Hi beer fans, happy Friday!
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A lot of colleges have well-known drinking songs, but does your college have its own beer?
Kate Bernot at Sightlines recently covered a growing trend that I hadn’t heard of before.
...a roster of teams across conferences and geographies have announced new partnerships with breweries of all sizes, from Indiana University (Hoosier Gameday Lager with Upland Brewing Company) to East Carolina University (Pirates Brew with R&D Brewing) to University of Southern California (Fight On! Pale Ale with Stone Brewing) to Florida State (Legacy Lager with Oyster City Brewing Company).
...Naturally, the country’s biggest beer companies won’t be left out:
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Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) will debut a flurry of college-branded cans this season, in some cases offering cans of Bud Light emblazoned with logos of universities who also have craft beer partnerships.
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In the Lone Star State, Texas A&M switched a beer partnership from ABI to Molson Coors, whose craft subsidiary, Revolver Brewing, will make a new A&M-themed beer. This presumably ends an ABI-made A&M beer, produced through its own craft brewery, Karbach Brewing.
And it’s not just beer, either: Flavored wine brand BeatBox has launched a new package cobranded with Oklahoma State University.
Other schools mentioned in the article are U of Georgia, U of Wyoming, U of Louisville, U of Iowa, Iowa State, Rocky Mountain College, Kent State, Indiana State, UC Davis, Colorado State, North Carolina State, and UNC Charlotte.
Until the last few years, most universities were wary of co-branded alcohol deals, worried that they could run counter to schools’ attempts to curb underage and binge drinking.
“The argument has typically been: Three-quarters of our undergrads are probably under 21,” DeScriver says. “How can we say we’re trying to teach young people responsible drinking but they can go to our games and buy our beer?”
The hesitation has mostly gone out the window. While some schools still don’t sell beer at their stadiums, many do—and are proud to get local alcohol companies in on the action.
Underage students will just sneak booze in like they always have. A lot of schools play in publicly-owned off-campus stadiums, the ones I’ve been in all sold beer. On campus it’s less common, but that’s changing: starting this season I’ll be able to buy beer and wine in Stanford Stadium.
Individual players are making deals too, under the Name Image and Likeness rule.
Non-alcoholic beer company Athletic Brewing has been especially active with NILs, partnering with 2022 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams (and becoming the official non-alcoholic beer of University of Southern California).
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I’m starting with Everyday Enjoyment IPA from Pizza Port. What are you drinking? Anyone brewing?