Roller Derby: The Bout and the Beer

The link between roller derby and beer is a strong one. Pabst Blue Ribbon seems to be the unofficial beer of some derby leagues. Fans drink beer at bouts and make 'beeramids' skaters can crash into from the empty cans. Working the beer table at a bout is like taking your life in your hands. Smart leagues form relationships with local breweries for cross-promotion and bout sales.

And skaters kinda like it. A little. Maybe.

In honour of the beautiful relationship between our sport and (for many) the derby quaff of choice, here are a few derby-themed brews, likely not available in your area, but the next time you're sipping a beer, imagine it's one of these.

Rink Rash derby-themed seasonal beer from the Paradise Creek Brewery in Pullman, Washington in the United States. Produced for the Rolling Hills Derby Dames, this might be the first roller derby beer. Sadly, it seems to only be a seasonal batch for fundraising purposes, expected to last through the summer of 2012, and then it's gone. But it's certainly a start and an inspiration to other leagues interested in joining forces with local breweries and producing beer inspired by the sport which will inspire its consumption.

Also of note is Bogus Brewing of Garden City, Idaho in the States. A community-supported brewery, BB recently raised $30 000 through their Kickstarter campaign. The idea behind Bogus Brewing is very cool - as they say, invest and receive dividends of beer. It's like community-supported agriculture, but that much more awesome. Of their three starter brews, one is Hip Check, a dry India Pale Ale inspired by the Treasure Valley Rollergirls. To keep abreast of the news regarding this cool upstart, check out their Facebook page or Twitter.

Lest we forget the league side of things, I present for your cheering pleasure, the Brewcity  Bruisers Milwaukee Rollergirls and their Beerleaders. Need we say more?

And finally, a 1986 Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial featuring a sport that people seem to think roller derby is like.