Andre's Unbelievable Beer Drinking Capacity

Andre the Giant, the Eighth Wonder of the World, was a French professional wrestler who stood at 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighed around 500 pounds. In addition to his wrestling career, Andre was also known for his extraordinary capacity for alcohol. Legends of his drinking prowess have been told for decades by fellow wrestlers and celebrities, with claims that he could drink anywhere from 108 to 156 12-ounce beers in one sitting. That's nearly 2,500 fluid ounces or just under 20 gallons of beer—an amount equivalent to about one keg. Andre's drinking abilities were so renowned that he was dubbed The Greatest Drunk on Earth by the humor magazine American Drunkard.

156 beers in one sitting

Andre the Giant was a large man, standing at 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighing in at around 500 pounds. The wrestler/actor had an incredible tolerance for alcohol, and his drinking stories are arguably even more legendary than his accomplishments in the ring.

On an episode of WWE's Legends of Wrestling, fellow wrestler Mike Graham confirmed that Andre drank 156 beers in one sitting. That's 1,872 ounces, or 14.6 gallons of beer. To put that into perspective, the average human stomach can typically hold about a liter.

This particular drinking feat would have taken a heavy toll on most people, but Andre's size meant he could handle large quantities of alcohol. As a doctor explained, "bigger people can drink more because they are bigger. They have more tissue to absorb the alcohol, and everything else internally is larger and will be less affected by average portions of alcohol."

In addition to his legendary 156-beer session, Andre also had other impressive drinking achievements. For example, he once drank 108 12-ounce beers in 45 minutes before a flight, and 12 bottles of wine during a three-hour bus ride in Japan. On another occasion, he rang up a $40,000 bar tab over a month-long period while filming The Princess Bride, with his preferred drink being "The American," a concoction of 40 ounces of various liquors poured into a pitcher.

While Andre's drinking stories are impressive, it's important to note that excessive alcohol consumption can be dangerous and lead to serious health issues.

119 beers in six hours

Andre the Giant, the 7-foot-4-inch-tall, 520-pound French actor and professional wrestler, was known for his legendary drinking abilities. One of his most famous drinking feats was when he consumed 119 12-ounce beers in six hours. This amounts to drinking a beer every three minutes for six hours straight.

After this drinking marathon, Andre passed out in the hallway of his hotel and couldn't be moved by his companions, who were also drunk. To avoid trouble with the authorities, they covered him with a piano cover from the hotel lounge, and he slept undisturbed until morning.

This feat of drinking is not an isolated incident for Andre. Stories of his extraordinary capacity for alcohol have been told by many of his contemporaries, including wrestling figures and celebrities he worked with. Hulk Hogan, for example, recounted that Andre drank 108 12-ounce beers during a 45-minute layover at the Tampa airport.

Andre's drinking abilities were so renowned that they were even referenced in a 1984 interview on "Late Night with David Letterman," where he confirmed drinking 117 beers in one sitting. However, he later quit drinking due to his weight, which had reached 560 pounds.

Despite the impressive nature of these drinking stories, it's important to note that consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period, as Andre did, can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening.

$40,000 bar tab

Andre the Giant was a man of many talents, and drinking was one of them. Standing at 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighing around 500 pounds, Andre had a superhuman ability to consume vast amounts of alcohol.

While filming "The Princess Bride" in London, Andre allegedly ran up a $40,000 bar tab at the Hyatt hotel bar. This amounted to a month's stay, during which he frequently took the rest of the cast out for drinks. His co-star, Cary Elwes, recounted how Andre would drink a concoction called "The American", which consisted of 40 ounces of various liquors poured into a large pitcher. Elwes described the taste as "very potent indeed, and I remember coughing a lot. But to him, it was like chugging water."

On another occasion, Andre drank 40 vodka tonics at a bar in Kansas City after last call. The bartender agreed to stay open until he was done drinking, and Andre continued until around 5 a.m.

Andre's immense size, caused by gigantism, gave him intense joint pain. To ease his discomfort, he often drank copious amounts of alcohol. Despite his extraordinary alcohol consumption, he rarely appeared drunk or out of control. His tolerance was so strong that he could down several bottles of wine before a wrestling match with no effect on his performance.

Andre's drinking prowess earned him the title of "The Greatest Drunk on Earth" from the humor magazine "American Drunkard". His ability to consume vast quantities of alcohol, coupled with his larger-than-life personality, solidified his status as a legend in the world of drinking.

12 bottles of wine in three hours

Wrestler and actor Andre the Giant was known for his extraordinary capacity for alcohol. According to Hulk Hogan, Andre drank 12 bottles of wine during a three-hour bus ride in Japan. Hogan described the wine as "very powerful, powerful, strong white French wine".

While Andre's drinking abilities were legendary, they came at a cost. Andre quit drinking later in life, citing his ballooning weight as the reason. At his heaviest, Andre weighed 560 pounds. Despite quitting, he still drank three to five bottles of wine with dinner.

Consuming 12 bottles of wine in three hours is considered binge drinking. Here are some of the effects that drinking this amount of wine can have on the body:

• Increased calorie intake: A standard bottle of wine contains 750 millilitres or 25 fluid ounces of wine, which equates to around 615 extra calories.
• Lowered blood sugar: Alcohol can cause a drop in blood sugar, leading to weakness, dizziness, and heart palpitations.
• Intoxication: A standard bottle of wine typically contains 12% alcohol by volume. Drinking a full bottle will lead to intoxication, and impaired driving.
• Loss of coordination: Drinking a bottle of wine will disrupt balance, coordination, and slow reaction time.
• Increased blood pressure and heart rate: Binge drinking increases both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and elevates the pulse rate.
• Impaired fat burning: The body prioritises burning alcohol over fat. Consuming 12 bottles of wine will significantly reduce the body's ability to burn fat.
• Increased appetite: Drinking has been linked to increased binge eating and enhanced sensitivity to food smells.
• Allergic reactions: Wine contains sulfites and histamines, which can trigger congestion, flushing, itching, and other allergy reactions.
• Disrupted sleep: While alcohol may initially induce sleepiness, it can also lead to reduced sleep quality and arousal during the night.
• Gastrointestinal issues: Alcohol can increase "colonic propulsive motility", leading to gastrointestinal issues.
• Impaired brain function: Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can cause an increase in GABA, a neurotransmitter that slows down neuron firing and impairs the brain's ability to process information. This can lead to slurred speech and, in the long term, permanent brain damage.

40 vodka tonics in one night

Andre the Giant was a professional wrestler and actor known for his extraordinary capacity for alcohol. He stood at 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighed around 520 pounds. In addition to his impressive size, Andre the Giant also had a legendary drinking ability.

One of the most famous stories of his drinking prowess took place at the Marriott Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. On this particular night, Andre drank 40 vodka tonics. A vodka tonic is a cocktail typically made with one shot of vodka and topped with tonic water. The drink is served in a tall, ice-filled glass with a hint of lime juice.

According to wrestling star Bobby Heenan, Andre was approached by a bartender who was relieved to see that he was not with the wrestler this time. The bartender recalled a previous visit when Andre had been drinking until the last call and refused to leave, prompting the bartender to stay as long as he kept drinking. In response to this, Andre ordered 40 vodka tonics and drank them until 4 am.

This was not an isolated incident for Andre the Giant. He was known to have a remarkably high alcohol tolerance and often drank vast quantities in a single sitting. For example, he claimed to have consumed 117 to 119 beers in one sitting, the equivalent of nearly 2,500 fluid ounces or just under 20 gallons of beer. On another occasion, he drank 12 bottles of wine in a three-hour bus ride during a tour of Japan.

Andre's drinking was often linked to his size and the pain of carrying his weight, as well as the rigors of his wrestling career. Despite his ballooning weight, which reached 560 pounds at his heaviest, Andre's drinking did not seem to affect him in the same way it would a typical person. Cary Elwes, his co-star in "The Princess Bride," recalled being impressed by how much Andre could drink without slurring his words or appearing drunk.

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