The last Blockbuster in America created a beer to celebrate its lonely status - here's the verdict

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The last Blockbuster in America created a beer to celebrate its lonely status - here's the verdict

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Business Insider/Jessica Tyler

The Last Blockbuster is now a beer.

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  • The sole remaining Blockbuster in America now has a beer produced in its honor.
  • Last week, the Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, in collaboration with craft brewer 10 Barrel Brewing Co. debuted a beer called "The Last Blockbuster."
  • A taste test of the beer reveals it to be a dark, complex brew that tastes as though the drinker has sucked it down through a Twizzler straw.

The official beer of the last Blockbuster in America is making its debut.

The Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon, collaborated with craft brewer 10 Barrel Brewing Co. to create a beer called "The Last Blockbuster." The beer debuted last week at a block party in Bend, Oregon.

The Bend Blockbuster became the last location of the video-rental store left in the country earlier this year when the two remaining Blockbuster locations in Alaska finally shut down. Travelers have begun making their way to Bend, a city in central Oregon with roughly 100,000 residents, in a nostalgic pilgrimage to the video-rental chain.

Now, these Blockbuster lovers will have a beer to sip as they reminisce about video rentals past.

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While the Last Blockbuster beer is only available at the six 10 Barrel pub locations, including the two in Bend, for a limited time, Business Insider managed to get a hold of two bottles of the brew. Here's what it is like to taste test the beer that pays tribute to the last Blockbuster left standing.

Read more: Only a single Blockbuster remains open in all of America. Here's what it's like to visit

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The beers came in iconic blue-and-yellow packaging, with Milk Duds and popcorn as welcome and thematically appropriate accompaniments. The beer pairs especially well with the Milk Duds, with distinct but compatible caramel tones.

The beers came in iconic blue-and-yellow packaging, with Milk Duds and popcorn as welcome and thematically appropriate accompaniments. The beer pairs especially well with the Milk Duds, with distinct but compatible caramel tones.

The Last Blockbuster is a dark, rich ale — nothing like Bud Light, the watery and chuggable beer that perhaps best embodies Blockbuster's heyday. Instead, this is truly a post-craft beer boom brew.

The Last Blockbuster is a dark, rich ale — nothing like Bud Light, the watery and chuggable beer that perhaps best embodies Blockbuster's heyday. Instead, this is truly a post-craft beer boom brew.
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The beer goes down smoothly, thick with caramel and coffee flavors. But, the subtle notes of red licorice certainly shine through, with an aftertaste that is delectably Twizzler-esque.

The beer goes down smoothly, thick with caramel and coffee flavors. But, the subtle notes of red licorice certainly shine through, with an aftertaste that is delectably Twizzler-esque.

In fact, the drinkable beer tastes like what you would get if you took a nice, complex dark ale and sucked it through a Twizzler straw. And, somehow, that actually works very well.

In fact, the drinkable beer tastes like what you would get if you took a nice, complex dark ale and sucked it through a Twizzler straw. And, somehow, that actually works very well.
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The Bend, Oregon, Blockbuster is a tourist destination with a beer to match. If you aren't convinced a video-rental store is worth a road trip, perhaps this surprisingly tasty beer will push you over the edge.

The Bend, Oregon, Blockbuster is a tourist destination with a beer to match. If you aren't convinced a video-rental store is worth a road trip, perhaps this surprisingly tasty beer will push you over the edge.
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