He used to live in the forest, soaking up the rain. Now he lives on the Carnival Magic, basking in the sun.

That’s the Carnival story about the RedFrog. And they’re sticking to it.

In fact, the little tree frog has made himself so at home on the cruise ship that he has his own private label draught beer, custom-brewed specially for Carnival – ThirstyFrog Red.

The first pub ever on a Carnival ship opened in May 2011, on the Magic with ThirstyFrog Red beer and the response was overwhelming. “They ran out of beer the first day,” said Vance Gulliksen, Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman. “This is a huge hit for us. ”

So popular has ThirstyFrog Red become that it is now served on 17 of the 24 Carnival ships. “Carnival is the only place you can get it,” Gulliksen said. “It’s a fun thing to do but we didn’t realize how popular the pub and the beer would be.”

The pub itself is an island-themed watering hole located on the Promenade Deck of the Magic. The décor is decidedly Caribbean meets Key West with nautical styled interiors, warm woods, vibrant tile work, portholes and images of ships at seas, plus foosball and game tables, a jukebox and live music.

The 100-seat indoor-outdoor pub serves Caribbean favorites – Bahamian conch salad, grouper fingers, firecracker Jamaican chicken wings, Jamaican jerk pulled pork sandwiches, beef sliders, coconut shrimp and more – all just $3.33 per dish.

RedFrog Pub also serves top Caribbean rums and regional beers such as Jamaican Red Stripe, plus tropics-infused cocktails with a focus on “Tings.” The drinks are made with Ting, Jamaica’s unofficial national lemon-lime soda.

At $5.50 for a 19-ounce glass, ThirstyFrog Red is an amber beer with a light taste. For its faithful fans, ThristyFrog Red is also served in a 101-ounce tube for $27.95.

“It’s great,” said Sam Wilson of Houston, relaxing in a wooden swing on the RedFrog patio. “If I could get it at home, I would sure buy it. Guess I’ll just have to take more Carnival cruises because I definitely like the Carnival beer.”

Wilson and his friends posed with a smile when a bartender aimed a huge camera in their direction. The pictures of customers are then displayed behind the bar for a colorful collage.

As RedFrog himself might say – “Chill out. Live life to the fullest.”

– By Jackie Sheckler Finch