Game day beer picks: Syracuse vs. Liberty

Certainly you enjoyed a celebratory beer or two after the Syracuse Orange football team got back on the winning side of things last weekend. But another weekend means another chance at joy — or disappointment. Whatever happens vs. Liberty on Friday night, you’ll probably need a beverage to accompany you on that journey.

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: Meier’s Creek Oktoberfest

It’s that time of year and I’m a sucker for a märzen or festbier, so here we go again, with a malty treat from Meier’s Creek. They took over the Cazenovia site of the former Empire operations, which included the brewing facility and restaurant/bar. They’re doing good things with it, and this is no exception. The offering is a balanced Oktoberfest style on the lighter end from a märzen and clocking in at 6% ABV. It smooths out in the middle with that bready malty goodness, finishing with a light hop trace at the end.

Liberty Area Beer Pick: Three Roads Drive-By Juice DIPA

While there aren’t a ton of breweries native to the Lynchburg area, you can find some secondary locations including this one — Three Roads’ taproom just 12 minutes from Liberty’s campus (their main spot is in Farmville, a little over a mile away). Among their most popular selections is flagship Drive-By Juice, which you probably already guessed is a hazy double IPA. It’s an interesting flavor combination, dry-hopped with Vic Secret and Azzaca hops, and delivering a healthy bit of tropical notes as a result. I’m a big fan of an IPA that utilizes Vic Secret well, and by all accounts, Drive-By does while delivering a very smooth beverage in the process.

Los Angeles Area Beer Pick: Highland Park Jumbo Timbo

Any regular reader of this piece or listener to the podcast probably feels like they’ve heard about Highland Park before, since I mention them pretty frequently. While I still contend the brewery’s Timbo Pils is the best regularly available beer in L.A. County, I did want to talk about its higher ABV brother, Jumbo Timbo. The Imperial Pilsner clocks in at 7.5% ABV and really just tastes like a slightly heavier version of the original. You still get the same tropical aromas, clean look and bright flavor from Citra and Mosaic hops. It’s just more alcohol (and it doesn’t suffer for that).

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What about you, though? What are you drinking during the game on Friday night?