Former UConn Great Tina Charles Expands Brewing Venture With 'Sunset'

CONNECTICUT — WNBA legend and former UConn women's basketball standout Tina Charles returned to Mohegan Sun arena Tuesday where she was a Connecticut Sun MVP for her "Sun Legends" ceremony and jersey retirement, honoring a monumental career that began and ended with the team.

To mark the occasion, Charles also introduced her latest brew and business venture — SUNSET Hazy IPA, dedicated to the players, fans and coaches who helped build the Connecticut Sun legacy.

SUNSET is the latest release from Charles’ Connecticut-based company, 78 Brewing Co – a "home for craft beer brands designed to share and celebrate stories of discipline and excellence." It follows the success of the company’s debut release last month, 78-0 Hazy IPA, which celebrates the UConn women’s basketball team’s 78-0 winning streak.

SUNSET honors the same recipe developed for 78-0 — a superior hazy IPA carrying a bright, citrus-forward flavor with notes of tropical fruit, brewed with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe hops at 6.5% ABV. The bold Sun Orange and Sun Yellow design pays homage to the team’s signature colors, complemented by a patterned ribbon around the rim.

It debuted at Mohegan Sun Arena Tuesday and will roll out across Connecticut through the Fall.

In July, Charles entered the craft beer industry with the launch of 78 Brewing Co., a Connecticut-based brewery whose first release pays tribute to one of the Huskies' most celebrated achievements.

Charles, a two-time NCAA champion at UConn, the WNBA's all-time rebounding leader and a three-time Olympic gold medalist, announced Monday that she is the founder and chief executive officer of 78 Brewing Co.

The company's inaugural beer, 78-0 Hazy IPA, commemorates the UConn women's basketball team's historic 78-game winning streak and back-to-back undefeated national championship seasons from 2001-02 and 2002-03.