(Courtesy Gigantic Brewing)

Anyone familiar with Portlandia, the Emmy-winning, absurdist American sketch comedy television series that parodies the eccentric, hipster subcultures of Portland, Oregon, knows that the Pacific Northwest city has built much of its reputation on being weird.

And Gigantic Brewing has never exactly run from that reputation either.

Founded by veteran brewers Ben Love and Van Havig in 2012, Gigantic Brewing has spent more than a decade doing things its own way in Southeast Portland, producing a steady stream of humorously named limited releases that frequently come with some seriously offbeat artwork.

Now the brewery has teamed up with Weird Portland United for a beer they proudly claim blows.

This Beer Blows is a limited-edition Italian-style lager created by Gigantic Brewing and Weird Portland United, the nonprofit dedicated to discovering, promoting and supporting the creators and risk-takers who help keep Portland strange.

The organization was founded by Brian Kidd, better known around Portland as The Unipiper, the kilt-wearing local legend famous for riding a unicycle while playing flaming bagpipes. Weird Portland United has since expanded that vision through grants, events and other projects designed to preserve the city’s famously weird cultural identity

And This Beer Blows definitely takes that approach.

The beer is the latest release in Gigantic and Weird Portland United’s ongoing “Weirdtastic” collaboration series, which celebrates some of the people, places and wonderfully strange ideas that make Portland Portland.

This time the spotlight falls on local artist Michael James Schneider, better known as blcksmth,  whose large balloon-letter installations combine playful visual art with inspirational, funny and occasionally unexpected messages.

Gigantic turned that concept into beer.

This Beer Blows comes in two alternate cans featuring Schneider’s balloon-based artwork, effectively shrinking his oversized installations into something you can drink.

And while the name may suggest otherwise, the beer itself is a crisp Italian-style lager.

A portion of sales from This Beer Blows will benefit Weird Portland United and its continuing mission to keep Portland weird.

And yes, some beers make bold promises.

But this one just blows.

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(Header image edit courtesy Gigantic Brewing /ChatGPT)