One essential of any NFL Man Cave is beer and sometimes I like to have an assortment of local brews for myself and my friends who come over to watch games. By local, I mean regional beers brewed in the home city of our favorite NFL teams.
Total Wine & More, a retailer in 13 states and my personal source for beer, has a great program pairing up local specialty brews with NFL teams. No matter which team fans support, Total Wine & More has a local beer from their home city. Through the store’s “build you own six-pack” feature, I can assemble my own fantasy selection of six beers from six different NFL cities.
As a Raider fan, I can get Pyramid Ale, brewed in Berkley, CA. Baltimore Ravens fans can get Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale, Bills fans can get Barrel Trolley amber Ale from Buffalo. Bears fans can get Chicago’s Goose Island Pere Jacques and Cowboys fans can down some Jester King Noble King from Austin, Texas. Regional beers from every other NFL city are also offered.
I tried a six-pack representing my team, the Oakland Raiders and five other cities:
Oakland Raiders – Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale
A bit more appropriate for female members of the Raider Nation, I found the Audacious Apricot Ale to be light and fruity, with a nice mix of hops and apricot flavors.
San Francisco 49ers – Anchor Steam Beer
This was the most well-known of the beers, as I’ve had Anchor Steam many times before. I’ve always liked this brew, its a bold, tasty alternative to thin domestic beers like Budweiser or Miller.
Denver Broncos – Titan IPA from Great Divide Brewing Company
This India Pale Ale also has a strong, aggressive taste, featuring everything I expect from an IPA. Of all the beers I tasted, this was the most all-around perfect beer, good to drink alone or when paired with a big meal.
San Diego Chargers – Stone Pale Ale
This was a very pure, uncomplicated ale. The ingredients are simply barley, hops, water and yeast and I enjoyed the clean, uncluttered ale taste. This one also went really well with hot dogs and hamburgers we had in my man cave.
Philadelphia Eagles – Victory HopDevil Ale
HopDevil Ale lived up to its name, a unique spicy beer. I shared this with my friends and they loved it as well, it really has a nice bite to it. HopDevil Ale would be great with some spicy sausages and other tailgate food.
New Orleans Saints – Abita Fall Fest Seasonal Ale
Another strong, in-your-face brew, the Abita would be great to have at a cold football game. Like many seasonal ales, it had a stronger, bolder taste that didn’t fade away. For pure beer taste and overall impression, I liked the Abita the best.
Total Wine & More
Total Wine & More is the largest independent retailer of beer, fine wine and spirits in the country, with 85 locations in 13 states. As a beer lover, I go there for the wide selection, each location has over 2,500 different brands of beer.
Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman
More from this contributor:
Farmers Field Proposed Re-design is Too Expensive to Build: Fan’s Opinion
Top 5 Greatest Oakland Raiders Hall of Famers
Oakland Raiders’ Great John Madden: Fan’s Perspective
