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Crazy Horse           Hornell Brewing Co. debuted Crazy Horse in 1992. Hornell was owned by John Ferolito and Don Vultaggio, the makers of Arizona Iced Tea which also debuted that same year. Crazy Horse Malt Liquor was supposed to be part of a series of Wild West beers, along with James Bowie and Annie Oakley, a light beer that never got produced. The Native American known as Crazy Horse was born in or around 1840 near present-day Rapid City, South Dakota, and was an Oglala Sioux Indian chief who fought against the U.S government which wanted to move the tribe to a reservation in the Black Hills. Crazy Horse led the defeat of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, more commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand. Soon after the beer's release, Surgeon General Antonia Novello lashed back at Hornell for "insensitive and malicious marketing", claiming the beer "may appeal to drinkers who want to go 'crazy'" and that Hornell's "marketing strategy is guaranteed to decrease the health status of Native Americans." The issue escalated and the following year, in 1993, the descendants of Crazy Horse filed suit against Hornell. In 2001 the family reached a settlement with SBC Holdings Inc., formerly Stroh's Brewing Co., one of the brewers of Crazy Horse. John Stroh III delivered an in-person public apology to the people of the Rosebud Sioux and presented them with 32 Pendleton blankets, 32 braids of sweet grass, 32 twists of tobacco and 7 thoroughbred horses. The "32" represents the number of states that Crazy Horse malt liquor was sold in. Eventually the image of the Indian chief was replaced with that of a horse on a much more colorful label, and then a name change followed suit, with the brand now known as Crazy Stallion. The back of the bottle reads "The Black Hills of Dakota, steeped in the history of the American West, home of Proud Indian Nation. A land where imagination conjures up images of blue clad Pony Soldiers and magnificent Native American Warriors. A land still rutted with wagon tracks of intrepid pioneers. A land where waitful winds whisper of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Custer. A land of character, of bravery, of tradition. A land that truly speaks of the spirit that is America." Crazy Horse weighed in at 5.9% ABV and was most recently produced by City Brewing. It was a fantastic malt liquor with a hell of a story behind it. It was one of my first 40oz malt liquors and one of my favorites. Overall 10/10 swills. I need the last 3 variants pictured. If you can help, please email me. Reviews | Return |