Tag: March Madness

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Sports & A Beer – March Madness

It is easy to get caught up in March Madness. The sheer amount of games, the buzzer beaters and the Cinderella teams, Stetson Hatters anyone. Also the fun of busted brackets, yes fun, no one wins so it is truly a game to play.

The only thing going against March Madness is that a good chunk of games each passing year are played in April. But compared to the shitshow that is the college football behemoth and their three super conferences, college basketball is as pristine as the driven snow.

And making this an even more interesting year is that there is no real consensus best player except for Caitlin Clark. And as much as the boy’s bracket will be tough, the Women’s bracket will feature Clark and the Hawkeyes of Iowa, defending champs LSU and new powerhouse South Carolina. That Final Four will be great games.

There are two ways you can pair craft beer with games. One is to find a brewery that corresponds with each of the four regions and when you watch a game from that region crack one open from that part of the country. You could also select beers based on where games are played.

Another route would be to pick beers from the cities / states where the #1 seeds hail from or if you are here for the upsets, find the #16 seeds instead.

Enjoy the tourney and its shining moments.

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In the Tap Lines for March 2024

Springtime in SoCal as we move into what I jokingly call “early summer”. Hoping to find some bock beers, either strong or dopple would be nice plus the following features this month….

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the newer cities in the NWSL

~ special featured reviews of a potpourri of beers

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads The Trees by Percival Everett

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Heritage Mezcal

~ Sports & A Beer returns with Thoughts on March Madness

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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Sweet Sixteen Brewery # 3 – Monnik Beer Company

Our last Women’s Sweet Sixteen stop is in the Schnitzelburg neighborhood of Louisville, the home of Monnik Beer Company.

Let’s dive into what might be in that first taster tray…

Italian Disco Pilsner to start off on the light yside the new onto Birds Can’t Row Boats “Single hopped pale ale with Sultana hops.” Then going darker to King George Brown Ale “A big English brown ale with pear ester aroma, toasty caramel flavor, and a dry finish.” Then finish it off with His Dark Materials “A lactose-sweetened stout, with aromas of roast and tobacco and rich flavors of dark fruits, and bittersweet chocolate; finishing with a rich and silky body.”

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Sweet Sixteen Brewery # 1 – 1912 Brewing

The quick among you will be able to guess the mis-direction once I say that 1912 Brewing is based on Tucson, Arizona. No, not talking about the Men’s Sweet Sixteen but rather the Women’s being played in San Antonio. We start with the Arizona Wildcats and a surprising run from the PAC 12 to the title game.

Let’s take a look at the beers…

1730 Lager – “1730 is an artisanal lager made with American hops, a touch of rye malt, and heaps of pilsner malt. Aromas of a traditional German pilsner and tasting notes of tropical and citrus fruits, a touch of rye spiciness, and a subtle hop finish. Brewed with our friends at the JW Marriott Starr Pass…”

Adapt IPA – “The second of 3 newly formulated Hazy IPA’s based upon the fighting spirit and training of the United States Marine. Adapt uses Cashmere, Mosaic, and Idaho 7.”

Este Way Gose – “A Gose with a pleasant tangerine and orange zest aroma. Reminisce your favorite Margarita’s with this one, Este Way has a tart lime flavor, that finishes nice and dry.”

The Clurichaun Stout – “Enticing you with a sweet creamy aroma. As you take your first sip, you’re tricked with immense dark chocolate and coffee, smoothing into mouth-watering Irish Whiskey”

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A Different Madness

I didn’t fill out my 2021 March Madness bracket like usual this year because both the Ducks and Beavers are in and I had to give them some wins. But if you are not a basketball fan, you can upvote your favorites on Untappd.

“From March 18th until April 5th, use Untappd to check-in beers from your favorite participating brewery. During any given round, the brewery in each matchup with the most check-ins will move forward. The winning brewery will get their very own Sponsored Brewery Madness badge for all their triumphant fans to unlock!”

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Beer Bracketology

Well, no March Madness this year, BUT… Silva Brewing, released their “Sweet Sixteen” earlier this month and this bracket could be filled out and won, no matter how you picked. Maybe next year, I will get my act together and create a bracket of L.A. beers to vote on and find out our local “Final Four”.

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The Madness Ends

April Madness also ends tonight with the final game of the NCAA Men’s tourney. And instead of giving suggestions about what to drink (stay sessionable!), I will give my suggestions of what beer the respective finalists should send to the winner.

For Michigan – because of the state and maize uniforms Founders Solid Gold
For Villanova – because of all of the 3point shooting and teamwork Tired Hands We Are All Infinite Energy Vibrating at the Same Frequency Wheat IPA

For those of us in L.A., might I suggest Firestone Walker Lager or to relive our college days, Younger Days Triple IPL form Brewyard Beer Co.

Enjoy the game!

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April Madness

The final game of the 2016-17 college basketball year is upon us. Left standing are the Tarheels of North Carolina who did not do free throws well but did rebound & the Bulldogs of Gonzaga who finally got to the big game.

Here are the beers to drink during the game for the craft beer fan in L.A…..

You can get the dry Irish Stout, Bulldog from Beachwood Brewing or maybe their new Cryo Me A River IPA to lament your college teams not making the final four.

Why not something from Spokane, Washington or Chapel Hill, North Carolina? Well neither sends that much beer to us. That just forces the beer buyer to be more creative. So if you are rooting for Gonzaga grab some Zwiec lager from Poland to celebrate the hirsute center, Przemek Karnowski.

Or celebrate North Carolina with a berry beer for playmaker Joel Berry. Or pick up a sixer from one of the west coast breweries that now has a North Carolina outpost.

Since the Championship game is technically in Glendale, Arizona.  You can get the Glend-Ale IPA from Pacific Plate in a growler and be in Arizona in spirit.

Keep in mind that it should be sessionable considering how long the game will be with all the TV time outs.