Published Content: Outdoor

It will come as a surprise to no one that both living at the beach and stand-up paddle boarding go hand in hand with drinking beer.  So when BOTE and Destin Brewery teamed up for our first collaboration back in early 2021, we quickly realized this wouldn’t be a one-and-done kind of relationship.

When BOTE CEO and Co-Founder Corey Cooper first sat down with Destin Brewery Founder and Owner Kelly Taylor, neither knew that what would start as a conversation about teaming up on a limited-release IPA would evolve into a collaborative partnership.

With Oktoberfest—otherwise known as beer festival season in the U.S.-upon us, we're taking a look back at our namesake collaborations with Destin Brewery and what makes each beer so damned delicious.

For the past year, BOTE has partnered up with Destin Brewery to bring #BOTENation some epic and gulp-worthy brews. Because, truth be told, stand up paddle boarding is best celebrated with a beer on board.  

When we kicked off our mission to create beers we'd want to drink, our launch into beermaking was with the original BOTE Beer, a low ABV session IPA that packs a little punch while allowing you to throw a couple back. Since its launch, we haven't looked back, and over this past year, the teams at Destin Brewery and BOTE have created some truly interesting beers.

Even if it weren’t a weekend-long stand up paddle boarding party on a lake, this event would have us hooked from the getgo. The name is epic: Party Island on Lady Bird Lake. Sign us up. The cherry on top is that it is, in fact, a collection of SUP-lovers looking to have a good time with fellow water mongers like themselves.  

Do you have to be a paddle board pro to enjoy Party Island? Hell no. The point of Party Island on Lady Bird Lake is not to perfect your paddle stroke. And it’s certainly not to gear up your board with your favorite rods and bait for a fishing excursion. The point of Party Island is all in the name.

When it comes to max relax goals, it doesn't get much better than floating along a river without a care in the world. Go on, close your eyes, and envision the cool water brushing along your bum, the carbonation of your favorite frosty beverage going down like silk, and the rays of sunshine giving you questionable tan lines. That's right, river tube floating is the staple of a good old, blue-blooded, American summer, and we're here to give you an epic tubing bucket list for your #tubinggoals.

One thing we can tell you about BOTE’s general design philosophy is this: We’ve never been the types to “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.” On the contrary, everything we do—everything we’ve ever done—from a product standpoint and from a design standpoint has always been and always will be highly intentional and deeply considered.

Call it the curse of the creative, the price of particularity, the malediction of the meticulous—whatever you want to call it, this much is clear: we’re design freaks. We believe thoughtful design not only brings a product to life, but it brings the life out of the product. From the outset, inventive design and innovative function go hand in hand.

After all, our SUPs and kayaks are designed to be best-in-class, top-of-the-line watercrafts extraordinaire. Why shouldn’t they be stylish as hell, too?

Our venture into beer started with a simple text from our flagship store leader, Suzy Hunt, to BOTE CEO and Co-Founder Corey Cooper. It read: “Want to make a beer?”

After learning it’d be with the super local brewery that creates beers representing the area and lifestyle, Destin Brewery, we didn’t see much reason to procrastinate. So in 2021, we launched the beginning of a spot-on collaboration with Destin Brewery Founder and Owner Kelly Taylor.

Night fishing: a tried and true activity for adventure anglers and diehard fishing enthusiasts. It’s a challenge most are unwilling to take on; after all, fishing at night is like eliminating one of your five senses, and an important one at that - your sight. But the payoff and thrill of hooking a night-dwelling fish are totally worth it, especially when you’re night fishing on a SUP, skiff, or kayak.

Night fishing from SUPs, skiffs, and kayaks is growing in popularity, and it’s understandable as to why. It combines a love for casting a lure with an obsession to be on the water and takes you to places a standard boat can’t. When you head out on a stand up paddle board, skiff, or kayak at night, well, you just can’t get much closer to nature. Plus, you’ve got the added edge of stealth and silence. The fish will never see you coming.

There are few things more essential for a day on the water than a properly packed cooler.

Packing a cooler is more than just a party trick, it’s a skill that, when perfectly executed, makes for an excellent day on the water. Whether it’s keeping beer and juice boxes cold, or filled to the brim with a large batch cocktail, no day on the water is complete without a cooler full of cold beverages and snacks (if you have room). It’s hardly a glamorous task, but let us know the last time you didn’t pack your cooler very well and actually enjoyed a room temperature beer or cocktail in the blazing sun… we’ll wait.

Enjoying ice-cold, refreshing beverages *all day* long isn’t as simple as assembling your drinks and spare ice into your cooler in the garage on the way out the door. Ok, we guess it can be that easy, but is it really worth the risk? With just a few easy steps you’ll be sipping on ice cold beverages well into the evening… and even into day two or three.

Here’s a step by step guide on how to pack a cooler for a day on the water.

Tails, hulls, bottoms, bows. If it all sounds like gibberish to you, we’re here to help.

While the terms “hybrid displacement” or “race-style hull” might sound complex, the differences in SUP shapes are actually pretty simple.

The shape of your SUP—and, in particular, BOTE’s obsession with mastering SUP shapes—is a huge part of what differentiates the paddle board experience across activities. For instance, if you’re interested in paddle board surfing, your board should be shaped differently from someone looking for a paddle board for fishing. Likewise, if you’re new to stand up paddle boarding and simply want to play around and get used to your new pastime, you’re probably not going to need a super sleek touring board. In short, SUP shapes say a lot about who you are as a paddler and where you want to go.

So, if you’re looking to shape up your SUP-shape knowledge, you’ve come to the right place.

This year is not the year to get the mom in your life flowers for Mother's Day.

 Maybe the woman raised kids through a pandemic, which, to be abundantly clear, looks a lot different than raising kids through a non-pandemic year. She probably also worked, organized activities for the whole family, cooked an absurd amount of meals, and made sure the house was clean enough in the process. Sure, she had a few meltdowns along the way, but who the hell didn't? 2020 was pure chaos, but she's a superhero. So she figured it out.

And here we are, on the edge of normalcy with the bright light of summer upon us, and you're thinking about getting the mom in your life flowers for Mother's Day. Think again.