UConn women's basketball legend Tina Charles is building her next chapter, one pint at a time. The 15-year WNBA veteran-turned-brewery owner launched 78 Brewing Co. this summer out of Connecticut.
Tina Charles's WNBA Journey Inspires Beer Brand
The brewing company is named after UConn women's basketball's perfect 78-0 record across Charles's final two seasons with the Huskies. Charles also helped to lead those squads to two straight titles, capping off her college career before the Connecticut Sun selected her No. 1 overall in 2010 draft.
Her first release, the 78-0 Hazy IPA, hit shelves across the state in July. Weeks later came SUNSET, a tropical, hop-forward IPA paying tribute to her time with the Sun. Charles unveiled it during her jersey retirement ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena, with both beers now available at Connecticut bars and retail shops.
"I'm just trying to tell stories through beer and just trying to bring communities together," Charles said.
The brewery puts Charles among another select group as fewer than 1% of craft breweries in the US are Black-owned. But what she built in the league is exactly why her new brand has a story to tell.
Charles won MVP in 2012 and led the league in rebounding four times. She retired as the all-time leader in rebounds and field goals made. The Sun raised her No. 31 to the rafters this summer, marking the end of one era for the WNBA icon, and the beginning of another.
