The beer aisle is becoming the latest battleground in the college sports arms race.
Craft breweries are launching collaboration beers with name, image and likeness (NIL) collectives dedicated to providing financial support to collegiate athletes. Meanwhile, universities continue to leverage their intellectual property for officially licensed beers.
Earlier this year, Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist and Des Moines’ Exile Brewing Company became the first two breweries to launch NIL collab beers with a portion of the proceeds going to collectives that support athletes at University of Cincinnati and the University of Iowa, respectively.
Other craft breweries are following suit. The latest is a twofer for Iowa State University and its Cyclones athletes.
In late June, the We Will Collective – a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that supports Cyclones athletes – announced a partnership with West O Beer for Ames Lager, a 4.5% ABV light lager. Some of the proceeds from Ames Lager will go into We Will’s general fund, which supports Iowa State football and men’s and women’s basketball..
And today, Iowa State University and Backpocket Brewing Company announced a two-year partnership that gives the Coralville, Iowa-headquartered company the official craft beer of the Iowa State Cyclones. Backpocket’s Clone Fest, a 5.6% ABV seasonal festbier release, will officially launch Friday, July 14, at the brewery’s Pin and Pixel satellite taproom in the Des Moines suburb of Johnston.
Both beers are expected to be on retail shelves in time for the football season.
Aaron Vargas, Backpocket managing partner, told Brewbound that he believes Clone Fest and Ames Lager will be complimentary offerings.
“The craft crowd is who we’re aiming for, and I think they’re going to appreciate it,” he said.
Meanwhile, West O is going for mass appeal with its light lager. We Will executive director Brent Blum told Brewbound that the collective had three objectives when looking for a brewery partner:
- An easy-drinking beer that would appeal to the masses;
- Statewide distribution with the ability to get into grocery chains Hy-Vee and Fareway, and convenience stores such as Casey’s and Kum & Go;
- And a partner that would be enthusiastic about the partnership and make it a priority.
West O, while among the state’s smaller breweries, checked all three boxes. West O owner Matt Matthiessen and his wife are both Iowa State graduates, and their oldest daughter will attend the university this fall.
“It was a win-win for both of us,” Blum said. “We get a great partner and they get some wider notoriety throughout the state.”
Ames Lager will be sold in 6-packs and on draft year-round to start, Matthiesen told Brewbound. West O, which has around 3,000 barrels of annual capacity, plans to slowly ramp up production of Ames Lager.
Orders for the beer from West O’s wholesaler partners, including Doll Distributing in Des Moines, will help gauge how much production the brewery will need for the beer, Matthiesen said.
“Ramping up inventories as much as we can before the start of the football season and then trying to maintain some inventory for the fall is going to be a challenge,” Matthiesen admitted. “That’s one of the things that we’re working through right now is what that’s gonna look like and managing expectations and in maximizing what we actually get out there in front of everybody.”
West O is already exploring phased expansion plans, including adding tanks, to support future demand for the beer.
“Our main priority and the discussions with the We Will Collective is the student athletes and their community building efforts,” Matthiesen said. “That’s the most important point. We want to get as much beer out as soon as possible. But we also have to manage everything that goes along with that and not forget about why we’re doing this in the first place.”
Like West O, Backpocket has several family ties to the university. Jenny Vargas, one of the owners of Backpocket, is also an Iowa State graduate.
Clone Fest will be sold in 6- and 12-packs cans and on draft at Backpocket’s three locations across the state (Johnston, Coralville and Dubuque), as well as in Iowa State branded cans at retailers across the state from August through October. The beer will also be served at key Iowa summer events such as the RAGBRAI bicycle ride and Iowa State Fair.
Vargas is forecasting a couple hundred barrels in Year One, although production could be expanded with a second batch in the fall.
Backpocket will be able to leverage Iowa State University’s branding for displays in chains such as Hy-Vee and Fareway, as well as custom tap handles, Vargas said. The partnership will give the brewery access to Iowa State assets, including athletics photography, access to Cy the mascot, alumni and Jack Trice Stadium.
Clone Fest will also be served in the suites at Jack Trice Stadium during football season and receive mentions during game broadcasts. Backpocket is also partnering with quirky apparel retailer Raygun for merch sales.
Backpocket is banking on a halo effect with Iowa State fans also sampling its other offerings.
“The hope is that it brings a broader audience to our brand,” Vargas said.