Douglass “Chopper” Styer is a musician who performs under the name Mañanero. His face is featured on the label for Squatters‘ Squasatch Hoppy Pils beer, and he also works in the Squasatch Cave, handling the shipping and receiving of beers for Wasatch Brewery and Squatters Pubs and Craft Beers.
Special thanks to the Utah Brewers Cooperativefor hosting the 10th Annual Beer IssueSLUG Style shoot in their giant warehouse.
Every month, SLUG Stylefeatures distinct and unique members of the community and asks them why they do what they do. Exploring more than just clothing, SLUG Style is an attempt to feature the people who give Salt Lake City flavor through personality and panache.
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In telling how his style has evolved over time, Chopper says, “I grew up in a rural farming community and I really rebelled. I wouldn’t put on cowboy boots or anything like that back then. I really tried not to. I tried to stick out. I tried to be different. There was a group of us that just didn’t want to belong, and we wanted to break out, so we did. It’s morphed into me kind of accepting where my roots are and where I think I feel comfortable. I think it looks good, and that’s basically why I like to do that.” Photo: @clancycoop
Chopper handles the shipping and receiving of Squatters and Wasatch Brewery beers. “The facility is called Squasatch Cave, and it is the shipping and receiving for the Utah Brewer’s Cooperative, Squatters and Wasatch Beers,” says Chopper. “Basically, we get orders ready. The brewery makes the beer, they package it, and they bring it over here. We put it in the cooler and it doesn’t take very long at all before that beer is sold. It goes as far as Louisiana, Minnesota, Texas.” Photo: @clancycoop
“It’s a long story, but Mañanero is kind of a dark, gothic-y cowboy type music … It means ‘a quickie in the morning,'” says Chopper. “I was called Mañanero by a group of Mexicans that I worked with because I would come to work happy.” Photo: @clancycoop
Recounting how his face ended up on the label for Squatters’ Squasatch Hoppy Pils, Chopper says, “There was a salesman at work and he liked the way I look. From the time he got there he said, ‘You’re a good looking son of a bitch. I really like you.’ One day, he came to me and he said, ‘We’re gonna put your face on a beer.’ A couple of months later, my supervisor came to me—well, he yelled at me as I was walking by his office, and said, ‘Come here. Do you have any pictures of yourself?’ I showed him that picture that’s on the beer and he just laughed and was like, ‘This is perfect,’ and I was like, ‘What?'” Photo: @clancycoop
“About sophomore, junior year in high school, I started getting into the more alternative things,” says Chopper. “Punk rock, grunge, I guess they called it back then, psychedelic ’60s music, and that kind of stuff.” Photo: @clancycoop
“I really enjoy just downtime. I enjoy—not meditating, but just looking and watching and feeling on various places and things,” says Chopper. “It’s just nice to take some quiet time to myself” Photo: @clancycoop