Andre's Beer Challenge: How Many Can He Handle?

Andre the Giant, the 7-foot-4 wrestler and actor, was known for his colossal stature and his drinking prowess. In an appearance on the Late Night With David Letterman show, Andre admitted to drinking 117 or 119 beers in a single session. However, fellow wrestler Mike Graham stated that Andre actually drank 156 beers in one sitting. This would be equivalent to 2,496 fluid ounces or 19.5 gallons of beer. Andre's incredible tolerance for alcohol was likely due to his size, as bigger people can generally drink more. In addition to his beer-drinking feats, Andre was also known for consuming large quantities of wine and hard liquor.

Andre the Giant's drinking feats

Andre the Giant, born Andre Rene Roussimoff, was a professional wrestler, actor, and one of the greatest drinkers the world has ever seen. Standing at 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighing around 520 pounds, he was a force to be reckoned with both in the ring and at the bar. Roussimoff's drinking abilities were legendary, and he holds the world record for the largest number of beers consumed in a single sitting. Here are some of his most remarkable drinking feats:

119 Beers in Six Hours

One of Andre the Giant's most famous drinking exploits was consuming 119 12-ounce beers in just six hours. This equates to drinking a beer every three minutes, non-stop, for six hours straight. After this marathon drinking session, Andre passed out in a hotel lobby, and his companions had to drape him with a piano cover as they were unable to move his massive body.

A Case of Wine in Three Hours

On a trip to Japan, Andre the Giant and wrestler Hulk Hogan took an eight-hour bus ride. Three hours into the journey, Andre had already finished an entire case of 12 bottles of powerful French wine. According to Hogan, Andre drank the wine like it was water, and he seemed unfazed by the amount he consumed.

40 Vodka Tonics in One Night

One night, while visiting the Marriott Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, Andre the Giant decided to stay at the hotel bar after last call. The bartender, not wanting to risk an altercation with the hulking wrestler, allowed him to stay as long as he kept drinking. Andre proceeded to order and drink 40 vodka tonics, one after another, finishing the last one at 4 am.

$40,000 Bar Tab

While filming "The Princess Bride," Andre the Giant racked up an impressive bar tab of $40,000 at the Hyatt in London over a month-long period. His go-to drink was called an "American," which consisted of 40 ounces of various liquors poured into a pitcher. His co-star, Cary Elwes, described it as tasting like "airplane fuel."

Drinking a Plane Dry

On another occasion, while travelling to Japan, Andre the Giant and his wrestling colleague, Ric Flair, drank an entire plane's stock of vodka during the flight. Flair confirmed this feat, stating that they drank every bottle of vodka on the 747 aircraft.

Andre the Giant's drinking abilities were legendary, and these are just a few examples of his remarkable feats. His size and tolerance for alcohol continue to fascinate and amaze people even today.

His tolerance for alcohol

Andre the Giant's tolerance for alcohol was legendary, and he was known to consume vast amounts of alcohol with seemingly little effect. His drinking exploits were well-documented and often involved extraordinary quantities of beer, wine, and liquor.

One of his most famous drinking stories involves downing an astonishing 156 beers in a single sitting, as confirmed by fellow wrestler Mike Graham on WWE's "Legends of Wrestling." This equates to nearly 2,500 fluid ounces or just under 20 gallons of beer, an amount that would be deadly for the average person. On another occasion, Andre admitted to drinking 117 or 119 12-ounce beers in one night during an appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman." Even at his massive weight of over 500 pounds, this would result in a dangerously high blood alcohol concentration for a typical person.

Andre's drinking prowess extended beyond beer. Hulk Hogan recalled that Andre drank 12 bottles of strong white French wine during an eight-hour bus ride in Japan, requiring a "pit stop" after just three hours. On another occasion, Andre consumed 108 12-ounce beers in a mere 45 minutes while waiting for a flight, according to Hogan.

In addition to beer and wine, Andre was also fond of cocktails. His favorite drink was reportedly "The American," a concoction of 40 ounces of various liquors poured into a pitcher. Cary Elwes, Andre's co-star in "The Princess Bride," described the drink as akin to "airplane fuel." Despite the potent nature of this cocktail, Elwes recalled that Andre would drink several of them in a single sitting.

Andre's extraordinary tolerance for alcohol can be partially attributed to his large size. At 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighing over 500 pounds, he had more tissue to absorb the alcohol, resulting in a reduced relative impact compared to a smaller person. Additionally, it is believed that Andre built up a heavy tolerance due to his frequent drinking.

How his weight affected his drinking

Andre the Giant was a colossus of a man, standing at 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighing in at over 500 pounds. His size, caused by gigantism, was what made him a legend in the wrestling world, but it also meant that he could drink a staggering amount of alcohol.

The larger a person is, the more alcohol they can consume before reaching dangerous levels. Andre's weight and size meant that he could drink a huge amount without it affecting him in the same way it would a smaller person. In fact, his size meant that he had to drink a lot more to feel the effects of alcohol at all. This was partly why he drank so much—to numb the physical pain caused by his weight and his wrestling career. His doctor didn't know what kind of pain medication to give him, so alcohol was his way of coping.

Andre's drinking was legendary. He once drank 119 12-ounce beers in a single sitting, and on another occasion, he drank 108 12-ounce beers in just 45 minutes. That's over 10 gallons of beer. He also drank 12 bottles of strong white wine in a three-hour bus ride and regularly drank six bottles of wine before a match. On one occasion, he drank 40 vodka tonics in one sitting, finishing at 5 a.m. His favourite drink was a concoction he called "The American", which was 40 ounces of various liquors mixed together.

While Andre's drinking was impressive, it's important to remember that consuming this much alcohol is extremely dangerous for most people and can be fatal. Andre's size and weight meant that he could handle more alcohol than the average person, but his drinking was still a cause for concern. In fact, he eventually quit drinking due to his ballooning weight, which had reached 560 pounds.

His favourite drinks

Andre the Giant's favourite drinks were many and varied, and his drinking prowess was legendary. His favourite drink was reportedly a concoction he called "The American", a 40-ounce pitcher of various liquors, which his co-star Cary Elwes likened to "airplane fuel". Elwes also stated that Andre would drink several of these in a single sitting.

Andre's drinking was not due to alcoholism, but rather to numb the physical pain he was in due to his size and the rigours of his wrestling career. His doctor didn’t know what kind of pain medication to give him, so he turned to alcohol to dull the pain.

Fellow wrestler, Gerald Brisco, confirmed that Andre would drink six bottles of Mateus wine before a match, and that no one could tell. He also recalled a night in Sarasota when Andre drank two cases of tall boys in one go.

Hulk Hogan, Andre's old drinking buddy, shared a story of how Andre drank 108 12-ounce beers in 45 minutes during a one-hour layover at Tampa Airport. Hogan also recalled a bus ride in Japan when Andre drank 12 bottles of strong white French wine in three hours.

Andre's drinking feats also included downing 40 vodka tonics in one sitting, and racking up a £40,000 bar tab during a month-long stay at a London hotel.

How his drinking compared to a normal person's

Andre the Giant's drinking habits were legendary, and he is remembered as one of the all-time great boozers. But how does his drinking compare to that of an average person?

To start with, Andre's size played a significant role in his ability to consume large quantities of alcohol. Standing at 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighing between 520 and 560 pounds, he was a true giant. His immense size meant that he had more tissue to absorb alcohol, and his internal organs were larger, allowing him to be less affected by alcohol than the average person.

In a single sitting, Andre was known to drink astonishing amounts of alcohol that would be dangerous, if not deadly, for a normal person. On one occasion, he admitted to drinking 117 to 119 12-ounce beers in one night. This amount of beer would result in a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of around .83% for a 550-pound person, which would likely be fatal for someone of average weight.

To put this into perspective, a person weighing 180 pounds could reach a BAC of .40% or above, which may prove fatal, after drinking 21 beers over six hours. Andre's drinking prowess was not limited to beer, though. He was also known to consume vast quantities of wine, liquor, and cocktails. On separate occasions, he drank 12 bottles of wine in three hours, 102 beers in 45 minutes, and 156 beers in one sitting, according to various sources and witnesses, including fellow wrestlers and celebrities.

In comparison, the average person typically has a much lower alcohol tolerance. While factors such as weight, height, metabolism, and gender can influence alcohol tolerance, the general guideline recommended by the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans is no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men. Binge drinking, defined as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men on a single occasion, is considered risky behaviour and can lead to a range of negative consequences, including alcohol poisoning, accidents, and violence.

In conclusion, Andre the Giant's drinking habits were far beyond what a normal person could handle. His exceptional size and tolerance allowed him to consume extraordinary amounts of alcohol with seemingly little effect, at least in the short term. However, it is important to remember that excessive alcohol consumption, such as that exhibited by Andre, can lead to serious health problems and should not be glorified or attempted by anyone.

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