I’m not really a football guy, but I am a drinking guy so when a buddy asked if I’d join his Fantasy Football League, I said yes. Because I’m always looking for a reason to drink beer in the middle of the week, and from what I understand, Fantasy Football Leagues are basically just a reason to get together, drink beers and talk shit about each other. I like beer and talking shit, so if I have to watch a little football to facilitate that, then so be it.
Apparently, I underestimated how much football would play a role in our Fantasy Football League. People came to the draft prepared. They had a solid plan of attack, then a backup plan, then a backup plan to the backup plan. There was heated debate about the appropriate round for drafting a kicker. There were spreadsheets.
I spent a lot of time doing research leading up to the draft, but I wasn’t researching potential sleeper running backs, I was researching the perfect beer. Turns out, the perfect beer for the Fantasy Football League draft is also the perfect beer for mountain biking. You need something you can drink for an extended period of time while keeping your wits about you. There’s a lot of down time between picks in the draft, but if you get too caught up in the drinking, your Fantasy Team will suffer. So a session beer is in order, and there are a lot of great ones to choose from if you’re trying to drink below the Mason Dixon. Terrapin’s RecreationAle is a solid choice, Oskar Blues’ Pinner is awesome, even New Belgium’s Slow Ride is a winner, but I wanted to try something new. So I settled on Unknown Brewing’s Pre-Game, a session ale that comes in at an easy-drinking 4.5% ABV.
This is a beer literally brewed for football. Specifically, Unknown brewed this beer for tailgating, which begins roughly 36 hours before the game in most Southern towns. I may not love football, but I definitely love tailgating. Where else is it socially acceptable to drink beer and eat fried foods from the trunk of your car in the morning? And I think I’ve found my new tailgating beer for this season. Unknown’s Pre-Game doesn’t have the pretense of a session IPA, which hit you with complex hop profiles and aromas so you think you’re drinking a headier craft beer. There’s none of that in Pre-Game, which barely has any hop bite at all. There’s a creamy body and a little bit of corn-like sweetness, but ultimately, this is just an easy drinking beer that goes down fast. Probably as fast as my Fantasy Football team will go down this season; Apparently, I stocked my team entirely with Canadian Football League players.
It’s gonna be a long season. At least I’ve got the right beer for it.
