Game day beer picks: Syracuse vs. Florida State

The Syracuse Orange (4-4, 2-2) return to the field this week to face the Florida State Seminoles (2-5, 2-4). With an early kickoff (12:20 p.m. ET), perhaps you’re not consuming some alcoholic beverages before the game. But during and after? There are plenty of opportunities to imbibe, win or lose.

For me? That’s a 9:20 a.m. PT kick. So, I’ll be keeping my beer to after. Don’t hold back on my account, however.

No matter when (or if) you’re imbibing to unwind during this matchup vs. FSU, see below for beer picks that are worth your while. You probably won’t be able to acquire at least one of these. Sorry in advance.

Florida State Beer Pick: Proof Brewing Co. Creatures in the Dark

In just a few years, Proof’s become a Tallahassee staple, most notably for its Creatures in the Dark milk stout. The beer is rich in sweetness along with its boozy character (though it’s not barrel-aged). There’s vanilla, chocolate and coffee notes everywhere, but they don’t attack you. Instead, it’s a comfortable blend of characters that mixes sweet and dry and drinks pretty easily. Depending on how your day’s going, that’s either very good or very bad.

Syracuse Area Beer Pick: Full Boar Craft Brewery Fricken Wicked IPA

Up in North Syracuse, Full Boar provides a wide array of beer styles from simple to more complex. Fricken Wicked is their New England IPA, brewed with Amarillo, Mosaic and Citrus. I’ll leave it to the locals to make claims about how “hazy” or “juicy” this one is, but the tropical notes are very much at the forefront. It’s sweeter, less bitter and the sort of IPA that non-IPA drinkers get converted by.

Los Angeles-Area Beer Pick: Ladyface Alehouse Flamberge

Just like it’s pretty tough for me to get most of the beers listed above, it’s going to be tough for any of you to get the beers listed in this section each week. But it would be irresponsible to celebrate local beers without highlighting some of the best from the exploding L.A. scene.

I’m always a sucker for a Flanders Red Ale, with this one being no exception. Ladyface, in Agoura Hills, churns out Belgian and French-style brews that live up to the grand beer tradition they’re inspired by. Flamberge is just one of the many examples, but a winner at that. It possesses a sharp tartness surrounding flavors of oak. Aged in Napa Cabernet barrels, you’ll pick up those notes as well to provide some additional depth fo flavor and boozy character. Though I’ve never combined a Flanders and football, I think it could end up being a quality combination.

So what are you drinking? Share your own game day beer picks for the weekend below.