Outdoor brand Columbia Sportswear has unveiled one of the strangest drink collaborations yet: a limited beer inspired by bear poop.
The company teamed up with Portland, Oregon-based Breakside Brewery to create Nature Calls, a light lager tied to Columbia’s “Engineered for Whatever” campaign. The brew is marketed as being made with real bear droppings, and while that’s true, it’s not quite in the way it sounds.
According to Breakside brewmaster and co-owner Ben Edmunds, the idea came directly from Columbia. However, actually putting animal waste into beer was never on the table due to strict brewing sanitation rules.
“They suggested a beer made with bear scat, but obviously, there are food safety issues with that,” he told Forbes.
How did a brewery make a beer with bear droppings?
Instead, Columbia supplied water that had previously contained bear scat and was then fully treated and sanitized before being used in the brewing process. That treated water became the base for the novelty lager. So while the beer is made with bear droppings, it’s safe to drink.
Breakside founder Scott Lawrence said the concept initially sounded like a joke, but ultimately turned into what he called one of the wildest beers the brewery has ever made, adding that despite the unusual inspiration, the final product tastes good.
“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 one-time release. It debuted at Columbia’s booth during the Super Bowl Players Tailgate and is otherwise only available at Breakside’s Oregon locations. Breakside distributes beer across several western states including Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Colorado.
The company says the unique release lets beer-lovers “enjoy the sh*ttiest parts of nature” and described the creation as “smooth and satisfying, with notes of honey and huckleberry.”
The bizarre collaboration joins a growing list of attention-grabbing novelty foods from major brands.
In 2025, parenting brand Frida partnered with OddFellows Ice Cream to launch a breast milk-flavored pint.
Meanwhile, KFC sparked headlines after releasing fried-chicken-flavored toothpaste that reportedly sold out within 48 hours.
