Columbia and Breakside Launch Nature Calls Lager Brewed With Bear Scat

Columbia Sportswear and Breakside Brewery have teamed up to brew Nature Calls, a limited-run lager made with water infused with American black bear scat collected from trails in Montana. The beer is a publicity-forward play timed around Super Bowl activity, and both partners stress it was produced to commercial safety standards and is safe to drink.

Nature Calls blends the unusual scat infusion with malted grains sourced from the Pacific Northwest and flavor notes described as huckleberries and honey. Breakside and Columbia say the brew was handled under the same production protocols as other Breakside beers, with Breakside describing the finished product as "100% safe to drink." Scott Lawrence, founder of Breakside Brewery, said, "When Columbia came to us with the idea to use bear poop, we thought they were joking. 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."

Columbia positioned the project under its "Engineered for Whatever" campaign and leaned into shock-value marketing. Columbia Brand President Joe Boyle framed the stunt bluntly: "If Mother Nature hurls bear poop at us, we’ll ferment it into a frosty pint," and "From the inside of a bear to your mouth, we’re making nature’s crap easier to swallow." Gearjunkie reports the company also filmed an ad starring former NFL players Daunte Culpepper, John Kuhn, and LeSean McCoy.

Nature Calls will debut at Columbia’s Super Bowl Players Tailgate presence in Santa Clara, with a reported launch date of February 8 and limited supply slated for select Breakside Brewery locations in Oregon. Gearjunkie additionally reports that brewing water came from the Bull Run River in Oregon; that detail has been published as a claim tied to Gearjunkie’s coverage and can be confirmed with the breweries for full verification. No ABV, packaging, batch size, or pricing details have been released so far.

The stunt fits a pattern of novelty experiments in craft brewing that have attracted both curiosity and controversy. Past examples include a pale ale brewed from recycled sewage water, a Finnish stout using goose droppings for flavor, and Rogue Ales' 2015 Beard Beer brewed with brewer John Maier’s beard yeast. Nature Calls aims to be part marketing activation and part conversation starter for game-day drinkers who want a story with their pint.

For brewers, retailers, and drinkers, the immediate takeaway is practical: Nature Calls will be a limited-run release tied to Columbia’s Super Bowl presence, so availability will be constrained and centered on Breakside’s Oregon taps after the tailgate run. Verify local Breakside taproom listings for whether your location receives any of the limited supply, and expect the beer to be treated as a novelty offering rather than a core lineup beer. Beyond the stunt, Nature Calls underscores how brand partnerships and outrage-tinged creativity continue to push the boundaries of ingredient provenance and experiential marketing in craft beer.