “It’s really a fan engagement thing,” Ullman says. “It’s funny, Maryland athletics has fans and alumni all over the world, [and] the vast majority of them don’t come to games. Part of the focus here is, how do we better engage fans all around the state to become proud Terp fans?”
After a launch party on August 14 at Union Craft, the beer will be sold at UMD games and on campus, and will also be available statewide at bars, restaurants, and stores. Benesch says the lager will be a permanent product for the brewery, which has a year-round portfolio of six brews. The brewer’s next goal? To create an internship program so students can learn fermentation science hands-on.
