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Despite a couple weeks away from the grind here on the blog, John was still pairing beers with Syracuse Orange football — or a lack thereof in the case of the bye week. In the meantime, though, SU’s provided us with more reasons to drink. And maybe the biggest one yet if they wind up losing to the Liberty Flames on Saturday.
Whether you’re imbibing before, during or after this week’s noon ET kickoff vs. Liberty, we’ve provided some local and not-so-local beer recommendations below. Fair warning in advance: You won’t be able to acquire at least one of these.
Syracuse Area Beer Pick: Middle Ages Brewing Company Epiphany
This pilsner from Syracuse’s longest standing brewery hits all the notes of a Saturday nooner. The malt profile nails a solid lager that drinks smooth and floats at a moderate 5% ABV for enjoyment through the game. While Middle Ages has some classics, including their Wailing Wench or Dragonslayer, or new offerings like their Single Batch series, this seems to be the right fit for the game at hand.
Liberty Area Beer Pick: Starr Hill Party Monster
Starr Hill’s not native to Lynchburg, with their main facility in Charlottesville (home of UVA). However, with a location near Liberty, we felt it was worth highlighting. Party Monster is a very tropical Berliner Weisse, with pineapple, mango and blood orange flavors that play well both together and apart. Despite all of the fruit, it manages a fine balance between sour and sweet, bringing a refreshing tartness at 4.7% ABV, rather than the cloying sort of beer it could easily devolve into in less capable hands.
Los Angeles Area Beer Pick: Monkish Grande Coffee Cart
Perhaps surprisingly, for those familiar with Monkish, John’s picking a stout from the acclaimed Torrance brewery. Grande Coffee Cart is a delicious imperial milk stout made with Portola coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla beans and milk sugar. And while many milk stouts can perhaps come off on the sweeter side, this one has enough coffee flavor to actually create a bit of dryness as a way to even things out. The result tastes like a rich and hearty iced coffee with some carbonation and mild vanilla notes in every sip. You can also barely taste the 9.6% ABV, so be forewarned.
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How about you? What are you drinking this weekend?