The Craft Beer Drinkers Guide to Football Season – AFC Edition

Americans rejoice! Football season is upon us again and we here at ACB know what that means… MORE REASONS TO DRINK BEER ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT… along with the occasional Thursday and Saturday. And since we are all going to be inundated with commercial after commercial telling us why their mass market swill is better than the other guy’s mass market swill (hint: it’s not), we present to you real American craft beer picks for real American football.

, The Craft Beer Drinkers Guide to Football Season – AFC EditionAFC-NORTH

Baltimore Ravens – DuClaw Brewing Company(Baltimore, MD)We get it, you guys have Natty Boh – and a local will inevitably hand you one the first time you visit Baltimore, probably on a dare. But if you really want to be a Balmer and support your Ravens, drink DuCLaw’s Hellrazer IPA. Hell, even the beer’s logo is purple and gold!

Cincinnati Bengals – Rhinegeist Brewery(Cincinnati, OH) Oh Cincinnati, we feel for you. You have the geographic bad luck to be in the hub of all that is false and horrible in the beer world. But Rhinegeist’s TRUTH shall set you free! If an intensely hopped IPA isn’t your thing, grab a COUGAR Blonde Ale. It might not be a Bengal, but it’s still a cat!

Cleveland Browns – Great Lakes Brewing Company(Cleveland, OH) Sometimes breweries make it easy for us, and a brown ale would have been an obvious choice. But we don’t “phone it in” at ACB – at least, not very often. So our pick for Cleveland is Great Lakes Brewing’s Eliot Ness Amber Lager. As a leader of the legendary Prohibition enforcers, The Untouchables, every time you pop the cap on this beer, he rolls over in his grave.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Weyerbacher Brewing Company(Easton, PA) There is nothing tiny about the Steelers’ players and there’s nothing tiny about Weyerbacher’s Tiny. This Belgian-inspired Imperial Stout comes in at a whopping 11.8% ABV, which could turn any Steelers’ fan into a blithering idiot… Or you could just drink their Blithering Idiot.

, The Craft Beer Drinkers Guide to Football Season – AFC EditionAFC-SOUTH

Houston Texans – Saint Arnold Brewing Company(Houston, TX) If there’s one thing that we learned about Texans, it’s that W. loves to work on his ranch, a lot… So what more appropriate beer to cheer on the Texans than Saint Arnold’s Fancy Lawnmower Kölsch or Weedwacker Hefeweizen?

Indianapolis Colts – 3 Floyds Brewing(Muenster, IN) Any serious sports fan has a superstitious streak – wearing lucky socks, lucky hats, or a purple tutu (yup, that’s mine) is a way of life during football season. So why not pair those stinky, unwashed socks with a Jinx Proof from 3 Floyds?

Jacksonville Jaguars – Intuition Ale Works (Jacksonville, FL) What better brew to kick off football season than Intuition’s Liver Kick? A delicious Imperial Black IPA dry-hopped with Centennial and Nugget hops. Laces out!!!

Tennessee Titans – Black Abbey Brewing Company (Nashville, TN) The Tennessee Titans have a rich history steeped in Greek mythology. OK, well maybe not, but the aptly named Champion by Black Abbey Brewing is a beer fit for any primeval race of powerful deities… or Titan fans.

, The Craft Beer Drinkers Guide to Football Season – AFC EditionAFC-EAST

Buffalo Bills – Flying Bison Brewing Company(Buffalo, NY)Buffalo’s own Flying Bison has a Buffalo Lager. It really doesn’t get easier than that. This lager boasts a very balanced flavor with a soft, clean finish and will be a perfect training wheel beer for your friends who are still drinking mass-produced swill.

Miami Dolphins – Wynwood Brewing Company(Miami, FL) Miami’s nickname is The Magic City and Wynwood, Miami’s first production craft brewery has an Origins Series that is comprised of yearly seasonals that have a unique local name and history. So pop open a Magic City Pale Ale and cheer on your Dolphins!

New England Patriots – Trillium Brewing Company(Boston, MA) I admit it… I had to google “where the hell do the Patriots play?” Oh good, Boston! Trillium’s Pot & Kettle Oatmeal Porter is a great beer to fend off those cold Boston nights and there’s nothing more patriotic than drinking local!

New York Jets – Flying Fish Brewing Company(Somerdale, NJ)OK, so the New York Jets actually play in New Jersey?!?! This is so confusing… But you’re in luck, Jets fans who may or may not live in New Jersey… Flying Fish makes one of the best Abbey Dubbels this side of Belgium!

, The Craft Beer Drinkers Guide to Football Season – AFC EditionAFC-WEST

Denver Broncos – Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, CO) So many great breweries to choose from. Damn you, Denver! But when there is a showdown on the grid iron in the mile high city, drinking a Great Divide Showdown Rye IPA sounds like a good choice. But hey, this is Denver, and if you’re reading this from there, you’re probably already a brewer.

Kansas City Chiefs – Boulevard Brewing Company (Kansas City, MO) – I must confess to being a little geographically inept on this one. I was looking at breweries in Kansas and ended up with one across the river – whatever. Boulevard, in a nod to the brewers of yesteryear, is bringing back the REAL American lager with KC Pils. And 10% of all sales of KC Pils go to local charities. So get your drink on and do a good thing for your community!

Oakland Raiders – 21st Amendment Brewery(San Francisco, CA) Yeah, so 21st Amendment is in San Fran – but that’s why you guys have BART. 21st Amendment’s newest year-round beer Back in Black is a black IPA that can fuel the fire of any Raider’s fan.

San Diego Chargers – AleSmith Brewing Company (San Diego, CA) -San Diego has a plethora of great breweries to choose from, but one surefire way to get all charged up for a Chargers game is to crack open an AleSmith Horny Devil and watch grown men smack each other on the butts.

So, there you have it, ACB’s “draft picks” for the AFC! Support your team with pride and while you’re doing that, support your local craft brewers!

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