Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman has never shied away from taking a jab at his competitors when it comes to his beer brand, EIGHT. He’s already called out rival companies for taking shortcuts, leaning on patriotic imagery when it suits them, or chasing marketing stunts instead of focusing on what’s actually in the can. That’s exactly where Aikman flips the script with his latest social media update.

“In 1516, Germany passed the Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot), requiring beer to be brewed with only water, malt, and hops,” Aikman shared via his Instagram story. “500 years later, many modern beers would be illegal by that standard. Most are brewed with additives and fillers. EIGHT is bringing purity back. We’re brewed with only water, malt, and hops. As beer should be.”

The former NFL quarterback positions EIGHT as a “clean, ingredient-first” alternative to mainstream light beers. With his Instagram update, he is breaking down exactly why he’s so confident in the purity behind his own brew while again calling out the rivals. He explained it through “Reinheitsgebot.”

Troy Aikman’s message is pretty clear: EIGHT is built on clean, basic ingredients, staying true to the spirit of the old Beer Purity Law, while the brands he calls out lean heavily on calories, carbs, and lifestyle marketing. In the past, brewers used a variety of herbs and sometimes questionable additives to reduce costs or increase alcohol content.

Then, purity law forced everyone back to the essentials: water, malt, and hops. That’s exactly the lane Aikman is tapping into. Launched in 2022 and based in Texas, EIGHT teamed up with Oregon State University to dial in a light beer that’s genuinely clean and actually refreshing. No additives, no shortcuts. Just ingredients that make sense.

The brand pushes this idea that hops have always carried real brewing value, including natural compounds like xanthohumol, a flavonoid found inside hops that adds both flavor and function.

“We designed EIGHT to deliver what matters- real ingredients, great taste, and nothing unnecessary,” The Hall of Famer has said. “It’s a light beer that works as hard as the people who drink it.”

Meanwhile, the Cowboys legend has also been keeping himself busy, other than hyping up his light beer brand. He’s been serving as a color commentator on Monday Night Football since 2022. And on top of that, he just clarified his unretirement stance amidst the 2025 regular season.

An NFL return is not realistic for Troy Aikman at the moment

Earlier this week, the Indianapolis Colts signed the veteran Philip Rivers to their practice squad out of retirement. The 44-year-old veteran was called upon amidst a quarterback crisis at the franchise. Fast forward to now, and Rivers’s possibility to run the Colts’ offense seems inevitable, sure. His unretirement has led to a conversation about Troy Aikman, leading the NFL legend to clarify his stance on a return.

“I have always had the ability to throw a ball whether it’s baseball, football or basketball, I have always had an ability to put where I wanted to put it,” Aikman said on the December 8 episode of Sports Media with Richard Deitsch. “And that hasn’t changed. I think my accuracy would still be on target. It wouldn’t get there as fast, and I wouldn’t be accurate as far down the field.”

While Aikman didn’t directly dismiss the possibility, he said it as it is. His brain and mechanics still know exactly how to throw a ball. That part never left him. But his arm isn’t built for NFL life anymore, and that’s completely understandable. He walked away from the game more than two decades ago after leading the Cowboys to three Super Bowls in 12 seasons, retiring at 34 because back issues made full mobility a real problem.

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Compared to that, Rivers is 44 as he has rejoined the Colts. Aikman, on the other hand, is 59 today. Safe to say Troy Aikman has already had his final chapter as a pro quarterback. These days, he’s fully settled into his ESPN booth and the business side of life, building out his light beer brand, EIGHT, instead of reading defenses on Sundays.