Game day beer picks: Syracuse vs. UConn

Well, we were drinking for reasons we weren’t expecting after the Syracuse Orange week one win over Louisville. Now we’ve got another evening showdown with an opponent, this time on the road at Connecticut. If you’re not at the game, you’re either in your recliner or taking it in at your local watering hole or somewhere in between those two options. Either way, there’s some solid beer that can be had for the game. Our friends down at Branching Out Bottle Shop in Township 5, Camillus, helped us figure out what were a few options for the matchup.

Connecticut Beer Pick - Banana Stand Hefeweizen, Reverie Brewing

It doesn’t have bananas in it, but it is a hefeweizen, so it tastes quite banana-filled. Thanks yeast, you’re a wonderful tool. This one comes from Reverie who has a few other solid offerings, and you can’t beat a hefeweizen on a warm fall-adjacent day. This one clocks in at 5.7% ABV and drinks nice and smooth with the banana flavor pulled out by what the brewery describes as a patient mash and some Lemon drop hops. As George Bluth (mis)appropriately said, “There’s always money in the banana stand.”

Syracuse Beer Pick - Crispy Boys, Prison City Brewing

It’s still feeling like summer if you have the temps we have in Syracuse the last few weeks, but the nights are cooling off. That of course means fall is coming. Let’s opt for the last vestiges of summer and some light lagers with a local flair this week. Crispy Boys from Prison City is a lager that’s eminently crushable and still has flavor to go with it. If you grab the 12 pack of it from your local purveyor of fine beverages, it also includes a lime and blood orange variant, both of which work much better than they should. I’m normally not a fan of adjunct pilsners, but both of these work well.

Prison City of course has many other options and are now being found relatively easily in the Syracuse market. A big step from having to go wait at the shop for hours to grab a four pack or crowler of their product. I’d also call out Elegant Pride and Go Ahead Punk, Make My Haze as some heavier offerings from them on the week. Always solid if you can find them.

Random Beer of the Week: Berry Patch Fandango, Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

Topping Goliath is Iowa’s finest. They’ve been at the game since 2009 and have relatively recently gained distribution in New York. You can find them in at least 20 other states as well. The Fandango series is their experimental fruited sour line. This offering in the rotation combines “a melange of blueberries, mulberries and raspberries” that work together to flavor the hell out of this tart treat. Relatively balanced for a sour of its ilk, it’s definitely tasty. Possibly a nice nightcap for the evening game.