Fremont Brewing teams up with Sonny Sixkiller for a beer that’s part tribute, part family project
If you’ve been a UW Husky fan for any length of time, the name Sonny Sixkiller needs no introduction. He is an absolute legend, beloved by all true Huskies. I’ve got my own faint memories, not of seeing him play, but of his legacy and his unforgettable name. I’d complete a pass to my brother and my dad would say something like, “You’re a regular Sonny Sixkiller.” My point is, for generations of Seattle football fans, the Sixkiller name still carries real weight. So when I heard Fremont Brewing was releasing a beer built around him, I was pretty jazzed to learn more.
The beer is called 6 Killer Native Lager, and it’s a collaboration between Fremont Brewing, Sonny Sixkiller himself, and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. But the real story here isn’t really about a brewery cashing in on a recognizable name — it’s about a son who works at Fremont Brewing wanting to build something with his dad, who happens to be a local legend.
A Family Affair
That son is Tyson Sixkiller, a Sales Account Manager at Fremont. He’s the one who got this whole thing rolling, and he’s also the one who connected it to Sonny’s long relationship with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, a partnership built over years through charitable golf tournaments and other community efforts.
“I’ve obviously known my dad as Dad my entire life, but I also understand what Sonny Sixkiller means to generations of people around Seattle and throughout the region,” said Tyson Sixkiller. “Working at Fremont, I started thinking about how much fun it would be to create something together. What started as an idea became an opportunity to bring my dad, Fremont and a great partner in the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe together to make a beer we’re all really proud of.”
About the Actual Beer
As for the beer itself: 6 Killer Native Lager is a crisp, easy-drinking lager with a clean malt body and a light hop finish. It’s brewed with Premium Pilsner malt, flaked rice, Carapils, and Acidulated malt, hopped with Cashmere Cryo, and comes in at a very sessionable 4.8% ABV. The kind of beer built for tailgating, in other words.
The packaging leans into the tribute angle in a way that any longtime Huskies fan will appreciate — Sonny’s signature sits right alongside the beer’s gold “6,” a nod to the number generations of Northwest football fans still associate with him.
“When Tyson first brought the idea to me, I thought it sounded like a lot of fun,” said Sonny Sixkiller. “To be able to do something like this with my son, Fremont Brewing and friends at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe makes it special. And most importantly, they made a really good beer.”
Fremont Brewing President Andy Fogarty framed the project as one that meant something a little different internally, precisely because it started with one of Fremont’s own employees rather than a marketing pitch.
“This project really started with Tyson, and that’s what makes it special for us,” said Fogarty. “He had an idea centered around his dad and relationships that have been built over many years, and our brewing team had the opportunity to turn that idea into a beer. Sonny is an iconic figure in this city, but at its heart, 6 Killer is a story about a father and son creating something incredibly special together to honor a legacy.”
Where to find it
6 Killer Native Lager hits 16-ounce four-packs and draft starting August 28. Look for it at Fremont Brewing’s Urban Beer Garden, select other locations around the area, and at Husky Stadium throughout the 2026 football season — which feels like exactly the right home for it.
Sonny himself will be making a handful of appearances this fall to accompany the release, starting with an event from 3–5 p.m. on Friday, August 28th at Fremont Urban Beer Garden. A launch celebration at the Duchess Tavern in Seattle follows in early September.
For a longtime Huskies fan who also happens to love good beer, this one goes down easy. Go Dawgs!
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