• Bears Fans Drink Nashville Bars Dry

    Da Bears…Or rather…Da Bear fans.  It seems the Chicago Bears fans have a penchant for drinking.

    When the Chicago Bears routed the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, they were cheered on by scores of Bears fans at LP Field in Nashville. Orange and navy jerseys filled the stadium, and chants of “Let’s Go Bears!” broke out several times throughout the Bears’ 51-20 win.

     

    Nashville wasn’t quite prepared for the many Bears fans who descended on its town, as bars ran out of the beer. NBC Chicago reports that the Paradise Trailer Park Resort, just across the river from the Titans stadium, was out of bottled beer by Sunday evening. The Whiskey Bent Saloon had just two brands of beer left by the time the Chicago contingent left town.

     

    The Chicago contingent made itself known in more than the bars. Jay Cutler, who went to Vanderbilt in Nashville and still has a home there, said it felt like a home game.

     

    “They’ve travelled well.  Hats off to our fans, it’s been a fun year — Dallas, Jacksonville, here it’s been crazy to watch the Bears fans take over,” Cutler said after the game. “You know you have a ton of fans when you’re in an away stadium in the red zone and I’m trying to get the crowd to hush up and they’re responding.  They got quiet in a hurry, so it makes it fun.”

     

    The Bears are now 7-1. If they keep up their winning, Bears fans will likely drink a few more cities dry.

    Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/

  • Beer Taps Give Insight into Tigers, Giants Fans

     

    With the World Series ending last night in an extra inning 4-3 win by the Giants, it would be a great time to take a look at the beer drank by fans during the series.  The scene at AT&T Park in San Francisco has very much an upscale feel:

    In a trendy, gourmet food-and-drink obsessed place such as San Francisco, a generic “cold beer” at AT&T Park often doesn’t cut the mustard as a companion to the stadium’s pungent garlic fries or a Caribbean-style concoction called the Cha-Cha Bowl. Revelers can choose between 56 different beers inside the waterfront ballpark.

     

    At Thursday’s Game 2, hundreds of Giants fans waited in a long line to get into an adjoining ballpark bar that sells dozens of craft brews.

     

    The offerings ranged from high-octane Belgian Trappist ales to a full suite of city-brewed Anchor Steam concoctions.

     

    John Callaway, 50, stood crammed elbow-to-elbow at the bar with his friend Trisha Cruse, 53, sipping a hand-pumped, English-style cask bitters made special for the ballpark bar, the Public House, by San Francisco brewery Magnolia.

     

    “I just like English bitters, and they are not easy to find, especially in a ballpark,” Callaway said, grabbing his filled cup and heading toward the ballpark turnstile in the back of the bar.

    In Detroit, however, it’s a much different scene the the upscale variety available in San Francisco.

    At Detroit’s Comerica Park, where only a couple of locally made beers are on tap, die-hard Motor City fans are just fine with the unpretentious, established American beer brands.

     

    Detroit is a “blue-collar, domestic beer town” said Bob Thormeier, who oversees food and drink services at the Tigers ballpark. “The younger segment of people are going toward the (craft beer), but a lot of our fans around here grew up on domestic beers. They grew up on your Miller Lites, your Coors Lights, Bud Lights.”

    With such a large number of beers on tap in San Francisco, it comes as no surprise that there are lots of craft beers.

    San Francisco’s craft beer obsession is on full display at the Public House, a ball yard bar on Willie Mays Plaza just outside the stadium’s main entrance. The bar boasts 24 taps (that’s Mays’ retired number), but pours more than 60 different beers, with a focus on local breweries.

     

    “Because San Francisco is such an eclectic city and so diverse, and with all the different foods, people just like selection and they just support local beers,” said Sandie Filipiak, AT&T Park’s director of concessions. “There’s room for a lot, and not every city is that way.”

     

    Unlike bars outside other ballparks, the Public House allows fans to take their designer brews directly into the ballpark through the turnstile tucked away in the back. Fans can come back and forth during the game, trying a different ale, cider, porter or stout.

     

    While the more adventurous local ales are being consumed in great quantity, the established brands like Coors and Budweiser still lead sales ballpark-wide, Filipiak said.

     

    Detroit’s ball yard has more than 130 spots where fans can buy beer on a typical game day, and about 120 of them serve American beers that are household names.

     

    While a micro-brewed, chocolate stout served by hand-pump may be a tad too “San Francisco” for Detroit fans, the Tigers’ ballpark does not completely leave craft beer aficionados wanting. Those who look can find about 10 places that sell craft beers, including Atwater, which is brewed at a spot across town, and Galesburg, Mich.-made Bell’s.

    Source: http://www.bendbulletin.com/

  • Olympian Fails to Break World Record in Beer Mile

    Having run a beer race myself (Hazleton, PA Chhips Race), I know they can be a ton of fun; however, like anything in sports, if there is a record to break, someone is going to try and break it.  Nick Symmonds set out to break the world record for the “beer mile”.  What is the “beer mile”?  It’s a one mile run in which the running has to drink a beer every quarter mile.

    While Michael Phelps relaxes on an island vacation and Gabby Douglas makes the media rounds and Ryan Lochte awkwardly stumbles his way through another interview, Nick Symmonds is still working hard after the Olympics.

     

    Following his fifth-place finish in the London 800 meters, the American runner began heavy training to break a world record in the prestigious “beer mile,” a mile-long race in which a runner has to chug a beer at quarter-mile intervals. Symmonds tried to break the mark on Tuesday and TMZ cameras were there for some reason.

     

    He finished in 5:19, a few seconds short of the world-record mark of 5:09 set by Canadian marathoner and should-be living legend Jim Finlayson.

     

    That’s a regular Coors he was drinking. I doubt I’d be able to walk to the fridge after having two Coors heavies. Actually, strike that: I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Coors heavy.

     

    Given the circumstances, a 5:19 is a remarkable time. And we say that with the full knowledge that Symmonds definitely didn’t finish that first one.

     

    Symmonds gained non-Olympic headlines earlier this year when he went out on a date with Paris Hilton. He brought her a gift bag that included a pink watch, a pink towel, pink bubble bath and a package of SnoBalls.

  • Olympic Beer is Made with Substances Banned for Athletes

    With the Summer Olympics in full swing, I thought it would be fun to post about a beer the Olympians can’t drink.  It’s made by a BrewDog and is called “Never Mind the Anabolics”.  What can’t the Olympians drink this beer?  It laced with substances banned by the Olympics.

    Scottish craft brewery, BrewDog has today unveiled a limited edition beer it hopes will undermine global sponsorship deals for this summer’s games, called Never Mind the Anabolics. Designed to ‘unmask the corporate beast’ of the world’s biggest sporting event and highlight the shallow nature of sponsorship, the new beer contains creatine, guarana, lycii berries, kola nut, Gingko, matcha tea, maca powder and steroids – all of which are banned for professional athletes.

    • Never Mind the Anabolics is available today from BrewDog.com
    • A percentage of the proceeds going towards a new surfboard for surfing dog called Abbie, an added snub to professional sports sponsorship
    • The new IPA contains a total of 8 ingredients that are banned for professional athletes due to performance enhancing effects
    • Brew Dog has utilised social media by publishing a video, hoping to achieve tens of thousands of views, and has embarked on a Twitter campaign using the hashtag # You can get more info here to know more about social media influence. Fake The Stage inviting its 23k followers to joke about tenuous sponsorship opportunities the games has yet to tap into
    • This isn’t the first time the brewery has taken to social media to bring down the establishment, having previously launched the #andthewinnerisnot campaign targeting global giant Diageo

    James Watt, cofounder of BrewDog commented:

    “It seems a beer laced with performance enhancing ingredients isn’t actually illegal, but it is definitely frowned upon. However, we don’t think Never Mind the Anabolics is as absurd and obnoxious as the tenuous sponsorship deals from fast food chains and global mega breweries that seem to define the people’s games. A burger, can of fizzy pop and an industrial lager are not the most ideal preparation for the steeple chase or the dressage (for human or horse). So we decided to give the athletes something that was going to make them happier and better. A way to relax before a big event and at the same time, increase your chances of winning.”

    This is a well done PR stunt for sure, but I’d love to taste the beer and see if it’s any good, after all, I don’t think I have to worry about getting tested by the International Olympic Committee.
  • Major League Baseball Craft Beer Guide

    Looking to get yourself a frosty beer while you’re watching your favorite team play baseball?  If you’re at the ball park there are lots of choices, but not all are good craft beer.  The folks over at craftbeer.com put together a great list of which beers can be found at which parks.  I’m happy to see Flying Dog Brewery and Heavy Seas Beer are available at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD.  Do you see any beers you’d love to drink while watching America’s pastime?

    Angel Stadium of Anaheim | Los Angeles Angels | Anaheim, CA
    Bootlegger’s Brewery, Hangar 24 Craft Brewery

     

    AT&T Park | San Francisco Giants | San Francisco, CA
    Anchor Brewing, Lagunitas Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

     

    Busch Stadium | St. Louis Cardinals | St. Louis, MO
    Boulevard Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Company, Samuel Adams, Schlafly Beer, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company

     

    Chase Field | Arizona Diamondbacks | Phoenix, AZ
    The Phoenix Ale Brewery

     

    Citi Field | New York Mets | Flushing, NY
    Abita Brewing Company, Blue Point Brewing Company, Brooklyn Brewery, Ommegang, Sierra Nevada, Six Point Brewing Company, Victory Brewing Company

     

    Citizens Bank Park | Philadelphia Phillies | Philadelphia, PA
    Anchor Brewing, Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, Flying Fish Brewing Company, Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Sly Fox Beer, Victory Brewing Company, Tröegs Brewing Company, Yards Brewing Company

     

    Comerica Park | Detroit Tigers | Detroit, MI
    Bell’s Brewery, Inc.

     

    Coors Field | Colorado Rockies | Denver, CO
    Boulder Beer, New Belgium Brewing Company, Odell Brewing Co., Oskar Blues, Samuel Adams

     

    Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles Dodgers | Los Angeles, CA
    Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Gordon Biersch Brewery, Samuel Adams

     

    Fenway Park | Boston Red Sox | Boston, MA
    Harpoon Brewery, Samuel Adams

     

    Great American Ball Park | Cincinnati Reds | CIncinnati, OH
    21st Amendment Brewery, Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Avery Brewing Company, Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., Founders Brewing Company, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Rivertown Brewing Company, Stone Brewing Co.

     

    Kauffman Stadium | Kansas City Royals | Kansas City, MO
    Boulevard Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing Co.

     

    Marlins Park | Miami Marlins | Miami, FL
    Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales

     

    Miller Park | Milwaukee Brewers | Milwaukee, WI
    Lakefront Brewing Company, New Glarus Brewing

     

    Minute Maid Park | Houston Astros | Houston, TX
    Samuel Adams, Spoetzl Brewery, St. Arnold Brewing Company

     

    Nationals Park | Washington Nationals | Washington, D.C.
    Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, Flying Dog Brewing Company, Heavy Seas Beer, Brewery Ommegang, Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

     

    Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Oakland Athletics | Oakland, CA
    Lagunitas Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

     

    Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore Orioles | Baltimore, MD
    Flying Dog Brewery, Fordham Brewing, Heavy Seas Beer, Old Dominion Brewing Co.

     

    PETCO Park | San Diego Padres | San Diego, CA
    Ballast Point Brewing Company, Karl Strauss Brewery, Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Co., Stone Brewing Co.

     

    PNC Park | Pittsburgh Pirates  | Pittsburgh, PA
    21st Amendment Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Church Brew Works, Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, East End Brewing Company, Erie Brewing Co., Flying Dog Brewing Company, Harpoon Brewery,  Lagunitas Brewing Co., Pennsylvania Brewing Co., Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Stone Brewing Co., Tröegs Brewing Company

     

    Progressive Field | Cleveland Indians | Cleveland, OH
    Buckeye Brewing Co., Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., Great Lakes, Hoppin’ Frog, Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

     

    Rangers Ballpark | Texas Rangers | Arlington, TX
    Brooklyn Brewery, New Belgium Brewing Company, Rahr & Sons,  Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Spoetzl Brewery, St. Arnold Brewing Company

     

    Safeco Field | Seattle Mariners | Seattle, WA
    Fremont Brewing Company, Harmon Brewery, Iron Horse Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Lazy Boy Brewing

     

    Target Field | Minnesota Twins | Minneapolis, MN
    Samuel Adams, Summit Brewing Company, Surly Brewing Company

     

    Tropicana Field | Tampa Bay Rays | St. Petersburg, FL
    Cigar City Brewing Company

     

    Turner Field | Atlanta Braves | Atlanta, GA
    Abita Brewing Company, Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Sweetwater Brewing Company

     

    U.S. Cellular Field | Chicago White Sox | Chicago, IL
    Bell’s Brewery, Inc.

     

    Yankee Stadium | New York Yankees | Bronx, NY
    Brooklyn Brewery, Samuel Adams

    Source: http://www.craftbeer.com/