There are many reasons to love fall. The weather. The sports. The weather. It’s why tailgating is the king of autumn activity. You’re outside. Standing around with friends and friendly strangers. You’re chowing down a dog. Sipping on a refreshing beer. The vibes are always right.
What beer, you ask? It depends. It depends on the weather, depends on your mood, and where you are. Geography can and should help you decide what cold ones to toss in the cooler. Away games can be a chance to try something in the region. Home games are for local favorites. To make it simple, I’m organizing our guide into big football regions: East Coast, the Midwest, the South, The Mountains and Plains, and the West Coast.
The East Coast: Lawson’s Finest Sip of Sunshine
Not only is the East Coast a great area for football (you have the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and countless college football programs), it’s also home to some of the most noteworthy breweries in the country. If you’re at a tailgate in New England, you can’t go wrong with a Zero Gravity Cone Head IPA or Green State Lager. New York (especially Western New York) tailgates deserve a Genesee Cream Ale or Labatt Blue. But, if you’re only going to drink one east coast beer at your tailgate, make it a Lawson’s Finest Sip of Sunshine. This classic lupulin-centric, 8% ABV IPA is bold enough to hold up on cold days, but hoppy, fruity, and floral enough for early season warm weather.
The Midwest: Bell’s Amber Ale
When it comes to football, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of Midwest. One of the largest regions in the country, the Midwest is home to NFL teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, and more. It’s also home to numerous notable college programs including Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, and more. Green Bay Packers tailgates deserve a New Glarus Spotted Cow. But, if you’re only going to drink one Midwest brew, make it Bell’s Amber Ale with its flavors of toasted malts, toffee, citrus peels, and herbal, earthy hops.
The South: Cigar City Jai Alai
There are few parts of the country that take tailgating more seriously than the South. NFL teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, and the Jacksonville Jaguars call the South home. But unlike other parts of the county, college football is the bigger tailgating option in this area of the country thanks to Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, and more. Since you’re likely to be tailgating at an SEC or ACC game, you can’t go wrong with an Urban South Paradise Park or Oktoberfest. South Carolina Gamecocks tailgates call for a Westbrook Gose or IPA. But, if you’re only going to bring one beer to your southern tailgate, make it Cigar City Jai Alai. This iconic Tampa-made IPA is known for its balanced flavors of caramel malts, orange peels, grassy, piney hops, and a dry, crisp, gently bitter finish.
The Mountains and Plains: Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
The plains and mountains. This area is home to the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL and countless college football programs including Colorado, Colorado State, Boise State, Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and more. Just like the South, the Mountains and Plains are more college football heavy in terms of tailgating. That said, if you’re at a Chiefs tailgate you might want to bring a Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat or Boulevard Pale Ale. An Iowa tailgate calls for a Toppling Goliath King Sue. On top of all the epic beers from this region, none are better for your tailgate than Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale. This 6.5% ABV pale ale is known for its flavors of toffee malts, tangerine, lemon peels, and gently bitter pine.
The West Coast: Fremont Golden Pilsner
The West Coast is a great area of the country for football fans. It’s loaded with NFL teams like the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, and Los Angeles Chargers. It’s also home to college programs like USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and Cal. If you find yourself at a 49ers tailgate, you might want to imbibe an Alvarado Street Pils or Russian River Blind Pig IPA. If you’re at an Oregon Ducks tailgate, you should stock your cooler with Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale or pFriem Pilsner. When it comes to west coast tailgating beers, there’s none better than Seattle’s Fremont Brewing with its Fremont Golden Pilsner. This 4.5% ABV Bohemian-style pilsner is known for its notes of cracker-like malts, honey, caramel malts, citrus peels, and pleasant piney, grassy hop bitterness.
