Game day beer picks: Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh

We certainly didn’t think watching this Syracuse Orange football team would be this stressful just six games into the season. And yet, that’s where we are as the Pittsburgh Panthers come to town for a Friday night game that’s likely to push you to a beverage or two no matter the outcome.

Whether you’re at the Dome or watching this 7 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN from home, read below for our beer picks for before, during and after tonight’s main event. You probably won’t be able to acquire at least one of these. Sorry in advance.

Pittsburgh Area Beer Pick: Grist House Fire on the Hill IPA

“Haze bombs” are going to move units, but Fire on the Hill is a different type of IPA. Rather than an overwhelming array of orange and mango notes and bitter finish, Fire on the Hill is smooth, clean and possesses some subtle notes of stone fruit on the end. Plus, when you’re rooting for Syracuse or Pitt football, you’ll need something refreshing and crisp that’s not going to weigh you down along with the stress of watching those teams.

Syracuse Area Beer Pick: Talking Cursive Dubbel Kubal

One of the newer and smaller breweries in the Syracuse area, Talking Cursive is nestled next to Cafe Kubal across from the Niagara Mohawk building on Erie Boulevard. Since we’re getting to that time of year, and this will be a chillier tailgate than normal, a coffee beer seemed to fit the bill. Dubbel Kubal is a Belgian dubbel brewer with Kubal’s Midnight Oil roast. Malty character with a strong coffee nose and flavor.

The brewery itself is a nice little venue that also serves some food. You can get their product on site or at some local restaurants as well. They also have their imperial Stout Baracus, which is just screaming for a B.A. version. The regular is quite tasty so that would be a great addition to the line.

Los Angeles Area Beer Pick: HopSaint Alternate Future

HopSaint has their staples on the IPA and pale ale front that I’ve noted in this space before, and if you’re ever in the L.A. area, I’d highly recommend stopping into their Torrance location for any one of those (also say hi, I live less than 10 minutes away). But today I’m highlighting Alternate Future, one of their most recent (and more temporary) West Coast IPAs that showcases Amarillo and Mosaic hops and establishes a fine balance of tropical and dank notes without completely murdering your taste buds. The finish is light, yet flavorful. And it creates some really nice lacing on the glass for those into that sort of thing (timidly raises hand).