GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Culture
SOLID STARTING POINT
A Hamilton man has apparently built a complete identity around a Behemoth Brewing t-shirt.
35-year-old Liam Halstead was first spotted wearing the shirt at a friend’s barbecue back in 2022. Since then, he has worn it to six other barbecues, three gigs, a beer festival, one second date, and a job interview.
“It’s not just a shirt,” said Halstead, pulling at the now well-worn collar. “It’s a conversation starter. It says, ‘This guy likes flavour. This guy reads the labels. This guy gets it.’”
Halstead’s friend Jordan Jorgensen says the shirt, which features Behemoth’s cartoon Churly character, has become “a core part of who Liam is”, as he now says things like “I’m a bit of a beer nerd, to be fair”, and that any beverage under 7% is “sessionable”.
“He’s got opinions now,” says Jordan. “Strong ones. About IPAs, yeast strains, and carbonation. It’s exhausting.”
Halstead has reportedly never home-brewed in his life, but is “really good” at talking about people who do. He also refers to Behemoth Brewing as “the boys” despite never having met anyone who works there.
“Behemoth just really aligns with who I am,” said the man, who works in supply chain management and drives a Mazda Demio. “Big flavours and big character, just like me.”
Halstead says the t-shirt has served him well, especially when entering new social environments.
“It just helps people know what they’re dealing with. I’m chill, I’m crafty, I’ve got taste. And I don’t drink anything I can’t describe using the words ‘citrusy’ or ‘resin-forward’.”
Asked if he had any plans to mix things up fashion-wise, Halstead confirmed he had recently purchased a Behemoth hoodie, “for more formal occasions”.
More to come.
