2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - Alamo Bowl 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!"

*sigh* Back to Texas.  I swore, upon graduation from CU in 2006, that I'd never go back to this godforsaken state, yet here I am.  I guess, if I have to dive back into Tyler's Folly, that I'll have to do this right.  As such, the beer this week is as big and nasty as the place itself.  It's a beer brewed to match the locale -- disgusting, rot-gut swill with no redeeming quality or value. Yep, it's Lone Star, and it's this week's gameday beer-o-the-week.

From: Wikipedia

Berthed in San Antonio itself, this beer has been around since the '40's.  Not brewed there any more, of course, Pabst bought them out at the turn of the century, and moved everything up to larger facilities around Ft Worth.  The flagship brew is an American Adjunct Lager.  You should know what that means, by now: it's a macro lager from a large conglomerate, akin to Bud Heavy and Coors Light.  As such, nothing of any substance has ever been within 500 feet of this beast.  Just processed extracts and fabricated 'flavor.'

I have some friends from college - idiots, really - who once tried to brew coffee with Lone Star.  It went about as you would expect, and they eventually had to fumigate the apartment.  Later, after the event, I asked them the obvious question, "why?"  Their response: "What else were we supposed to do with it?"

I guess I get the point.  Drinking this crap would be far down the list of any sensible, right thinking person.  It tastes like stale piss, if it tastes like anything at all.  The sweetness is all wrong, the bitterness is all wrong.  The whole package is watered down, which, in retrospect, is probably a good thing.  "The National Beer of Texas," indeed.  We should've left it all to Mexico.


Happy Thursday!  Go Buffs, beat Oklahoma State!

2016 Gameday 'Beer'-o-the-week - Pac-12 Championship 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!"

OK, so I wasn't expecting to have to do one of these this late in the season, and have nothing prepared.  Short on time, and without a summer's worth of notes to supply me with last-minute ideas, I'm diving into the beer fridge for whatever I can find. Uh, let me see... *rummages* Ah ha!  It's... oh for crying out loud... Which one of my roommates left this in here?  *sigh* It's Not Your Father's Root Beer, and it's this week's gameday 'beer' of the week.

If you look at the label, NYFRB will tell you that it comes from tiny Wauconda, IL, a northwest exurb of Chicago.  Certainly, if you were to travel to Wauconda, there is a brewery there, called Small Town Brewery, that would happily sell you the stuff.  What you find in the well-labeled bottles on the shelves of your local booze palace, however, did not come from Wauconda, and definitely not from the tiny brewery located there.  Nope, what you're drinking was made by Pabst, the giant conglomerate most famous for the hipster brew of choice: PBR.  They partnered with Small Town shortly before you started seeing their hard root beer show up on shelves, which explains some things.

That's not to say there's not a craft element to the story, however.  Small Town was started by a single guy, Tim Kovac, after haphazard forays into the world of homebrewing in the late '80s.  The twist from craft to corporate machine is familiar and tired, as ubiquitous to the modern brewing world as beards and kitschy hop varietals.  I can't really blame the guy for taking the money, or wanting to see his product go national without the pain of having to build an empire himself. At this point, it is what it is.

Anyways, the Root Beer, which is brewed, but still not quite 'real beer,' carries with it a unique taste. Obviously, the flavor notes skew towards the well-known parameters of root beer, but it's more than just a can of Barq's.  Heavy with vanilla up front, it's very sweet, spicy, and root-y, with an alcoholic kick on the back end.  For what it is, it's kind of interesting, and people who don't like 'normal' beer sure seem to like it (it was one of the best selling beers in the country in '15).  For me, though, it's not a beer, just a beer alternative.

You can find it almost everywhere now, either in 5.9% or 10.7% ABV versions.  It's also got sister brews, like Not Your Father's Ginger Beer, floating around.  If you don't mind something sweet, either are probably worth a try, if just for the fun of it.  Don't know if I'll be going back, though.

Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat Washington!

2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - Utah 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!"

It's Ute week, so the honorary beer selection is Polygamy Porter from Wasatch Brewery. Indeed, why have just one?

The actual beer pick, however, comes to us from Darien, IL.  The little burg, not far from my Thanksgiving festivities in the Western Suburbs of Chicago, is home to a feisty little brewery making some hay after just two years of existence: Miskatonic Brewing Company.  Their session rye, called Catchpenny, is this week's gameday beer-o-the-week.

From: twitter

The name Miskatonic, of course, is a head fake in the direction of Lovecraftian horror, which typically deals with the end of the world by cataclysmic means.  As I feel that Colorado appearing in the Pac-12 title game would be just the latest confirmation this year that Doomsday is quickly approaching, I feel any brewery steeped in this mythos is appropriate to the hour.  The term 'catchpenny' refers to using cheap sensationalism to draw in the reader, which ties right back into what I just did there by invoking End Times.  See, it's like poetry; they rhyme.

Anyways, the beer itself is an interesting attempt at the vogue rye styles that are flitting around these days.  It's very drinkable, light, and malty.  Not overly hopped, it's far from bitter, and well positioned to fill your glass time and time again.  My only knock on it would be that I just didn't get enough of the rye character that I would normally expect -- a spicy, acerbic kick.  That said, one thing I've noticed about breweries in Illinois, particularly as opposed to their counterparts out west, is that their products are often rather understated.  The result of a different beer culture, I guess, the flavors just aren't as big and in your face.  In the end, it's an interesting change of pace.

So, something quirky and weird for the end of the season, which seems to go with the out-of-place nature of 2016.  You'll have to travel to sample this (or find it online through a large distributor), but half the fun of beer culture is trying new things.  If it's not Catchpenny, please do look to expand your horizons.  When you travel for the holidays, grab whatever is brewed nearby.  Ask your aunt or uncle what they drink.  Try... anything new.  Colorado may be the king of craft, but it's not the sole possessor of the ideology, after all.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat Utah!

2016 Gameday Wine-o-the-week - Washington State Edition

Each week throughout the football season I'm going to suggest a good beerwine 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" beerswines around. But, in the words of Dave Chappelle as Samuel L. Jackson "IT'LL GET YOU DRUNK!"

Top-10 in the country.  National broadcast TV audience.  Ladies and gentlemen, the profile of this program is on display this weekend.  What does that mean for you, the common tailgater?  Well, it means it's time to sit up and act right.  Smooth out those wrinkles in the table cloth!  Cover up the ski shot!  Hide the beer pong balls!  Pretend for all the onlookers that we're not the drunken louts we really are!

For me, it means that I'm stowing the beer for the week.  "See, national television audience, here in Boulder we drink wine and act civilized, because it's how we always operate."  That'll fool them. Better go with something local, though, and tailgate friendly, too.  I have a reputation to uphold, after all.  The only choice, Infinite Monkey Theorem's Red Wine, is this week's gameday wine-o-the-week.

OK, so maybe wine in a can isn't the most highfalutin beverage on the market, but it's certainly in a more high-brow direction than a 30-rack of Rolling Rock.  And who doesn't like stuff in cans, anyway?  It's an environmentally-friendly packaging concept, with an outdoors-oriented lean.  You can bring cans tons of places you can't bring bottles, which is key in a state made for such adventurous activities, and they're certainly more tailgate-friendly than a few full bottles of wine.  In fact it is you who are wrong, canned wine doubters.

The Infinite Monkey Theorem Urban Winery (named after the idea that sitting an infinite number of monkey's at typewriters for an infinite amount of time would eventually produce Shakespeare) sources grapes from the Western Slope, and still produces wine the way a more traditional winery would... all right in the heart of Denver's River North Art District!  The only difference is that they put a portion of their end product in aluminum cans for us to enjoy.  Really, that's all we're talking about here.

It's good wine, too.  Their more conventional offerings have gotten some notice in respected circles, and are worth trying if you're actually looking for the full... wine thing.  I chose the canned red for this review because that's the kind of wine I typically enjoy, but they also have moscato, white, and rosé blends on offer.  The red is lightly carbonated and fruity.  It's fun, enjoyable, and perfect for a tailgate ahead of a weighty football game.  You can find it in most local liquor stores, or even online. Pick some up, you'll thank me later.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Cougars!

2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - Arizona 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!"

I don't know if you've noticed, but we're starting to get a little chill in the air.  Thanks to that daylight savings bullshit, the entirely of my evenings after work are now spent sans sunlight.  I even saw Christmas decorations at the store the other day. Yep, winter is definitely coming.

To match the seasonal mood, I want something dark, complex, and contemplative for the game this week. Something warm both in flavor and profile; something that doesn't mind sitting in a glass while I stare into a roaring fire. That something is Stone's Xacoveza Stout, and it is magnificent.  It's also this week's gameday beer-o-the-week.

Alternatively called an imperial stout, a milk stout, or the Stone-preferred mocha stout, Xacoveza is a big, meaty bastard.  Weighing in at 8.1% ABV with a mountain of flavor, it's a brilliant take on a winter seasonal.  It was originally released as a one-off in 2014, but the brew was so well-received that it now has a slot on Stone national distribution calendar.  A blessing, that.

The flavor profile is meant to be reminiscent of Mexican-style hot chocolate.  Flavored with coffee, peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk sugar, it certainly gets there, producing seductive notes of spice, cream, roasted coconut, chocolate, and espresso.  Similar profile on the nose, too.  While not 'spicy hot,' the peppers definitely play, and combine with the alcohol to really warm you up.  Very pleasant, the kind of thing you want to be drinking on a chilly night.

My bottle is of last year's vintage, aged in cellar conditions since December of 2015.  The rest did the beer well.  While you may not want to wait to taste, saving a bottle or two from the six-pack for future consumption is recommended.  Either way, now or next fall, you won't go wrong here.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Cardinal!

2016 Gameday Liquor-o-the-week - UCLA Edition

Each week throughout the football season I'm going to suggest a good beer liquor 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 beerliquor") So, be warned, these may not be "the best" beers liquors around. But, in the words of Dave Chappelle as Samuel L. Jackson "IT'LL GET YOU DRUNK!"

Mid-week games are an interesting feat.  To get any amount of tailgating in before kickoff, you pretty much have to come straight from work, fighting traffic along the way while carrying your stresses with you.  To make matters worse, once you get to the lots, the party window is compressed. For example, if you leave work at 4:30 today, even given a 30 minute trip to the stadium (which is stretching things), you'll have just an hour, maybe an hour and a half, to prepare for kickoff.  With these kinds of compressed timetables, we just ain't got time for beer.  No, we need to get serious, and up the ante.  So, the pick this evening isn't a beer, it's hard alcohol.  Colorado-based hard alcohol, to be precise.  The unique style of Arvada-based Rado Distilling's Beet Spirit is this week's gameday liquor-o-the-week.

Yep, beets.  Colorado sugar beets. Rado revels in the qualities of what they call 'Colorado's richest natural resource,' and base all their spirits on the plentiful root.  Certainly, beets grow well in this state, but I'm not sure how far I want to go with the 'richest natural resource' noise ... I digress. While you may crinkle your nose at the thought, let me assure you that you eat beets every day.  Much of the country's non-corn syrup sweets are made with white sugar from beets, which tastes identical to that from sugar cane without the requirement of a lush, tropical growing environment.  At the end of the day, sugar is sugar, and you wouldn't be able to taste the difference, anyways.

For our purposes here, Rado uses the beet sugar to make a very rum-esque series of products.  Dark, Gold, and White, their beet spirits can be used as a rum substitute in any number of classic cocktails. Straight in a glass, they strike me as sweeter, smoother, and more complex than most rums that I've tried. I have a bottle of the Gold, and the taste, beyond just simple rum, also reminds me of a good tequila with a warm kick and a near-agave flavor (scent, too).  Aftertaste is earthy and woody, with maybe a little chocolate, but definitely not unpleasant.  Overall, sweet and mixable.

Seriously, these are fun, local products, and I urge you to try some.  I found mine in Superior Liquor, but they they seem to distribute all over the Front Range.  Like any other standard hard liquor, these are all 80 proof, so consume responsibly.  Believe me, the Gold will keep you warm as the temperature dips this evening.

Happy Friday Thursday!  Go Buffs, beat the Bruins!

2016 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!"

Way back in April, I took a trip to NorCal on some family business.  Not San Francisco, mind you, but the tiny burb of Chico, some three hours northeast of The City (Northern California, if you didn't know, is essentially endless).  What I found, I kind of liked.  Chico's a cool little college town, in many ways rather like Boulder, home to Chico State and a bunch of outdoors-types.  More importantly, it's also home to one of the biggest, most important craft breweries in the county -- the iconic Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  Their imperial stout, Narwhal, is this week's gameday beer-o-the-week.

I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of some of Sierra's more famous beers.  By this point, I've had so many of their classic Pale Ale's that I've lost a taste for it, and their newer stuff, like Otra Vez and Beer Camp, are big misses, for me.  Narwhal, however, is a whole different story.  I love this beast! A big, meaty imperial stout with character and life, it's one of the best of the style on shelves today. Rich and deep with flavor, this velvety smooth brew tastes of chocolate and espresso, with a pleasant mouth feel that is far from that motor oil/syrup style that can bog down lesser IPs.  It finishes creamy and clear, and there's even a note of hops, for which the brewery is famous for.  Oh, so good!

When I was at the brewery, they were pouring a barrel-aged version spiked with vanilla and orange peel, which tasted a whole lot like a chocolate orange. It was outstandingly good, beyond anything else I tasted while I was there.  As I understand it, it was only ever going to be available at the brewery, so, barring a trip to Chico, you're SOL.

Standard Narwhal, however, often finds its way out to Colorado (when in season), and can otherwise be ordered online.  If you find it, give it a try.  Sitting at 10.2% ABV, it'll keep you warm as we dip into November, and those tailgates start to get colder.  Their standard barrel-aged version is also distributed, and is even more deserving of your time and money.  Either way, if it says Narwhal on the bottle, you won't go wrong.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Cardinal!

2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - ASU 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!"

It being Homecoming Week, I feel no compulsion to leave the boundaries of Boulder proper to find a beer.  Instead, I'm heading a short ways up the Diag to 63rd St and the beautiful home of Avery Brewing.  There, they often find cause to release an enhanced version of their classic Mephistopheles imperial stout.  Bourbon barrel-aged with a heap of roasted coffee beans thrown in for fun, the resulting product, Tweak, is this week's game day beer-o-the-week.

O.G. Mephistopheles, named after demon of Faustian legend (ah, the Sun Devil association I was looking for), is a wonderful play on the imperial stout style, a remnant of the old 'Demons of Ale' series from the brewery.  If you haven't had it before, I would suggest it, as well.  By adding Ozo brand coffee beans to a bourbon-barrel soak, however, Avery takes the veteran brew up a notch. Regrettably first released under the name 'Meph Addict,' the re-brand has done this coffee stout well. No longer do I have to look aside the unfortunate allusion to drug use, I can just enjoy this unique beer for what it is.

I actually had a tasting of Tweak at last week's Great American Beer Festival, getting it poured straight from the barrel by the man himself, Adam Avery.  With a motor oil like color, it pours settled and confident into the glass with a sizable tan head.  Upon tasting, there's a decided note of chocolate/coffee, along with warmer bourbon and roasted coconut flavors.  The bourbon doesn't overpower, though, letting the complex suite of flavors flit around a bit. Overall, I would describe it as sweetly rich, like having a decadent slice of toffee chocolate cheesecake -- enough to be a meal unto itself. Indeed, at 17.5 ABV, just one 12oz bottle would be sufficient for anyone here.  Pour and let it open, consuming over an extended amount of time.

Really, the downside here is that you probably can't find Tweak on store shelves this weekend.  Avery plans on next releasing in November.  Not too long of a wait, though, and well worth it.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Sun Devils!

2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - USC 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!"

Before I get to the pick this week, a quick word on last week's.  I had selected Guinness, but, more importantly, a Guinness from Boulder drinking institution Conor O'Neill's, which was scheduled to close for good after last weekend.  That, however, is no longer the case, as the bar looks to re-open today.  This is fantastic news for Boulderites everywhere who love a straight-forward watering hole that knows how to pour a pint of the Black Stuff.  So, if you missed the 'final weekend,' you haven't completely missed your chance to re-connect with the old girl.  Head back to Conor's, and keep heading back, so we don't have to face this scare again.

--

In case you missed the revelry on Twitter last night, I hit up opening night of the 2016 Great America Beer Festival.  The annual affair, held down at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, is a right of passage for true beer freaks everywhere, bringing together hundreds of breweries and thousands of beers for consumption and consideration.  It's a fantastic event, and one I cannot recommend enough if you have any interest at all in the world of beer.

While wandering the hall last night, I was looking, specifically, for a beer to feature in this space.  I wanted something accessible to the Colorado market and theoretically comfortable in a tailgate setting. After a handful of 1 oz. pours, I finally found my winner.  Combining my love for all things hops and my appreciation of a good packaging, I settled on Hookiebobb.  That IPA from Crazy Mountain Brewery is this week's beer-o-the-week.

From: Instagram

Just look at that packaging! The full picture, which I posted on Twitter yesterday, is of a part-man, part-bison, part-moose, part-bear legendary creature that is surely my spirit animal incarnate. Hell, with such imagery, they could almost put gut-wrenching swill in the bottle, and I'd still find a way to enjoy it. Luckily, Hookiebobb is far better than that low bar, and is actually something worth your time.

Brewed by Crazy Mountain in Edwards, CO, the brew is a fun blend of hop-forward eccentricity. Floral and resin-pine hop notes all over the place, countered with some peppery-sweet malt behind it. While not the best IPA out there, it's still an interesting, playful attack on a very conventional style.  It comes in bottles or cans, and will set you more than right on a football Saturday, coming it at 6.7% ABV.  You should be able to find some in your local suds shop, should you be so inclined.  Enjoy!


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Trojans!

2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - Oregon State 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!"

I'm sure you've heard by now, but this will be the last weekend, ever, for Conor O'Neill's.  As a veteran of countless Boulder bar crawls - Conor's was even the jumping off point for my 21st birthday party - it's like saying that this is going to be the last Thanksgiving ever.  The humble Irish Pub is an important fixture of the Boulder's drinking establishment, and it's a crime against the very fabric of the town to hear that it's shutting down for good.  Shame, shame, shame on those that are pushing this venerable institution to the curb in favor of... whatever hack faux-hipster bullshit will, inevitably, take it's place on the Mall.

Anyways, as many of you are undoubtedly planning, as well, I've scheduled a trip to Conor's this weekend to send the old girl out in style.  And, of course, when I hit up Conor's, there's only one drink on the menu: Guinness.  That black nectar of the gods is this week's beer-of-the-week.

I was surprised to realize that I've never featured this beer before as a gameday selection.  Guinness is a stable brew, after all, for consumers everywhere.  You'd have thought, after six years, I'd have gotten around to 'a pint of the black stuff' at some point.  Oh well, guess I'll just have to make up for lost time.

Guinness is, I assume, the national beverage of the good people of Ireland.  Whether or not that's actually true (in retrospect, it's probably whiskey, which is also #good) is immaterial.  What is important, however, is that the Irish not only invented this dry stout, but then chose to bless the rest of the world with its presence.  Poured motor-oil black from a nitrogen-infused tap or can, the celebrated cascade effect allows for a perfect pint wherever you are.  There's not much on the nose, but the taste is bready malt and toast, with a milky/creamy backing.  Eminently drinkable, you can session with Guinness for hours, should you choose.  Owners Diageo move nearly 2 billion pints of this stuff per year, much of it on St Patrick's Day, making it one of the most popular brands in the world.

Discussion of Guinness actually allows me to bring up one of the more interesting beer inventions in the history of the industry: the widget.  Finding a way to bring the pub experience of the nitrogen-infused pour home was a focus of the brewers in the late 1960s.  Their response was to drop a internal component into each can and bottle to release the gas upon opening, and thus the widget was born.  Without it, Guinness would taste verrrrry different at your tailgate.  This tactic, of course, was further improved with Lefthand's widgetless nitrogenation for their Milk Stout, which is probably my favorite stout around.

Regardless, you know Guinness, and you know you want one.  Further, you know you want it from one of the taps at Conor O'Neill's before they tear it down.  Find your way down to 13th and Lawry right quick, while you still can.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Beavers!

2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - Oregon 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!"

I come to you today from Brooklyn, NY. Out here on some family business, I figure, why not feature something local? Well, what could get more local to Brooklyn than Brooklyn Brewery?  The brainchild of Steve Hindy and Tom Potter, Brooklyn has been pumping out fantastic beers under the direction of the singular Garrett Oliver for years.  Their staple brew, Brooklyn Lager, is this week's beer-o-the-week.

From: BrooklynBrewery.com

I don't feature a lot of lagers, mostly due to the fact that the American craft beer scene is dominated by ales.  Lagers (beer 'lagered' at low temperatures with bottom-fermenting yeast), however, are some of the most prolific and historically significant styles on the planet, as popularized by mega-brands like Budweiser and Coors.  This version is nothing like that pale swill, though.  No, Brooklyn has actually produced something with taste that stands up well past your standard tailgate environment.  This is a beer with legs, one capable of suiting your needs whenever they may arise.

Brooklyn is a Vienna-style amber, a 19th Century style brought to the continent, originally, through Mexico.  It will pour copper-yellow into your glass, with a nice pillow of head.  You'll get strong malt notes throughout the nose and palate, with a small cut of floral hops (thanks to the dry-hopping process).  The taste is of caramel malt, and exceedingly pleasant.  At 5.2 ABV, it's a highly sessionable brew that's worthy of staying with you through multiple rounds of bag toss or farmer's golf.

Unfortunately, Brooklyn Brewery doesn't currently have a distribution outlet in Colorado, so you can't find it in local shops.  Next time you're out east (they distribute throughout the Midwest), though, be sure to give it a try.  Tomorrow, I'll kickback a few of these while trying to keep up with the Buffs in Eugene.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Ducks!

2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - Michigan 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!"

After opening week snark and last week's tongue-in-cheek pick of a damn soft drink, we're back to normal service for the weekly beer selection.  There's a lot of good breweries in Michigan, a number of which are well worth a drive if you're in region.  One of the more unique and celebrated standouts, though, is actually located in Ann Arbor.  Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, a short hop down main street from the Big House, is simply one of the best purveyors of rustic-style beers in the country.  Their signature Oro de Calabaza wild ale is this week's beer-o-the-week.

From: Dailybeerreview.com

Alternatively categorized as a biere de garde, a strong ale, a wild ale, or a golden ale, depending on your view on such things, Oro de Calabaza (meaning golden pumpkin... don't worry, not a fake-ass pumpkin ale) is a barrel-aged and bottle-conditioned Belgian-style brew. Essentially a cousin of the saison, these are all variations on a Franco-Belgian theme meant to be brewed in cool weather and stored in cellars for extended periods.  They are typically malt-forward, complex, and pretty sweet, with that weird nod in the direction of Belgian yeast.  This version will pour a little hazy in the glass, and hit you with a rich array of acidic floral, fruit, and spice flavors, along with some wood from the oak barrels.  Not my favorite style, and there are almost no hop characteristics to savor, but still very pleasant, especially if you don't mind a little funk.  Seriously, if you're into the whole Belgian thing, you should enjoy this.

Note: this is not a beer for getting ripped.  We're talking serious flavors here for mature palates.  I can't even imagine someone wanting to pound a bottle of this, and, at 8% abv, it'd hurt.  No, this is for the more mellow tailgate; contemplative and retrospective.  The kind that the wine and cheese elites at the UofM would appreciate.  In fact, pair with cheese.  Go ahead, get some damn cheese, already!

For those in Boulder, far from the action on Saturday, Liquormart and Hazel's both offer it in handy 350ml size.  Purchase, consume, enjoy.  Responsibly, of course.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Wolverines!

2016 Gameday Beverage-o-the-week - Idaho State Edition

Each week throughout the football season I'm going to suggest a good beerbeverage for the ubiquitous pre-game tailgate. Let's be honest, with tailgates it's not always drunkenness that you're looking for. Sometimes you just want to enjoy life to it's fullest, experiencing it the way great American Jim Leavitt does.  So, be warned, this week it's not about beer.  In (not) the words of Dave Chappelle as Samuel L. Jackson "IT'LL WONT GET YOU DRUNK!"

I'm calling an audible.  I know I should be selecting a beer today.  Possibly highlighting some brewery from Idaho, of which I'm sure there are some.  My problem is that I'm just morally opposed to spending a good beer pick on an FCS game.  No offense to the Bengals, it's just that... for a punchless matchup, the selected drink should be equal to the challenge.  This isn't a first; if you'll recall, last fall I picked non-alcoholic O'Doul's for Nicholls State.

So, in looking for something game-appropriate, I tried to get to the heart of the matter at hand.  I looked for a source of passion in a matchup that is a challenge for the average fan to get up for.  What I found was that I kept thinking, "what would Jim Leavitt do?"  The firebrand Defensive Coordinator is famously passionate about... pretty much everything, constantly exuding a joie de vivre that is as heartwarming as it is bemusing to watch from afar.  Surely this great man, who has revitalized the Colorado defense, would have the right answer here.

Of course, what Jim Leavitt would pick is Pepsi.  Yep, fucking Pepsi.  He can't shut up about the soft drink, tweeting and talking about it constantly (if he doesn't have an endorsement deal, his agent is really dropping the ball).  Jim seems to love the stuff as much as he does football.  Fair enough, in his honor, I'm naming Pepsi this week's gameday beverage-o-the-week.

I love this image.  From: The Ralphie Report.

I will admit to being a Leavitt-esque Pepsi drinker in my miss-spent youth.  It was the White Sox official soda, so I, in turn, gobbled the stuff up like every over-sugared child of my generation.  Regular Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Crystal Pepsi (which is making a comeback).  You name it, I craved it.

The beverage, which Wikipedia will tell originated in the 1890s, is one of the two principle soda behemoths in the country (you know the other).  It's been around forever, quenching generations of thirst with its dual blasts of high fructose corn syrup and caffeine, and is synonymous with the concept of the massive marketing conglomerate.  Be assured, Pepsi is decidedly not good for you or your kids, as are any traditional American sodas, and really should be avoided at all costs.  However... it's so damn tasty on a summer day.  Poured over ice, bubbles fizzing away, it really can't be beat.

So, if you don't mind putting another step towards an extended relationship with a diabetes meter, why not pickup a 12-pack?  Toast away the last hours of a summer afternoon as the Buffs take the field against Idaho State.  Jim Leavitt would approve.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Bengals!

2016 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - RMS 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!"

It's the RMS, so the honorary beer-o-the-week is, as always, Buff Gold.  Previously, I've talked about how you can spice up the standard golden ale by dropping in a shot of Buffalo Trace bourbon to make a 'Buffalo Maker.'  Advancing the concept further, why not make it a hybrid drop-shot of Trace and local agave spirit Tatanka?  Yeah, I know, that sounds rough, but football is meant for the tough of spirit, so you deserve a beverage to match.

The 'real' beer for this week is an old non-favorite.  Submitted for your approval, I present the offspring of a marketing machine with a plan.  A marketing machine who wantonly leeches on the consumer's cardboard palate, while simultaneously wrapping itself in whatever flavor of the American Dream once existed under the Eisenhower administration.  A marketing machine not of this continent that posits to speak for the beer drinkers of this great nation.  Yep, I'm of course talking about Budweiser 'heavy,' or, as it has bizarrely taken to call itself this summer, 'America,' and it's my gameday beer-o-the-week.

'America?'  But you're fucking Belgian!

Let me first say that I am offended.  If you're going to slap the flag on the side of your brew and call it America, then it better be damn good, worthy of the name itself.  This beer is not good, however.  It is lifeless piss-water, the kind of thing you would expect to come from years of industrialized corporate 'brewing.'  More to the point, the company making the swill isn't even American!  It's a Brazilian/Belgian behemoth, stretching it's devilish tentacles across the globe.  A testament to the might of multi-national business management, sure, but far from the homespun, hard working, blue-collar, patriotic company of the advertising campaign.  It's a sham, a put-on, a hateful ruse. Designed to ply willing rubes from their hard-earned cash while real-deal American brew is shuffled off to the dusty corners of shelves via distribution arrangements.

By now, I'm used to people of all ilks appropriating the Stars and Stripes for their own purposes; that in and of itself may be as American as the apple pie of legend.  However, this attempt is so brazen, so hilarious in its origin, as to piss me the hell off.  Fuck this beer, and fuck the company that put it on shelves.  Enjoy it at the peril of your very soul.

... on second thought, go with the Buff Gold.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, get that 'W!'

Friday Beer Post: 2015 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - Utah 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!"

It's Ute week, so the honorary beer selection is Polygamy Porter from Wasatch Brewery. Indeed, why have just one?

The actual beer pick, however, comes to us from San Diego.  I'm returning to a brewery that I already featured this year, Ballast Point, in memoriam.  They recently sold out, cashing in on a $1 billion offer from Constellation Brands (the finks behind the eye-rollingly lame Corona).  It's a huge price tag, and who can really blame them, but there is no doubt that the soul of the epic brewery behind Sculpin, et al, is gone for good.  In honor, I'm tabbing their American Stout, The Commodore, as this week's beer-o-the-week.

With Ballast Point, Sculpin is the head of the class.  The rest of the offerings pale in comparison, to be honest, but it's an unfair mirror to hold them up to, as Sculpin is truly monumental.  Of the second-string, however, I probably like The Commodore the most.  It's a strong take on the stout family, with typical notes of roasted coffee and dark chocolate.  A late finish of hops fits with the brewery and the native region, and the whole thing ends bitter and sharp.  I've liked it more off the tap than the bottle, but that's pretty much par for the course in the beer world.  Allow it to breathe, though; don't drink straight from the fridge.

Prior to cashing in, BP had been showing up more and more on Colorado shelves, so you should not have too much trouble finding this in option-heavy liquor stores.  It's available in six-packs, with each bottle coming in at a robust 6.5% ABV.  Maybe a little heavy for post-Thanksgiving celebrations, but a weighty punch to end the tailgating season.  Enjoy!

Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Utes!

Friday Beer Post: 2015 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - WSU 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!"

I got lost on my way to picking a beer this week, losing sight of my normal hopped-up fare as I cruised the aisles of the local liquor-plex.  I was drawn, instead, to a weird seasonal concoction from local magnates Oskar Blues. Their extra-sweet Irish porter, 'Death by Coconut,' is this week's gameday beer-o-the-week.

DBC has your basic porter look and feel down.  Black as motor oil with a thin tan-brown head, the maniacs at OB (originally a collaboration with Shamrock Brewing) finish the brew with an aging on dried coconut and dark chocolate. The result is a fantastic, easily recognizable taste. While there is a dark chocolate bitterness to the entire profile (with a finish like a latte), the main notes are creamy caramel mixed with sweet chocolate and toasted coconut.  It is undeniably the flavor of samoas -- those addicting chocolate-striped coconut cookies sold by the girl scouts every year.  If that ain't enough to get your attention, then I don't know what will.

It's not my favorite style of beer, and I know coconut is one of the most divisive flavors out there (I'm pro, for the record), but, it's an interesting take on the bog standard porter, and the taste is on point.  Think of it as a dessert beer, and sip after dinner (maybe in the form of a beer float...). You can find this beast in four-packs of 12oz cans, recently re-released in Oskar's distribution footprint.  It's a limited release, so get on it!


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Pilots and Cougars!

Friday Beer Post: 2015 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - USC 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!"

At the start of the basketball season, I wanted my beer pick to look forward.  Something new and local, something I had never tried before.  While roaming the aisle of my local liquoropolis last weekend, I kept my eye out for such a beer; one that was, as of yet, untried by yours truly, from a brewery that was, as of yet, un-reviewed on these pages.  I found just such an option right away.  Coming from just up the Diag in Gunbarrel, Finkel & Garf Brewing is a recent entrant to the Boulder brewing scene.  Their Cream Ale, however, one of many quality brews on tap, tells me that they'll be around for some time to come.  It's this week's gameday beer-o-the-week.

I love a good cream ale!  The top-fermenting cousin of pale lagers, these beauties are malty-sweet, easy drinking, and perfect for the kind of session consumption that a tailgate requires.  While usually more creamy and malt-forward, Finkel & Garf have decided to go in a little more hop-forward direction with theirs, bringing a lot of bitter, dank notes to the typically sweet style.  It's a very pleasing result - almost the natural intersection of american ale culture and those classic styles that, until recently, dominated the hearts and minds of beer freaks.

The one thing that really takes this one up a notch, and it's a common theme that I've been noticing around the craft beer world, is the inclusion of some orange peel to the mix.  My first thought when downing this one: now this is what Blue Moon should be.  Citrusy-sweet, smooth, and creamy, the two beers put me in the same mind.  Completely different styles of beer, to be sure, but the thought process seemed to lead to the same conclusion... just with F&G throwing in more hops.

Big fan of this beer, do yourself a favor and get some.  It comes in cans, and, at 5.4%, a six-pack will get you more than ready for the marathon of Colorado sports about to hit the national landscape.  Even Ryan Koenigsberg agrees - get some now!


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Cyclones! ... oh, and the Trojans too, I guess.

Friday Beer Post: 2015 Gameday Cocktail-o-the-week - Stanford Edition

Each week throughout the football season I'm going to suggest a good beercocktail 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" beerscocktails around. But, in the words of Dave Chappelle as Samuel L. Jackson "IT'LL GET YOU DRUNK!"

11am kickoff, eh?  That's mighty early.  Essentially, that means any serious tailgate will start around 8 or 9 in the morning; way too early for traditional tailgate fare.  The conscientious host will plan accordingly, and change up the menu.  Brats and potato salad replaced by breakfast burritos and home fries.  Maybe some LaMar's donuts in place of potato chips, and sausage links instead of hamburgers.  And, of course, something other than beer in those red solo cups.  Now, many in this situation would lean toward a Bloody Mary (or even a Bloody Maria; the same, just with tequila).  Me?  I'm just not a big fan of tomato juice. Instead, why not enhance the traditional morning OJ with something a little more festive.  The resulting concoction, called a mimosa, is this week's gameday cocktail-o-the-week.

Wikipedia would tell us that mimosas were first mixed in the roaring 20s, but that's not important.  What is important is that whoever thought this up hit on a goldmine.  The process is simple: take one part orange juice, and combine with one part champagne.  It doesn't even need to be good champagne (fine, 'sparkling wine'), just bubbly and alcoholic.  Pour together in a glass, sit back and enjoy the sunrise.  What could be more simple?

Not a fan of champagne?  No problem, replace with the vodka you were going to pour into that damn Bloody Mary, and serve up some screwdrivers.  Leftover tequila from that failed Bloody Maria experiment? Throw it in with some grenadine, and you have yourself a tequila sunrise.  However you do it, the point is, Bloody Marys/Marias are dumb.  Tomato juice is dumb.  Orange juice is the way of truth, especially when it's boozy.  If you disagree, you're wrong.

Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Cardinal

Friday Beer Post: 2015 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - UCLA 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!"

All right, that's it.  Let me lend my voice to the millions of discerning adults who have had enough with the whole 'pumpkin spice' thing.  It was cutesy and kitschy and pseudo-cool for a while, but after years of incessantly pumpkin-izing everything, I just can't take it anymore.

Accordingly, this week's beer will not, as has been the case in Halloween weeks past, be a pumpkin beer. I'm looking beyond the seasonal ingredient, and grabbing for something... not fucking pumpkin.  In a compromise, I'm sticking with the preferred color scheme of the day - orange - but I'm veering sharply down the hoppy path in the direction of one of my favorite Colorado breweries.  Durango's own Ska Brewing has tweaked the recipe on their excellent Modus Hoperandi to come up with something called 'Modus Mandarina,' and that beer is this week's gameday beer-o-the-week.

If you love Colorado beer culture, then you must love Ska.  Tiny, rambunctious, and makers of one of my all time favorite brews (the original Modus), they bleed craft culture.  Their trick with Modus Mandarina is to brew their traditional Hoperandi with some orange peel and finish with Mandarina Bavaria hops - a recent strain known for its tangerine flavor profile - to create a bright, citrusy IPA that stands alone.

I love the smell.  The dry hop gives it beautiful floral/fruit notes that play with the orange peel.  On the tongue, you'll be surprised to find that the orange doesn't dominate.  It's not sweet by any means, and I think you actually get more of the pithy bitterness than the orange juice sweetness found in other 'orange peel' beers like Blue Moon.  At the end of the day, you can still tell it's still Modus, just with a new coat of paint.  Resinous, dank, and piney, it a very hop forward beer, but the malt balances it off before the place goes full-bore into the world of Imperial IPAs.  It finishes dry and bitter, as it should.  All-in-all a fantastic brew.

Ska just recently kicked off a full release of the beer, meaning you should have no trouble finding it on shelves throughout the state.  It comes in cans, making it perfect for tailgate season, and it is perfectly packable.  At 6.8%, be mindful of your consumption, but enjoy the hell out of a great new option from one of Colorado's best.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Bruins!

Friday Beer Post: 2015 Gameday Pub-o-the-week - Oregon State 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!"

I'm going off script, so please bear with me.  With the move to the Pac-12, Las Vegas has become a town of increasing importance to BuffNation.  Between the annual Pac-12 Basketball Tournament, the forthcoming Las Vegas Classic, the occasional showcase game at the MGM Grand Garden arena, and the possibility of the football team being just average enough to make the Las Vegas Bowl, chances are you loyal Buff fans will be making a trip to LV to watch Colorado sports sometime in the future.  Should you do, and a craving for good beer strikes, might I suggest a trip off-Strip for your suds?  My favorite beer joint in town, the incredible Aces & Ales, is this week's gameday pub of the week.

The best beer bar in Vegas.  I'm not kidding.

I was introduced to Aces & Ales by renowned beer connoisseur @RicoBlank four years ago.  We've since made a pilgrimage to the hole-in-the-wall every year during the Pac-12 Tournament, and I've yet to regret it. It's a jaunt (we prefer the Nellis location, about 20 minutes from the MGM Grand, and decidedly off-Strip), but makes for a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas proper.  Between the excellent craft beer selection, outstanding food menu, and perfect dive bar ambiance, it ticks off every single one of my requirements for 'good bar' status, and has yet to disappoint.

They've always got a great tap list going, usually with stuff you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else, and have an extensive bottle selection of some of the rarest finds in all of craftdom.  As if that wasn't enough, their food menu is a treat, with the Arrogant Bastard steak wrap (steak marinated in AB... hell yeah!) and the deep fried Oreos my personal favorites.  Throw that in with a dark, local-focused atmosphere, and it's just a little slice of heaven in the middle of Sin City.

I'm deadly serious, you have to try this place out.  Walk away from the craps table.  Leave the neon lights behind.  You won't find a place more honest and real in all of town.  A perfect place to pregame for the whatever event you're in Las Vegas to see.


Happy Friday!  Go Buffs, beat the Beavers!