The NBA’s ambitious quarantine “bubble” has delivered promising results so far in its attempts of preventing the spread of COVID-19 among NBA teams and their personnel. The hope is that the bubble can hold a brief resumption of the regular season, which starts Thursday, along with a full playoff to follow that eventually crowns a champion. One of the teams competing for the title is the Portland Trailblazers, who resume their regular season on Friday. In an effort to support their local team remotely, Bend, Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery is releasing the affectionately names Rip City Lager, so fans of the Blazers across the nation can remotely unite with a common, easy-drinking beer in-hand. 

The new lager, which comes in at 4.8% ABV and boasts Lemondrop, Crystal and Hallertau Mittlefruh hops, plays off the popular Blazers team nickname which also adorns their alternate jerseys. Packaged in the customary Blazers’ colors of red, white and black, the can packaging also features a fun flannel design element meant to pay tribute to longtime Blazers’ coach, Dr. Jack Ramsay. Two different “home” and “away” jersey can designs will be available in 6, 12 and 24 packs in the Oregon and Washington markets in September. 

Rip City Lager is the latest iteration in Deschutes’ ongoing partnership with the Portland Trail Blazers. The popular west coast brewing operation became a sponsor of the Portland Trail Blazers Radio Network in October of 2019, in conjunction with the release of their WOWZA! Low-cal Hazy Pale Ale. The easy sipping Pale Ale quickly became one of the best sellers at the Moda Center, where the Trail Blazers played pre-pandemic. 

Now, the Trail Blazers play in the NBA bubble, which is a sign of the times and of the long-lasting effects of the pandemic in our country. The bubble has generated some great social media content from participating players so far, along with acclaimed day-in-the-life Vlogs from the likes of Philadelphia 76er Mythisse Thybulle. One of the most entertaining social media competitions coming from the bubble has been the light-hearted beer shotgun challenge, spearheaded by the likes of NBA players JJ Redick and Meyers Leonard. New Jersey-based Montauk Brewing even sent JJ a few 12 packs in support of the friendly competition. 

https://twitter.com/NBABubbleLife/status/1285416404741545984

So, will Deschutes send a care package of Rip City Lager to the likes of Portland’s CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard so they can represent their home state’s brew scene? Deschutes confirmed that they will be sending the players a package of the beer, but only after the regular season concludes, which could pair the Blazers against the top seeded LA Lakers if they make the playoffs.  

If you’re a beer fan, Blazers fan or just curious about the new beer, the new Rip City Lager is a great option as you celebrate the return of the NBA season.

Feature image courtesy of Deschutes Brewery 

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