Game day beer picks: Syracuse vs. Clemson

Welp, it was yet another rough ending for the Syracuse Orange football team last week in a loss to Wake Forest. And to follow that up? The Clemson Tigers come to town.

Will Syracuse be able to score a second upset against Clemson in the last five tries? Or are we headed toward a third straight loss? Either way, you’re probably going to need a beverage before, during and/or after this game. Fair warning in advance: You won’t be able to find at least one of these near you.

Syracuse Area Beer Pick: Middle Ages Jester’s Nectar

Swallow Wit has been the area gold standard for Syracuse area wheat beers for years. Jester’s Nectar is the big brother to Swallow Wit. At 8% ABV, Middle Ages made an imperial wheat that they brewed with orange peel and coriander giving it a subtle sweetness that works well. Get it… Orange peel… alright, either way it’s a real tasty option that should fill out your evening while waiting for Syracuse to pull the upset.

Clemson Area Beer Pick: Kite Hill Widely Considered

Clemson, the city, actually has a brewery now! So we’re celebrating that fact by featuring Kite Hill in this space for the first time (they just opened this year). Widely Considered is a blood orange gose, which we’re purposefully picking because of the orange nod. The beer is a pleasant balance of sweet and tart flavors that doesn’t appear to overload in either direction. In may cases, orange (and blood orange, in particular) is a note that can overwhelm, and it’s nice to see the balance struck well for an easy drinking gose that pairs well with game day (night).

Los Angeles Area Beer Pick: Ambitious Ales Central Perk

Ambitious — located in Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls area — took me by surprise with Central Perk, its award-winning coffee blonde ale. You’d think that coffee would be too strong for a blonde ale, but it really does work extremely well here while sitting at a very pleasant 5% ABV. It’s coffee and vanilla in ways that are distinct yet light enough to work off the bready and rye blonde notes. Well worth a shot if you’re ever in the area.

How about you, though? What are you drinking for the game?