'Beaver Brew' Beer Created To Help Support Bemidji State Athletics | Lakeland News

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To provide financial support for its athletic programs, Bemidji State University has launched a unique fundraising initiative centered around a new beer called Beaver Brew. This locally brewed beverage features the face of Bucky the Beaver on its tap handles and is currently available at fourteen local restaurants and bars, six liquor stores, as well as specific venues like the Sanford Center and Chet Anderson Stadium during home games. The core mechanism of this project is straightforward yet effective: for every bottle or can sold within the community, one dollar is donated directly back to the Bemidji State Athletics department. The beer itself represents a collaboration between the university's athletics department and alumni David Bohm, owner of Southern Fresh Farms Co., who helped conceptualize the drink as a unique blend sitting between a Kona Big Wave and a light beer. It is produced by the Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter to maintain local ties. The funds raised are versatile and intended to address a wide range of needs for the university, including facility upgrades, operational expenses, student-athlete scholarships, and Austin funds. This approach allows the athletics department to build a sustainable financial base that can propel the program forward over the next five to ten years. Beyond the immediate fundraising goals, the project highlights a strategic shift in how college athletics seeks relevance by forming partnerships in unexpected places. By leveraging the talent, time, and resources of their alumni base, the university has created something meaningful that resonates with both fans and supporters. The creator of the brew notes that while the process was enjoyable, it is also humbling because it directly supports the very foundation that helped him reach his current position in life. Ultimately, Beaver Brew serves as a testament to community engagement, turning local pride into tangible support for student-athletes and the broader university infrastructure.

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But Bemidji State University Athletics has come up with a new way to support Beaver athletes with the creation of the Beaver Brew beer that is for sale around the area. Our reporter Sydney Dick spoke to the alum who created the brew and learned just how the beer is fundraising for the athletics department. >> Alongside the average Blue Moons and Bud Lights, a new tap handle can be seen around Bemidji sporting Bucky the Beaver's face as Bemidji State has created their own Beaver Brew. >> It's here to stay. So, we are in I believe 14 local restaurants and bars as we speak. We're in six liquor stores as well and and keep in mind, for every beer that is drinking we are giving a dollar back to to Bemidji State Athletics. So, the more the merrier for everyone. >> Along with local bars and liquor stores, Beaver Brew will also be available at the Sanford Center for all of the Bemidji State hockey games and at Chet Anderson Stadium for all of the football games. >> And then anything that's sold in the community goes back to BSU Athletics as a whole. So, that can be anything from facility updates to operational needs, student athlete scholarshiping, Austin funds. Really, it's it's a catch-all to utilize and build a base to help propel us kind of into the the next 5 to 10 years. >> The beverage was created by the athletics department along with alumni David Bohm who owns Southern Fresh Farms Co. and describes the flavor as a unique middle ground between a Kona Big Wave and a light beer. The BSU beer itself is being brewed by Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter to keep it local. >> I think the key to being and staying relevant in college athletics is finding partnerships in places that you wouldn't normally look. And so, this is a perfect example of being able to take the time, the talent, the treasure of our alumni base and say, "What can we do with that? What feels meaningful?" >> I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't say it was was super fun, but it but it's also humbling as well. Like this has been, you know, it's not something that happens overnight, and but when you go back to the core of it, it's going to support what has helped me get to where I am today. >> Reporting from Bemidji, I'm Sydney Dick, Lakeland News. >> Beaver Brook can be found on tap at several bars and restaurants around Bemidji or can also be purchased off sale at Bemidji area liquor stores. >> Lakeland News is a nonprofit news organization. Donate to Lakeland PBS today to support your local news team.