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Seems like we need to restock the fridge every week lately, as the Syracuse Orange keep picking up big wins, adding to an already impressive total (seven so far) on the season. Switching things up to a Friday night kickoff, they’ll try to earn their latest W over the struggling Louisville Cardinals.
Things get started at 7 p.m. ET at the Carrier Dome (and on ESPN2 for those at home). That’s not a ton of time between the end of the work day and kickoff (even less so for John on the West Coast), but you’ll certainly figure something out.
No matter when (or if) you’re imbibing before, during or after this game against Louisville, 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.
Louisville Beer Pick: Monnik Beer Co. His Dark Materials
With so much bourbon and whiskey nearby, it’s no wonder that barrel-aged stouts are all over the Louisville area. But they make quality non-BA beers too, including Monnik’s His Dark Materials. The brewery sits just a mile and a half northeast of U of L, and explores a wide variety of different beer styles and adjunct flavors, too. This one is a rich milk stout that is equal parts sweet and roasted notes. It’s not milk chocolate as much as it is a bit more fruity and bitter. His Dark Materials’ ABV also comes in around 5.6 percent, making it perfectly manageable to enjoy a few in one sitting.
Syracuse Area Beer Pick: Woodland Farm Brewery Double Principia DIPA
Woodland popped onto the scene a few years back and has been putting some real good product out. They’ve gotten creative with various kölsh, schwarzbier, saison, Black IPA and everything else under the sun options. One of their mainline offerings is Principia, a solid IPA that toes the NE line. Ultimately a balanced, quality beer. They decided to turn this up a notch with Double Principia, described as “Bigger, creamier, and juicier than Principia!” The double version is currently on tap if you’re east of Syracuse at present.
Los Angeles Area beer Pick: Mumford Brewing Co. Mindclouder
Mumford’s one of many spots churning out IPAs here in L.A., and here you’ll find quite a bit of “haze” mixed in with traditional West Coast styles as well. Mindclouder is actually among the haziest of them all, at a hefty 10.1 percent ABV. The beer looks like bright OJ and drinks like it too — making it easy to forget just how much alcohol lies beneath the citrusy notes. You’re not tearing through these for an entire game, but giving one a shot or featuring it in a flight isn’t a bad call.