Former UConn women’s basketball and WNBA star Tina Charles smiles during the launching of her new craft beer 78-0 Hazy IPA at East Rock Brewing in New Haven Conn., Friday, July 17, 2026.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
78-0 Hazy IPA, a new beer by former UConn women’s basketball and WNBA star Tina Charles at East Rock Brewing in New Haven Conn., Friday, July 17, 2026.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
78-0 Hazy IPA, a new beer by former UConn women’s basketball and WNBA star Tina Charles at East Rock Brewing in New Haven Conn., Friday, July 17, 2026.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Former UConn women’s basketball and WNBA star Tina Charles, third from left, launches her new craft beer 78-0 Hazy IPA with former UConn players, Heather Buck, left, Kalana Greene, second from left, and assistant coach Tonya Cardoza, right, along with Head Coach Geno Auriemma at East Rock Brewing in New Haven Conn., Friday, July 17, 2026.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
NEW HAVEN — Tina Charles, Geno Auriemma and Jen Rizzotti — three prominent members of a UConn women’s basketball family that spans generations — gathered inside East Rock Brewing Company on Friday evening. They hugged. They clinked glasses in cheers. They sipped a bright yellow, citrusy India Pale Ale.
Charles is in the beer business now, which, to her, means she’s in the storytelling business, too. 78 Brewing Co. is her newest venture and the 78-0 Hazy IPA is its flagship sudsy beverage, made in conjunction with East Rock and officially launched Friday, but the stories that inspired it aren’t hers alone.
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The name of the beer is in recognition for what was accomplished in her final two years at UConn — consecutive national championship seasons with perfect records of 39-0, part of a winning streak that reached 90 — so she considers this pursuit something built by the entire UConn family. Charles will share revenue from the beer sales with her teammates on those iconic teams, and with her alma mater via the UConn Foundation so the athletic department can offer more to student-athletes through initiatives based on name, image and likeness.
“My last few years at UConn, my teammates and I were able to achieve an incredible feat,” Charles told an invite-only crowd of about 125. “I always wanted to do something with that number. Being a lover of beer, it’s always been present during celebratory moments. The best stories I’ve ever heard were over a beer.”
The 78-0 Hazy IPA is 6.5 percent alcohol. It has a kick. But one glass wouldn’t knock you off your stool, either.
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“It’s crushable,” Charles said, noting that the beer, as she designed, is less sour than a typical IPA. “It’s approachable.”
Charles, 37, announced her retirement in May, marking the end of a dominant career. She won national championships, was an All-American and a national player of the year. She’s a three-time Olympic gold medalist. She was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 WNBA draft and the league MVP for the Connecticut Sun in 2012.
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She came to UConn as an 18-year-old kid in 2006, out of prestigious Christ The King High in New York, and 20 years later represents basketball excellence and consistency as well as any player. She is the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder and its second-leading scorer.
Asked what she’s most proud of, Charles said, “Just the woman that I am before you, my giving-back nature, the experiences I was able to have. I was able to travel the world. It’s not about the wins and losses for me. It’s the people you meet along the way and who you become. I’m just proud of the woman I became in basketball.”
Charles said retirement took some getting used to — waking up feeling like you need to work out, when you really don’t, for instance. But she had already started making moves toward the formation of 78 Brewing Co. She loves a good IPA and she wanted the flavor profile of this one to tell a story.
“Citrus, tropical,” she said of choosing Mosaic, Simcoe and Citra hops. “A nod to my Caribbean roots.”
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Charles’ mother, Angella, is from Jamaica. Her father, Rawlston, is from Trinidad and Tobago. Her mother was in attendance Friday. So, too, were many members of the UConn family, including former teammates Heather Buck and Kalana Greene.
Former UConn women’s basketball and WNBA star Tina Charles, third from left, launches her new craft beer 78-0 Hazy IPA with former UConn players, Heather Buck, left, Kalana Greene, second from left, along with Head Coach Geno Auriemma at East Rock Brewing in New Haven Conn., Friday, July 17, 2026.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Auriemma joined Charles for a 15-minute panel discussion before mixing into the bar scene. He had no comment on the hiring of an assistant coach to replace Jamelle Elliott — almost certain to be a former UConn national champion and WNBA player.
It’s nights like Friday, occasions like this, that enable Auriemma to reflect on what his program does in addition to piling up Final Four runs and national championships.
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Sipping one of the beers, he said, “I hope that at UConn, we’re all about giving people opportunities. Here’s an opportunity for Tina coming out of New York, coming to UConn, to make a name for yourself on the basketball court, win championships, make a name for yourself in the WNBA — and then see where else you can make a name for yourself. But it all starts with getting an opportunity. Luckily, we’re at a place where, if you’re successful at UConn, those other opportunities are going to present themselves. And that’s what I’m most proud of. We’ll give you the opportunity. They’re going to present themselves because of where you are. Now it’s up to you to take it and run with it. And that’s what all of my players have done.”
So many former UConn players — whether it be Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart launching the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, Jessica Moore climbing the corporate ladder at Nike or Maya Moore’s social justice initiatives — have parlayed their college and basketball experiences into something bigger.
Former UConn women’s basketball and WNBA star Tina Charles launches her new craft beer 78-0 Hazy IPA with UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma at East Rock Brewing in New Haven Conn., Friday, July 17, 2026.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
“He probably just sees us as his daughters, just very proud to look back at what we’ve all been able to accomplish not only on the court but off the court,” Charles said. “So I just hope that I’m making him proud.”
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Charles is just at the outset of her next chapter. She said there will be more beers, telling more stories, honoring other iconic players and franchises.
The 78-0 Hazy IPA will be available this summer at selected retail locations in Connecticut, at UConn home games in Storrs and Hartford, and at Connecticut Sun games (in a special edition “Sunset” can). The Sun, the team Charles spent her first four seasons with and returned to for her final WNBA season in 2025, are relocating to Houston after the season.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Charles said. “I’ve had so many moments — a lot of firsts for me were in the state of Connecticut, in college and then being drafted. A lot of memories. At times, businesses have to move on. I think the fans will cherish the time … that the team was in the state, and Houston will definitely take care of it.”
While playing for the Sun last season, Charles befriended Alisa Bowens-Mercado, the founder of the Rhythm Brewing Co. in New Haven. Bowens-Mercado, known as “Lady Lager,” is the first Black woman to own a brewery in Connecticut. Bowens-Mercado, who attended Friday’s event, mentored Charles through the brewery process.
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“I never knew that Tina really was into that aspect of it, wanting to expand with it and do something with it, the whole ownership thing, the entrepreneurship thing, the under-represented people. She did a lot of homework on this. She put in the time, put the whole thing together,” she said.
Former UConn women’s basketball and WNBA star Tina Charles shares smiles while launching her new craft beer 78-0 Hazy IPA at East Rock Brewing in New Haven Conn., Friday, July 17, 2026.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
Charles hasn’t dribbled at basketball since April 6, the day of her final game in China.
“That’s all she wrote,” she said. “I think it’s good. Sort of like an ex. You’ve got to keep moving forward.”
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Charles spent 15 years in the WNBA after leading UConn to those perfect seasons.
“I get emotional,” she said. “It was just such a fun time. I don’t know if we all cherished it the way that we should have. Around that time, the conversation was that we were bad for women’s basketball, because we were so dominant. I don’t know if a lot of people remember that. But then people catch up and now it’s like an even playing field, a bit. For us, we were just keeping our head down, knew what we wanted to accomplish, which was a championship. Coach made the practices harder than the games and I think that’s why we were able to be dominant and receptive to his coaching style.”
What did she dream of and hope for upon arriving at UConn?
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“I hoped to win,” Charles said. “I hoped to be a player of the year. I hoped to be an All-American. All of the things I was able to achieve, those were major goals. That’s why Coach and [Chris Dailey’s] approach was what it was for me. They knew what it would take for me to rise to the occasion.”