Somewhere in a corporate office in Denver, Co, a bewildered executive in a corner office is scratching his head trying to figure out what his company, Coors, did to elicit the portrayal of once front-man, Robert James Ritchie, AKA Kid Rock.  And somewhere in Toledo, OH a beer loving family man is scratching his head wondering what Robert James Ritchie did to court the Michigan Economic Growth Authority into dumping three quarters of a million dollars into Kid and Michigan Brewing Company’s new line of Kid Rock beer.  Your tax dollars hard at work!

Kid Rock claims to be lending his name (and repertoire of beer knowledge–Michigan Brewery is allowing his creative input) not to bolster public image, but to encourage job growth in his economically foundering home state.  Seeing as Ritchie last endorsed Coors, my hopes are not set extremely in anticipation of the quality of this beer.  Quality aside, the most frightening aspect of this recycled business plan (product + celebrity = overnight sales success) is that the blueprint calls for unprecedented and rapid growth.  Michigan Brewing Company intends on growing from a staff of 8 to a staff of 158, and investing $7 million of its own money.  All tolled, the venture aims at creating 394 statewide after all new middle men are factored in.  I cannot help but pessimistically wonder if the brewery’s infrastructure can handle such growth.

Nonetheless, the plan is set in motion and all that is needed is a name for the beer, for which the public is being petitioned.  You yourself can go to Kid Rock’s website and drop your two cents.   A few honorable mentions already suggested are “Low-Life Beer, Pimpin’ Beer,” and “Mack ‘Em.”

This idea doesn’t always go wrong.  Paul Newman’s line and Greg Norman’s wine comes to mind as successful celebrity/capitalism hybrids, but I know plenty have slipped unnoticed into obscurity.  What other celebrity products (particularly beer or alcohol related) can you think of?