Friday Beer Post: 2011 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - Stanford Edition

Each week throughout the football season I'm going to suggest a good beer for the ubiquitous pre-game tailgate. Let's be honest, with tailgates it's not always top quality that you're looking for. To steal a phrase from the heinous beer terrorists at Budweiser, you want "drinkability." (or what a real beer connoisseur calls "a session beer") So, be warned, these may not be "the best" beers around. But, in the words of Dave Chappelle as Samuel L. Jackson "IT'LL GET YOU DRUNK!" 

With the pleasure and pain of the Great American Beer Festival behind me (THANKS AGAIN RICO!), I'm back to normal service.  One beer, selected mostly for my ability to pseudo-logically tie it to the week's opponent, for you to enjoy at your tailgate.

As I mentioned yesterday, while Stanford doesn't officially have a mascot, they are indelibly tied to the image of the drunken tree dancing around on the sideline.  The only beer I can think of directly involving a conifer actually uses real spruce tips as a flavoring ingredient.  If you haven't guessed yet, I'm naming Alaskan Brewing's Winter Ale as my tailgate beer-o-the-week.

Alaskan Brewing does many things really well.  Their smoked porter is a thing of beauty, and their amber is a damn fine session beer; great beers from a great brewery.  Not to be outdone, their Winter Ale has quickly become a winter-time favorite for me. 

An English Olde Ale, brewed to be a "winter warmer," the brew is expectantly big and malty.  The addition of the spruce tips adds a sweet and woody character to the taste, giving it a unique feel, and helping it stand out from other winter offerings from the brewing world.  Luckily, it just started going on sale this month and I expect Liquor Mart/Superior Liquor will have it in stock on Saturday afternoon.

So grab a 6-pack or two; you're gonna need it 'cause this one's gonna get out of hand early.

Happy Friday! Go Buffs, Beat (or at least compete with) Stanford!