New Mexico State University has gotten into the beer branding game.

NMSU teamed up with Bosque Brewing Co. to release Pistol Pete’s 1888 Ale, the school’s first officially licensed beer.

Debuted in Bosque’s taproom in Las Cruces, NM, on August 17, the beer is named after the Aggies’ official mascot and bears no connection to Louisiana State University basketball great, “Pistol” Pete Maravich. The “1888” is a reference to the year the university was founded.

Officials at NMSU decided to license a beer as part of a plan to build greater buzz around the school’s brand and to generate more revenue as funding becomes an increasingly difficult challenge at universities throughout the U.S.

For 2017, the brew will be available on draft at taprooms, as well as at university sporting and fundraising events. Come next year, statewide distribution in cans will begin. While a final can design still needs regulatory approval, the containers could feature the university’s colors and fight song.

Admittedly, licensed college beers are far from the norm, but a growing number of universities are seeking to raise their profiles – and their funds – with the assistance of branded suds.

The emerging trend appears to be especially popular in Louisiana, where LSU, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and Tulane University have teamed up with Bayou State brewers to create their own licensed beers.

Earlier this year, a Louisiana lawmaker brought forward a proposal that would have prohibited the state’s colleges and universities from authorizing the creation of a beer or other alcoholic beverage that bears the school’s brand. However, Democrat Cedric Glover ultimately removed his proposal from consideration, clearing the way for the brews to keep flowing.

Elsewhere, Colorado State University is also getting in on the brewing action, having partnered with New Belgium Brewing to create Old Aggie Superior Lager for this coming football season. Part of the money generated from sales of Old Aggie will go to support CSU’s fermentation science and technology program, alcohol awareness programs and the university’s athletic department.

Similarly, officials at NMSU believe that Pistol Pete’s 1888 Ale could help spark interest in the school’s agricultural and chemical engineering programs. Both programs tie in with the craft beer industry, a growing niche in the “Land of Enchantment.”