Dropping a collaboration beer just in time for the Big Game
Some people have lost sight of craft beer’s less serious side. There is plenty of opportunity for humorless consternation in the beer biz these days, and some of the most retentive beer nerds will always insist that beer is no joking matter, but when you’re talking about craft beer, there also exists plenty of room for sh*ts and giggles.
Breakside Brewery of Portland, Oregon, teamed up with Columbia Sportswear to create a beer that reeks with the essence of the steamy wilderness: it’s made with bear poop. The latest addition to Columbia’s ‘Engineered for Whatever’ platform, Breakside’s Nature Calls is described as a light lager brewed with, among other ingredients, a dash of real bear poop. Yes, actual ursine droppings harvested trailside in the Montana wilderness. And yes, a press release from Columbia confirms that the beer is safe to drink.
It is no accident that Breakside Brewery and Columbia Sportswear are dropping Nature Calls light lager just in time for the NFL’s Big Game on Sunday, February 8th (GO SEAHAWKS!). This marks the first time Columbia Sportswear is taking part in the hoopla surrounding the most super of all bowls—though this one leans a little closer to the porcelain variety. Those attending the event will find Nature Calls at Columbia’s booth at the tailgate party in Santa Clara, CA, on gameday. Beyond that, a limited supply will be available at Breakside’s locations.
What is the point of using bear poop in a beer? Do you need one? Sure, it adds a certain amount of “made you look” character to the beer, but that’s okay; beer does not always need to be so damn serious. And when an esteemed company like Columbia Sportswear, a fellow hometown hero, says it is interested in making you part of its Super Sunday marketing push, you either gotta sh*t or get off the pot.
“When Columbia came to us with the idea to use bear poop, we thought they were joking,” said Scott Lawrence, Founder of Breakside Brewery. “Turns out, they weren’t – and now we’ve got the wildest beer in America and maybe the world. It’s crazy, it’s fun, and honestly… it tastes great. We’ve brewed a lot of beers, but never one that celebrates nature this literally.”
Nature Calls is a crisp lager born in Columbia’s hometown, Portland, as it is made with water from the Bull Run River infused with a hint of bear poop collected trailside in Montana from the American black bear, malted grains grown in the Pacific Northwest, and a touch of honey and huckleberry.
According to a press release, “Mother Nature throws plenty at outdoor adventurers – from icy sleet to biting bugs – and Columbia doesn’t just embrace that; it engineers for it. Nature Calls takes that promise to the extreme: a beer infused with nature’s most unexpected ingredient, proving Columbia can help you get ready for absolutely anything.”
“When we say engineered for whatever, we mean whatever,” said Joe Boyle, Brand President at Columbia Sportswear. “If Mother Nature hurls bear poop at us, we’ll ferment it into a frosty pint. From the inside of a bear to your mouth – this beer is the sh*t, and we’re making nature’s crap easier to swallow.”
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