Game day beer picks: Syracuse vs. Notre Dame

While you’ve probably drank plenty of beer during this forgettable Syracuse Orange football season, we might as well close things out with some more. The last game on the schedule is a road game at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who are No. 2 in the nation and already clinched an ACC Championship Game spot. So things are clearly going to go well for SU here...

Whether you’re drinking before, during or after this game, 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: Mortalis Brewing Hydra Series

They’re not in Syracuse, they’re south of Rochester in Avon, but I feel this week needed a change of pace. You’re getting exactly that with the Hydra series from Mortalis. They tag their Hydras as “fruited sours,” but what you’re getting is a slightly sour fruit smoothie in a can with some booze mixed in. Decadent, slightly tart and always unique, they currently have the Apricot/Boysenberry/Raspberry, Black Currant/Orange/Pink Guava and Kiwi/Mango/Tart Cherry combinations to go (If you couldn’t figure it out, they Hydra has three heads...). With a game like Notre Dame, it seems we need a departure from the norm, so this is it.

If you do get out there, they also have solid stout and IPA offerings as well, depending on what’s available that day. Always rotating, rarely if ever disappointing.

Notre Dame Area Beer Pick: South Bend Brew Works 9 Aye

For a brief period of time, black IPAs were everywhere. Now, you rarely seem them, which is a sham since it’s an interesting and rich style in moderation. South Bend’s black IPA, 9 Aye, is a current example that strikes a reasonable balance between the roasted notes you need here with the tropical flavors that you typically associate with its paler counterparts. With 9 Aye, citra notes level up the fruity bitterness that play well against the delicious and dark textures. It drinks easy, maybe to the surprise of most.

Los Angeles Area Beer Pick: Imperial Western Superchief

Located in historic Union Station in Downtown L.A., Imperial Western is one of the coolest-looking breweries in the entire county, with a vintage 1920s feel that is part beer hall and part prohibition bar for titans of industry. Superchief’s a delicious West Coast IPA brewed with simcoe that you can consume as a simple sipper. When fresh, there’s a pleasant bitterness, light citrus notes in a nice example of the style. It hasn’t been canned much this year, but it’s a good find when it is (if you can’t get to the brewery itself).