Tag: Portland Trailblazers

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Blazers Re-Start and Re-Mix

The 2023/2024 season starts, for me, with the Portland Trailblazers and our three S’s (Simons, Sharpe and Scoot) vs the Los Angeles Clippers.

The pre-season finished at 1-3 with the only W coming against a team from New Zealand but that was to be expected with only two returning starters and an average age of just shy of 24. But this season should be fun for a few reasons:

  • Expectations are low – no disappointment at failing Dame’s quest for a title
  • Exciting talent – not only #3 pick Scoot Henderson but Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara and new pick-ups DeAndre Ayton and Robert Williams
  • Future picks – even if this season doesn’t show potential, the future just might.
  • Fun rivalries – games against young teams like OKC and Chet and Spurs with Wemby should be the start of something new

Yes, this is not a beer-centric post but for years, I have kinda dreaded watching the Blazers knowing that the balance wasn’t right no matter the effort but now I can sit back and look for progress with a session beer or maybe a Widmer Hefeweizen and enjoy without getting tense. Plus, who knows, maybe Portland breweries are already concocting beers with Blazer themes for this new team.

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A Podcast & A Beer – The Brief Case

It is NBA season and time for this beer blogger to root for my Portland Trailblazers, and to do so effectively I will be turning to this new podcast, The Brief Case…

These are bite sized, under twenty minute podcasts from long time Blazer writer Holdahl. It is a nice behind the scenes soundbite from players alongside some betting information which is a bit incongruous to me. The episodes that I have listened to thankfully do not veer in the rush to analyze each game as a momentous occasion that troubles some sports podcasts.

To pair with this podcast, I would recommend alighting upon a favorite brewery to match with your favorite team. Choose a starting line-up of core beers, then find a bench of five more beers and taste through them all to re-acquaint yourself with why that brewery is your favorite.

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In the Rafters

NBA Season is fast approaching and as I fervently wish that my Trailblazers start strong one team in the Association has finished strong, the Boston Celtics (my Dad’s favorite team).

They also have a great beer partner in Jack’s Abby that has a Celtics beer with a great name….

Maybe a Portland brewery will be able to create a Second Banner Belgian Dubbel in the future.

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Sharpe at 7

Each year (when Portland has a first round pick), I take the opportunity to make tenuous beer connections and since the Blazers tanked semi-succesfully to pick #7, I definitely had to have an NBA draft post this year.

Since Shaedon Sharpe basically has a stop over at Kentucky, let’s instead head to the province of Ontario in Canada.

So let’s go to London and what I hope Rip City will become, a Powerhouse.

They have a smoked pineapple Gose that sounds great but since I am thinking about an NBA ‘ship, their Daydream Dunkels sounds even better this day.

Also, welcome to PDX, Jerami Grant!

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Rasta Monsta

Former Portland Trailblazer forward Brian Grant has collaborated with Portland brewery Von Ebert to release a beer benefitting his foundation, Rasta Monsta is set to be released at the Blazers home court, Moda Center near the end of this basketball season, starting March 30th.

Rasta Monsta will be the first beer done by Grant but Von Ebert has been helping his Pints for Parkinsons cause in the past. 

photo from The Oregonian

The Brian Grant Foundation seeks to “help improve the well-being of people with Parkinson’s,” and one of the ways it has done that in the past is via its Pints for Parkinson’s fundraiser, which featured a beer passport.

Von Ebert describes the beer as having “notes of guava, overripe mango, and a touch of pineapple, with a crisp malt backbone holding it all together.”

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Riip City

I have listened and now watched on YouTube the final seconds of Portland’s one and only NBA championship win many times and with Bill Schonely, the voice and totem of the Trailblazers retiring, I wish that I could find this beer….

Three cheers for The Schonz!

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Trade Deadline

No, this is not an NBA blog but part of the reason that beer is part of my story is because I am from Portland and Portland is inextricably tied to the Blazers and currently the health of Damian Lillard’s abdomen.

Which means a kinda-sorta-no good season needed some action to set-up next year, replenish draft picks or to at least avoid the luxury tax.

The latter being why the trigger was pulled to trade forwards Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers for guard Eric Bledsoe, forward Justise Winslow, and guard Keon Johnson. The Blazers will also receive a second-round pick and a trade exception in the deal.

Then, the big deal came down on Tuesday, CJ McCollum being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for forward Josh Hart, guards Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky and draft compensation.

We then turned around and sent Alexander-Walker and Satoransky away to the Jazz and Spurs respectively and received back more picks and currently injured three point specialist Joe Ingles.

I think that Hart and Ingles have the most current upside with Johnson and having future upside. The draft picks will require some mining to find something but if the plan is to go young, the process has begun.

The beer link is community. As the Blazers do well, more people go to games, buy merch like the pint glass above, there is a spring in the step of fans and non-fans alike. You see Blazer themed beers popping up more. People head to sports bars, especially if there is a deep playoff run. You hear cheering outside your window. I have seen that joy as both the Dodgers and Rams have had recent success.

The Rising Tide maxim becomes plainly clear. Community matters and we need more of it whether it is basketball or IPAs.

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A Podcast & A Beer – Jacked Ramsays

Time to dig into early season NBA basketball and my favorite team, the Portland Trailblazers. What better way to dissect each game and player? Jacked Ramsays.

For those who have yet to join the Blazer Bandwagon, Jack Ramsay was the coach when Portland won its only NBA championship in 1977.

Host Danny Marang talks all things Blazers from recaps of games to interviews with players. Hopefully, this season won’t be as up and down as the past few but then again, a podcast about a team that never loses would get old, right?

For the beer to pair with it, you could choose one associated with new coach Chauncey Billups or a Philly special since Portland is a rumored destination for disgruntled 76er defensive star, Ben Simmons.

But let’s throwback like the City Edition jersey and scream Rip City with a Riip Beer Co. beer from Huntington Beach. Order up a Krimson Killa Red Ale as Logo Lillard hits another deep three to down the Lakers.

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Sometimes A Great Blazer Notion

Looks like Lillard and Co. will be able to have post game pastry stouts…

According to the Blazer page on NBA.com, “This first of its kind partnership includes co-branded merchandise with Great Notion’s skeleton character, Moss, on hats, t-shirts and crew neck sweatshirts. Additionally, Great Notion customers have the potential to receive access to exclusive discounts on tickets to future Trail Blazers games. Fans will also get the opportunity to try multiple Great Notion beers at the annual Rip City Ale Fest slated for later this year. More information will be shared about Ale Fest soon.”

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Blazer Draft 2020

The Portland Trailblazers had the 16th and 46th picks in this year’s NBA Draft. A draft considered thin at the top but with potential gems of prospects. Then Robert Covington happened and suddenly we Blazer fans got some depth and defense that we could really use.

Lillard’s team selected with their remaining 2nd rounder….

That means I get to highlight a couple Palouse breweries that you could visit if you happen to be in Pullman.

  • Terrain Brewing
  • Hardware Brewing
  • Paradise Creek Brewing

Now it is time to dream of NBA success in the shortened 20/21 season.