Michigan Football: Beer Drinking Man’s Guide to the Northwestern Game
Michigan football matches up against Northwestern today and I’m guessing that even if the Wolverines come out on top it’s going to be a long day. Both teams come in with an impressive victory or two, shaky offenses, and top five defenses. That is a recipe for classic, slow Big Ten football.
Michigan Wolverines
It’s also homecoming. Who would have thought that homecoming would provide the biggest test of the season so far?
Michigan is a 7.5-point favorite, and even while that’s more sane than the opening line (12.5), it still seems a bit optimistic on the Michigan side. That said, it’s going to be a beautiful day in Ann Arbor. By game time it’ll be mid in the 60’s and maybe a little cloudy.
All of that means it’s your last great chance to grab a Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale—or six. Knowing Michigan weather, it could be 30 degrees next week. Who knows. But it’s only getting colder, so drinking an IPA in order to take advantage of one of the last warm weeks of the year seems like a great idea. As amazing as Two Hearted is, it’s hard to drink IPAs in cold months. There’s something perfect about their hoppy bitterness that cuts right through heat and humidity.
Two Hearted Ale, as far as I’m concerned, is the year-round pride of Bell’s Brewery, which is a top three brewery nationwide. At a robust but not crazy 7 percent ABV, it should serve you well for sipping during the game and afterwards.
It’s going to take some alcohol to get through this one. Best case: Michigan has some success on offense and dominates on defense and wins 14-0. Worst case: Northwestern forces a couple of turnovers and Justin Jackson has enough success on the ground to guide Northwestern to a 21-7 victory.
My point is that drinking will help either way.
Drinking Two Hearted is your best course of action, though. As with everything from Bell’s, it’s an expertly crafted beer. If you like IPAs, you’ll love this beer. If you don’t like IPAs, you’ll still like this beer.
It’s hoppy, to be sure, but it’s also floral and has enough supplementary sweetness in the aftertaste to not leave that lingering bitterness that non-IPA drinkers dislike so much. It’s one of the rare beers that uses just enough sweetness to work in concert with its bitterness.
Most times, IPAs that function like Two Hearted are bitter just until the point they taste overly sweet; that is one of my least favorite beer experiences. It’s like drinking two beers that were thrown together. The hops and the (admittedly vague) sweetness in this brew work together perfectly.
This is one of the best beers that Michigan (the best beer state) has to offer. Given that fact, and the fact that it’s a favorite of veterate beer drinkers and rookie beer drinkers alike, this is the perfect drink for homecoming.
If Michigan wins, it’ll be a great celebratory round. If Michigan loses, it has a high enough ABV that you’ll be able to drown your sorrows.
No matter what happens on the field, you’ll be winning at the bar.
Go Blue!