Thirsty Cleveland Browns fans were treated to free Bud Light after Thursday night’s win over the New York Jets. The Browns hadn’t won a game in 635 days dating back to the 2016 season. But even in victory celebration, nothing is ever easy for Cleveland fans.
Before the start of the 2018 NFL season, Bud Light installed 10 “smart” refrigerators across the Cleveland metropolitan area. Stacked with free cans of beer, they were due to be unlocked when—and if—the Browns won a game.
Sounds like easy free beer, right? Maybe not. Cleveland fans have seen their hopes crushed too many times before. Remember 2012 Heisman winner Johnny Manziel? (Currently the second-string quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes.) Remember the 4-0 2017 preseason campaign? (Followed up by a 0-16 regular season.) Even the first game of 2018 was frustrating. (A stirring comeback from 21-7 down to the Steelers ended in a 21-21 tie, and no beer.)
When the Browns finally snapped their 19-game winless streak, defeating the Jets 21-17, “there was some difficulty getting them open,” said Nick Harley, a Browns fan who attended the game and postgame celebration. “People thought they were gonna open like right away. There were large crowds of people chanting to get them open as the bar staff is fumbling to get [the smart fridges] open.
“But they opened, that’s what matters.”
We WON!!! —-Wait….Oh God. The free beer thing…Ok Cleveland. Stay calm. GO BROWNS!!! @Browns @budlight #CLE
— Cleveland Police (@CLEpolice) September 21, 2018
Harley added that Bud Light charged interested bars $1,500 up front to install the smart fridges, which included a free supply of roughly 200 tall boys. (A Bud Light tall boy retails for around $2, meaning 200 might cost around $400.) The hefty price tag along with the fact that customers would be receiving copious amounts of free beer meant many small local establishments elected to not purchase a smart fridge. Harley’s family owns a bar in a Cleveland suburb, and could not afford to install one of the fridges.
Bars that did, couldn’t quite get the free beer out fast enough. “They were supposed to pull the magnet off and a chain was just supposed to fall off, but from what I saw it didn’t go off like that,” said Colin Valencic, a friend of Harley’s who was also at the game.
The fridges were not controlled by some WiFi control. Rickety old lock and key (that took 5 mins to open)! pic.twitter.com/TJ3dwuq8Vb
— Chris Tye (@TVTye) September 21, 2018
But though the fridges might not have been the sweetest deal for bars, and might not have been quite as “smart” as promised, they have secured their own special chapter in the history of Cleveland sports.
“It’s officially a part of Cleveland lore,” said Valencic. “The drought is over and that [beer fridge opening] was a symbol of the drought ending.”
Browns fans trying to open a beer fridge for free beer is the purest thing pic.twitter.com/2LatyLUQj1
— Ben McDonald (@Bmac0507) September 21, 2018