Game day beer picks: Syracuse vs. Boston College

While the Syracuse Orange football team ended their three-game losing streak last weekend, they didn’t end their streak of stressing us out in the final minute (now at five straight games). So naturally, you needed an adult beverage or two to accompany the experience.

Hopefully that’s not what happens this Saturday against the Boston College Eagles. But even if SU finds a way to sail to a comfortable win (will believe it when we see it), you’ll still want a beer to enjoy along with that. So below are our local beer recommendations for before, during and after the game against BC. Fair warning in advance: You won’t be able to find at least one of these near you.

Syracuse Area Beer Pick: Talking Cursive Brewing Company - Stack, Smash, Repeat!

In a collaboration with the quality of Resurgence Brewing in Buffalo, the two breweries created a 2-off series of IPAs, one Cold IPA (IPA with lager yeast) and one Belgian IPA. Stack, Smash, Repeat is an homage to the table smashing idiocy of Buffalo Bills fans (of which I am one), so a football themed beer seems fitting. Volume 1, the Cold IPA is brewed with Cashmere, Galena, Amarillo and Hallertau Blanc while Volume 2 contains Hallertau Blanc, Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin and Ella hops. Both should be a solid addition to the gameday experience and you can bring home a four pack to enjoy for the whole weekend on both gamedays.

Boston College Area Beer Pick: Jack’s Abby Vanilla Barrel-Aged Framinghammer

Before the Boston people jump in — Jack’s Abby is in Framingham, and about 16 miles from BC’s campus. Still, it’s worth highlighting since we’ve made the rounds of breweries in and around the Boston area over the years.

Vanilla Barrel-Aged Framinghammer is a Baltic Porter that possesses some delicious chocolate notes, hop bitterness, roasted flavors and of course, vanilla. It’s rich, but not overwhelmingly so. You can also age these a bit, though there’s certainly a limit there before you get diminishing returns (it’s more than a few years, though) and the booziness just gives way to sweet. Still, plenty of time for you to enjoy before that happens if you’re buying or have bough recently.

Los Angeles Area Beer Pick: Burnin’ Daylight Ctirus SLAMMER!

While grapefruity West Coast IPAs used to be everywhere around L.A., that dynamic’s changed a bit in recent years. But Lomita’s Burnin’ Daylight seems willing to bring them back — and John is happy to support them in that endeavor. Citrus Slammer is a crisp, transparent IPA with tropical flavors, grapefruit notes (from actual grapefruit added) and some dank elements as well. Perhaps the lone issue is that it’s a deceptive 7% ABV beer that drinks like something clocking in at 5%. The crisp, delicious IPA is a perfect summer drink, but it has plenty of utility in fall as well.

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How about you? What are you drinking this weekend?