Boise State football fans have a Broncos-themed beer. God help us — it’s brewed WHERE?

Still drowning your sorrows about last week’s Oregon State horror show? Here’s some good news.

Boise State football fans finally have a beer.

Stroll into your nearest grocery store — Albertsons, in my case — and there it is: a proud, prominent display of 18-packs. Piled high. The white, blue and orange boxes feature the team logo and “Go Broncos!” on the packaging. It’s a quaffable lager called Pub Beer.

Speaking of drowning your sorrows? After buying a pack, you might feel like shotgunning all 18 cans. (Don’t do that.) Or at least crushing the empties on your forehead.

Because this “Broncos” beer? It’s brewed — Lord help us — in Oregon. Home state of the season-opening Beaver nightmare.

At least it’s not from Corvallis. Pub Beer is made in Bend by 10 Barrel Brewing Co. (Pub Beer also is brewed in Fairfield, California, but let’s focus on Oregon. Just to stay miserable.)

‘Super-jealous’

On one hand, it’s nice that Boise State finally has — sort of — a beer. Even an unofficial one. Kudos to 10 Barrel. I can drink this stuff. I gratefully downed a barely chilled Pub Beer purchased at the Morrison Center recently during a three-hour musical. It might have been the best thing I have ever tasted.

On the other hand, how can a Broncos-themed beer originate in Oregon? Or California? In this case, by repackaging. Pub Beer has been sold for years by 10 Barrel. The can labels say nothing about the Broncos. It’s just the secondary packaging — the cardboard boxes — that feature the blue-and-orange BSU theme. After football season ends, Pub Beer 18-packs around here will go back to basic white-and-black boxes.

Like so many things about Boise State football, this new beer surprise is puzzling to me. These “Bronco” brewskies only add to the list of things keeping me awake at night, possibly forcing me to sip more of them.

Paige Francis, marketing director at Boise’s Payette Brewing Co., admits to feeling frustrated by the Broncos-themed Pub Beer. “I’m super-jealous of 10 Barrel,” she admits.

A BSU graduate, Francis would love nothing more than to see Payette Brewing join forces with Boise State on a special Broncos beer. Attempting to get the ball rolling, Payette has communicated multiple times with the university over the years, she says, to no avail.

“That’s what we really wanted,” she explains. “To not just put a beer into a box. We really wanted to collaborate with the school and make a beer for tailgating and have it at our taproom when people are taking the shuttle that we sponsor to the stadium. They could drink Bronco Beer. We’re in a college town. We want to celebrate that.”

As I pointed out in a 2018 column, university-branded beer is all about the fans. It’s a way to stoke school spirit. Maximize the tailgating experience. Get everyone fired up yet (hopefully) not lit. Ever heard of Griz Montana Lager? Or Colorado State’s Old Aggie beer brewed by New Belgium? Across the country, universities are working with home-state breweries. It’s fun.

It’s also a way potentially to do some good. When Griz Lager was released, Big Sky Brewing agreed that a portion of sales would go to University of Montana student wellness and transportation programs, plus community outreach. That’s just cool.

Co-branded beer

To understand how 10 Barrel’s Broncos-themed Pub Beer came to be, you almost need to be an attorney. It’s called co-branding. I give credit to Mike Sharp, a spokesperson for BSU, for attempting to explain the scenario to me.

“Boise State has an exclusive multi-media rights agreement with Learfield/Bronco Sports Properties (BSP),” he wrote by email. “There is a secondary relationship between Learfield and Anheuser-Busch (AB InBev), the company that owns 10 Barrel Brewing.”

As to why Boise State decided to grant the license, essentially changing its tune about being associated with a beer?

“While Boise State’s multi-media rights partner BSP entered into the agreements with AB/10 Barrel, the University has a role in that process and ensuring compliance with board policy to protect the image and mission of the university. It’s part of the growth of our contract and relationship with the sponsors.”

Somebody pass me another cold one.

Bottom line: Could Boise State fans get an actual Broncos beer at some point? A bona fide local one? Not just blue-and-orange boxes?

“While there are no plans for a Broncos beer, it is an option we’ve discussed in the past with our sponsors and could be a possibility in the future,” Sharp wrote, “if the right idea and timing come along.”

I think the idea is straightforward: a local lager.

As for timing? Is it a mood thing?

Maybe after the Broncos win a game, Payette should give Boise State another call.