The Spire

Ben Lepper ’25

Editor-In-Chief

Let me first make something clear: I have no problems with beer. I’m a 23-year old college senior; of course I’ve had a few beers in my two years of legality. Maybe more than a few, if I’m being honest.

I admire Holy Cross’ desire to work with local companies. I remember a few years ago they made a coffee blend with Fuel America that looked pretty good. They’ve got a deal with the Flying Rhino where you can get a free appetizer if the Crusaders win. These deals are beneficial for both sides: the companies get publicity, while the students and community get purple-branded items and free food.

And, yet, I think something about this Holy Cross collaboration with Harpoon feels off.

On August 26th, the brewery and the College announced the “Harpoon x Holy Cross Hazy IPA.” It’s got an ABV of 6% and, according to a press release from the school, “is packed with hops and full of flavor.” It’ll be on sale at football games this season, as well as local retailers. Some have already spotted it in the wild.

The can design features a purple wrap with the Crusader logo emblazoned on the front. It’s a pretty good looking can, all things considered.

But something doesn’t really sit right with me. It’s not the existence of the beer, but rather how it’s being promoted.

What people do in their free time is not up to me (and, frankly, I don’t really care what people do as long as they aren’t harming anyone), but there is no denying that underage drinking is a huge problem on college campuses nationwide. It seems as if every weekend, several ambulances make their way to Mount St. James to transport another student who attempted to test their limits and paid the price for it. It’s a bad look for the student, it’s a bad look for the school, and the only people who benefit from it are the billing departments of the emergency rooms that these students are transported to. The school obviously knows this, and they crack down pretty hard on underage drinking. 

So, why would a school trying to do this heavily advertise an alcoholic beverage branded with their logo?

It is naive to assume that all of these Hazy IPAs are being purchased and consumed legally. The drink itself also carries a good amount of alcohol; not as much as a normal IPA, which average 7-10% ABV, but certainly more than a light beer like Bud Light, which carries a 4.2% ABV. Just two of them could get a person with a low alcohol tolerance seriously woozy. Plus, underage students may see the Holy Cross logo on the can and assume that it’s a good idea (and maybe even justified) to drink a lot of it; Purple Pride and whatnot. With this all in mind, it adds up to a nightmare for the school. More belligerently drunk underage students, more transports, more bad press.

The hypocrisy is what gets me here. A school actively trying to quell underage drinking is simultaneously promoting the consumption of alcohol. You cannot just simply assume that underage students do not drink alcohol. They do. That will likely never change, whether it’s here or at another institution. And, more than likely, they will now be getting drunk on the Holy Brew.

The rollout has been baffling me, too. To launch it during First-year Orientation, as students are gathering their bearings and adjusting to the collegiate lifestyle while also testing the waters of the social scene on The Hill, is certainly bizarre. To heavily market it on Instagram, an app mostly used by teenagers and young adults, seems strangely targeted. It’s almost like they want students to drink it.

I would not be nearly as alerted by the promotion if they were exclusively promoting in spaces where only alumni or adult fans could see it, like a Facebook group. It does seem like the crossover has been extremely successful when it comes to those demographics. But, promoting it heavily in spaces where underage students can see opens up Pandora’s Box. The absolute worst case scenario for the school is now on the table: a rise in underage drinking caused by a brand deal.

I only hope that Holy Cross thought this decision through, because it has the potential to blow up in their faces and create more harm than good. And, if it creates more harm than good, I hope they’re ready to face the music, because it has the potential to end with a 16-ounce black eye and a four-pack of regret.

Featured Image Courtesy of College of the Holy Cross

Copy Edited by Charlotte Collins ’26