Michigan Football: The Beer-Drinking Man’s Guide to Maryland
I spent four years in Ann Arbor, as many Michigan football fans have.
Michigan Wolverines
I also drank beer there. I like beer from the state of Michigan, as everyone should. Given those facts, I am un-uniquely qualified to curate a collection of beers for the rest of the games on Michigan’s schedule, but I’m going to do it anyway.
If there’s anything that Week 2’s state-on-state violence between Michigan and Oregon taught us, it’s that Michigan is the superior state for beer. (The Wolverines trounced Oregon State in Ann Arbor and the Spartans wound up victorious against Oregon in East Lansing.)
At least I’m pretty sure that’s what it taught us.
In celebration of that fact, and the fact that football pairs with beer better than weirdly outdated sayings pair with apple pie, I’m creating your friendly guide for which Michigan beers to drink during the rest of the games on the schedule. We’ll start with Maryland.
(Note: I’m also assuming that we all have access to these beers and that weather conditions resemble those in Michigan, where I assume you will be sitting either comfortably on your couch or slightly less comfortably at the stadium.)
The conditions: a high of 64 and a low of 46. Cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain. Noon ET start time.
Michigan should win this game. Yes, it’s a night game on the road and the first Big Ten conference game of Jim Harbaugh’s coaching career, but Maryland is a bad team. If Bowling Green can march in and hang 48 on the Terrapins, Michigan should be able to at least squeak out a victory in College Park. It doesn’t seem like there will be much cause for Wolverine anxiety during the game, even if it won’t be a blowout.
Considering the opponent, the weather, and the fact that the leaves will be changing, this is prime fall beer time. La Parcela from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales gets the nod here.
At a relatively mellow 6 percent alcohol by volume, you can sip this through most of the game, which is good. You won’t need to drink away the pain of a loss away, but you shouldn’t celebrate a win over Maryland too wildly, either.
This is an aromatic pumpkin ale that’s not too heavy on the pumpkin but doesn’t compensate too heavily with spices. That’s probably because it’s made with real pumpkin, unlike a fair amount of pumpkin beers this time of year. Plus, there’s a nice vague sweetness in the aftertaste to bring everything together.
I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin ale, but this one is expertly crafted for people who like beer more than pumpkin, not the other way around. Plus, it’s a deep shade of orange, which is always cool to see in a glass.
Stay tuned for the rest of the Wolverines’ conference season as I continue to unveil the perfect Michigan beer for the game.