Sean Matson: Crafty Celebrity Stories

Former U.S. Navy SEAL and entrepreneur Sean Matson joins The Beer Connoisseur for the next installment of Crafty Celebrity Stories, which features the best tales of ale (and more) from leading actors, celebrities and persons of interest.

Sean is the founder of Matbock, a military outfitter, as well as the creator of Strike Force Energy Drink Mix, which features zero sugar, zero calories, and the right amount of caffeine, taurine, and B vitamins.

Beer drinkers like to laugh. What’s the funniest drinking story you can share with us?
Towards the end of your first platoon, before you went on deployment, we used to have a little ceremony with the older SEALs in our platoon where they “gave” us our tridents. The first evolution was to eat pickled eggs and chug hot 40s as fast as possible. Within a few sips it turned into a drink/puke routine. Later in the night they gave us paintball guns to shoot at each other in a pace-off duel, but we started shooting the older guys so that evolution was quickly ended and we went onto the next evolution. All in good fun, but a lot of drinking and storytelling.

Who's the coolest person you've had a beer or drink with?
The Werner Family. For years we would go out pheasant hunting right before Thanksgiving. The Werner family hosted about 15-20 active duty SEALs, Special Forces and other operators. Sitting down and being able to hear from CL Werner himself about how he built such an incredible enterprise was extremely inspiring.

What are a few of your favorite craft beers and why?
Dogfish Head 120 Minute: Strong beer with great flavoring. Bold Mariner's Frogman Lager, it's such a great refreshing lager, plus the owner is a former Navy SEAL. Young Veterans Brewing Company's Pineapple Grenade, I’ve always loved hefeweizens and theirs is the best.

Do you have a favorite (craft) brewery or breweries and why?
It's so hard to just pick one, because I love to support all of them because they each have special drinks that they are known for. The Frogman lager from Bold Mariner is my go-to, and if they don’t carry that, I drink Vienna Lager from Devils Backbone.

Have you attended any beer events or festivals that you particularly enjoyed? What made them stand out?
Absolutely! Our favorites are the ones that also have BBQ. My wife and I love to enjoy BBQ and beer.

What types of beer do Navy SEALs usually drink? Or were you not allowed to drink while active?
Depends on the occasion, but typically guys are drinking Coors Light. Being that they are more than 95% water, you’re essentially hydrating yourself while you drink.

Does your company have any good products to carry around beer in more easily for those who love outdoor adventures?
Our MR. Dry Bags are great for the outdoor enthusiast, because they have a frame that keeps them waterproof and will also help keep them cold.

What upcoming projects does your company MATBOCK have brewing? 
We usually have no less than a dozen projects in the works. Right now, our biggest one is a medical device, which is under one of our subsidiaries, Aceso Plasma. Aceso is the Greek god of healing and our device uses cold plasma technology to coagulate, disinfect and decontaminate.