In an excerpt from his autobiography, Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan claimed that the beer was named after him as the writers were fans of the band and he was known for his extreme alcohol consumption and was popularly called "The King of Beers". This is a claim "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening has called "absurd". In response McKagan has stated that he thought it was common knowledge and uncontroversial that he was the origin of the name, and jokingly called assertions to the contrary "absurd." Reiss again denied the connection in 2018, stating, "No, it was "not" named after Duff McKagan ... We'd never heard of this guy. Have you? ... It's a cute fake story that McKagan tells."