Game day beer picks: Syracuse vs. Louisville

The Syracuse Orange football team is trying to get you to buy back into bowl hopes, which makes this Saturday’s matchup with the Louisville Cardinals a rather nerve-wracking one. Going on the road should up the concern even more, especially against a Cards team that’s shown themselves to have a pretty capable offense.

Whether you made the trip down to Louisville, or are watching this 4 p.m. start at home on ACC Network, read below for our beer picks for before, during and after the matchup. You probably won’t be able to acquire at least one of these. Sorry in advance.

Louisville Area Beer Pick: Gravely Doc’s Hefe

Balancing out a strong collection of local barrel-aged options fitting of Louisville, Gravely’s Doc’s Hefe is lighter fare, but in a positive way. The hefeweizen is an excellent example of the style, showcasing tropical and grassy notes at the front end, plus a bready and slightly sweet flavor profile as you go. Like most good hefes, there’s a hint of spice as well to add some intrigue at the back end.

Syracuse Area Beer Pick: War Horse Brewing Company Double Dan DIPA

War Horse has been a stalwart in the area scene for many years now, being the sister brewery to the Finger Lakes’ Three Brothers winery. Since some early days that were relatively generic but had an outstanding black lager, they have evolved into a local brewery that always seems to put out solid product across the line.

Double Dan is the DDH version of their flagship Lieutenant Dan IPA. They took the original, which had become a regular “sure I’ll grab a four pack” beer and expanded on it, with a softer, New England twist. You can still tell where it came from, but it plays really easily on the palate. They also feature a breadth of styles, from the BARIS (Big Ass Russian Imperial Stout) which they also barrel age, and the Tarty McFly series of fruited berliner weisse.

Los Angeles Area Beer Pick: Mumford Mindclouder

Mumford churns out a pretty lengthy collection of hazier IPAs, though Mindclouder’s one of the longer running names on that list. At a higher ABV (9%+), it packs a significant punch, while masking some of that alcohol content with very citrus-forward notes. It’s sweet with orange and pineapple flavors but also balanced with hints of pine. Certainly wouldn’t recommend this one for tailgating, but if thing go south for Syracuse, could help fix your afternoon.

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So what are you drinking?