Craft Beer and Football

*SPOILER ALERT* I like craft beer (read: I am obsessed with craft beer). Hopefully, I didn't shatter anyone’s earth just now.

I also happen to be a big fan of football, and it probably comes as no surprise that craft beer and football go together like peas and carrots. There is the obvious relationship that beer in general has to kicking back with friends and watching a truly American pastime unfold on a Sunday afternoon. But in the case of craft beer, it’s more than that. It speaks to the sense of local/regional pride and community involvement that all craft brewers have with their customers.

Hugh Sisson (left) and Jim Koch (right) are putting their beer where their mouths are.
(That's actually the best place to put beer in my opinion)

A great example of this is in the bet that Hugh Sisson, owner of Clipper City Brewing Company and Heavy Seas in Baltimore, MD) just made with Jim Koch (owner of the Boston Beer Company and Sam Adams in Boston, MA) regarding tomorrow’s AFC Championship game. The friendly wager stipulates that if the Baltimore Ravens defeat the New England Patriots, Jim has to give Hugh a case of Sam Adams Boston Lager. If the Pats win, Hugh owes Jim a case of Heavy Seas Loose Cannon IPA. You’re immediate reaction might be that this is just a publicity stunt, and you’d be right, but the reason the stunt works is that both breweries reinforce to their own constituents that they are part of the community, and it encourages business. Plus, it proves that more than just slime-ball politicians make friendly wagers on playoff games.

Of course, spinning this whole thing a little closer to home, I am already in preparation for the 2013 Brewper Bowl, which will be coming up in a few blog posts from now (if you’re unfamiliar with the Brewper Bowl, or you’re looking to remember the magic, see last year’s pregame and post-game recap posts). During the process of registering breweries to participate in the Brewper Bowl (read: researching which beers from the cities of playoff teams I can actually find in my neck of the woods), I have discovered many great breweries in four unique locations, and because it’s interesting and potentially useful information, I will share what I've found with you.

I see you rolled your way into the semis...

Atlanta, Georgia:

Perhaps the least beer-enlightened of the four playoff team regions, Georgia offers a few options, but the availability of these beers in my area might be tough. Using the CraftBeer.com brewery finder, I have determined that my best options for larger-distribution breweries in Georgia are the Terrapin Brewing Company in Athens, Redbrick Brewing Company and Sweetwater Brewing Company in Atlanta, and Moon River Brewing Company in Savannah. I’ll have to look around, but the only one of those I can say for sure I've seen in my region is Terrapin, and MillerCoors owns a minority interest in Terrapin, so Terrapin would have to be a last resort option.

San Francisco, California:

Unlike Atlanta, San Francisco offers an entire world of craft beer all by itself. There are two nationally-distributed, heavy hitters in downtown San Fran alone in 21st Amendment Brewing Company and Anchor Brewing Company. There is also Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma (north of the bay) and a little further up the trail is the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico (north of Sacramento). There are of course, hundreds that I didn't mention just now, but as for breweries that distribute to the east coast, these four would do nicely.

Baltimore, Maryland:

Baltimore is an up and comer as far as beer culture is concerned – slightly more advanced than Atlanta, but nowhere near as far along as San Francisco. Fortunately, since it’s right up the road from me, I have unfettered access to their beers. Heavy Seas (Clipper City Brewing) in Baltimore, Flying Dog in Frederick, and DuClaw in Abingdon are three very good choices, should the Ravens qualify Baltimore for the big game.

New England:

This one is too easy, particularly since technically, the Patriots aren't the Boston Patriots… they are all of New England’s team. If you include all of New England in the search for great beer, much like San Francisco, there are literally hundreds to choose from. Obviously, Boston has Sam Adams and Harpoon, and Clown Shoes is just down the street in Lexington, Mass. There’s also Long Trail in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont, Magic Hat in Burlington, Vermont, Smuttynose in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Sea Dog Brewery in Bangor, Maine, and Allagash and Shipyard in Portland, Maine. These are just the big ones that I know I can find for sale near me, but as you can see, there are quite a few.

He's not wrong.

But enough about the Brewper Bowl - it will get it’s moment in the sun in a few weeks. Craft beer and football can be applied to everyday life right now. Invite friends over to watch tomorrow’s AFC and NFC Championship games and stock up on craft beer. Why? Because people like beer, and people like to drink beer while they watch football. People also like to eat snacks while drinking beer and watching football, and just as a tip – cheese pairs with IPAs extremely well. If you want to get crafty, take the above lists and acquire beer from the different cities where the teams are from! Trust me it will be fun.

What else is there? Go to a bar to watch the game, but do a little research first and make sure it’s a bar that sells good beer… not just industrial swill yellow fizzy beer. You could also check out a local brewery and see if they’re watching the game in their tap room. If you live in one of the four cities whose teams are playing this weekend, and you go to one of the breweries in those cities, they’re probably having a party, and what could be better than watching your local team play in your local brewery with fellow fans of your team? (*SPOILER ALERT* The answer is nothing.)

American past time... watching football in a bar.

So go drink craft beer and watch football. You know you want to.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!