The NCAA Tournament is more than a few dozen games. It’s a month-long hoops jubilee with massive cultural pull. And it’s back at full power this year, with fans in the stands at sites coast-to-coast, savoring all the drama and emotion.
And, probably, a few beverages.
So given the inevitably strong feelings about hoops and hops, we again wondered: What’s the best frosty refreshment to pair with every team in the field of 68?
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Behold: It’s The Athletic’s second-annual March Madness Beer Guide.
Just like last spring, we reached out to local breweries with one question: If you could drink just one of your beers while watching the NCAA Tournament, which would it be? Sometimes we were able to get our hands on the product and provide a mini-review of our own. Diligent reporting: core value here at The Athletic.
Some notes on the process:
• The breweries chose the beer. We repeat: THE BREWERIES CHOSE THE BEER. Please direct your ire in the comment section accordingly.
• We wanted to avoid repeat appearances from the 2021 Beer Guide. And not every brewery responded to us. For these reasons, or others, your favorite spot may not appear here. Consider this context as you scoff in the comments.
• If we couldn’t reach a brewery to rep a specific entrant, we chose an interesting one nearby and wrote about what we’d like to try.
• Finally, yes, we know two teams lost on Tuesday night in Dayton. But we’re honoring their achievements nonetheless with entries in the guide.
And now? Let’s toast the Madness …
Akron
The brewery: Akronym Brewing
The beer: Czech 123 pilsner
John Groce and the Zips: the biggest basketball deal in Akron since … well, forever, right? Can’t think of anything or anyone else basketball-related that has really captured the city’s imagination. Nope, we got nothing. Drawing a blank. So we celebrate this landmark breakthrough in Akron hoops history appropriately, with a beverage from a brewery that opened its new taproom doors in 2016 specifically on a mission to be part of the revitalization of the downtown area. Czech 123, according to Akronym, is a 5 percent ABV pils brewed with traditional methods — including something called a “decoction mash” — to create “a balance of cracker-like malt flavor and the distinct floral aroma of Saaz hops.” “A light and flavorful pilsner,” director of operations Joey Greising says. “There’s a lot of basketball to watch, so a lower ABV is always a good idea.”
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Alabama
The brewery: Druid City Brewing
The beer: Parkview Porter
Druid City founder and brewmaster Bo Hicks is quick to sign off on being a part of this project; he is not only on board with The Athletic, but is an avid listener of
“The Andy Staples Show,” which we have decided not to hold against him. (Considering Druid City’s half-mile proximity to Bryant-Denny Stadium and Coleman Coliseum, intense engagement with college sports is no surprise.) Hicks is just as quick to pick out his bracket offering: Parkview Porter, winner of the best beer award at the 2016 Alabama state beer festival, which he describes as “like drinking a black velvet painting of Elvis.” Um … yes? Please? “Being so close to the stadiums, in late football or basketball season, when fans head out on foot, the porter helps keep them warm,” Hicks said. “It is a 9.2 percent big man rocking the low post. Large yet smooth, with hints of vanilla and bourbon, it will help you get up for a big game or rebound when the shot doesn’t fall your way.”
Arizona
The brewery: Barrio Brewing Co.
The beer: Barrio Blonde
Barrio’s founder, Dennis Arnold, is a Tucson native. The brewery’s original location in Tucson was close to Arizona’s campus. Jaime Dickman, Barrio’s chief operating officer, is an Arizona alum. Barrio is 100 percent employee-owned, and a good number of those employees either attended or currently attend Arizona. A blonde ale with Noble Saaz hops and a light malt profile is a pretty good fit for Arizona’s return to the NCAA Tournament (and a beer guide that goes with it). “Barrio Blonde is made for desert drinking and celebrating big wins,” Dickman says. “Just like Wildcat basketball, it has a longstanding tradition of greatness: Barrio Blonde is Arizona’s longest continually brewed beer.”
Arkansas
The brewery: Columbus House
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The beer: Regnat Populus Sour Ale
The name for Columbus House’s choice derives from the Fayetteville city motto, which means “for the people,” and the brewery’s approach to this year-round offering is apropos: every few batches, brewmasters Carey Ashworth, Jason Corral, and Sam Morgan ask customers to vote on a new fruit puree to use in the sour. (They’re currently on sour red cherry.) The popularist appeal connects with Arkansas’s men’s hoops team, too: “It’s a great beer for the tournament because the Razorbacks are the people’s team,” Corral said. “If you’ve ever seen Eric Musselman celebrate a victory in Bud Walton, heard the fans rejoice when Jaylin Williams takes a charge, watched Devo Davis defy gravity on a breakaway dunk, or admired JD Notae’s no-nonsense, down to earth approach to leading this team, you’ll know what I’m talking about.” Fair enough — and Musselman’s capacity for tinkering and improving over the fast-moving months of each new season feels appropriate here, too.
Brennan’s tasting notes: Had one of these just after putting Bubble Watch to bed late last week, and folks, let me tell you: You know that feeling when you finish a long day of work? Like a 16-hour day? This was perfect for that. Refreshing, tart, funky, but not overly so. Went down extremely quickly.
Auburn
The brewery: Red Clay Brewing Co.
The beer: Tres Barbas Mexican Lager
Auburn’s incredible season faltered just slightly down the stretch; if the Tigers offensive struggles away from home in SEC play carry over to neutral courts (and in their first game at the SEC tournament, when they scored 62 points in 69 possessions in a loss to Texas A&M, they absolutely did) there could be real concern about just how long Bruce Pearl’s team can stay in the bracket. Not so (segue!) for the Tres Barbas Mexican Lager on offer here – Red Clay plant manager and brewer Craig Collins picked this one to go the distance. “It’s an easy drinking 4.5 percent ABV Mexican style lager,” Collins said. “Lagers are one of the hardest beers to brew consistently, but deliver simplicity for all beer lovers. Perfectly sessionable for gameday fans.”
Baylor
The brewery: Southern Roots Brewing Co.
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The beer: Straw Hat Summer Day Hazy IPA
As a representative for the defending national champions, you could do worse than a brewery featured in an ESPN documentary series: The mural you see at the start of “Our Time: Baylor Basketball” episodes is on a side wall of Southern Roots’ building. Straw Hat Summer Day is, according to owner Dustin Evans, the brewery’s attempt to marry the best elements of traditional IPAs with the hazy IPA trend while not creating something you’d find in a Tropicana bottle. “Every once in a while, you come across a hazy IPA that tastes like juice water and is not very good,” Evans says. True story. That is not this beer. “It’s an IPA with some of that traditional bitterness but really big, juicy, fruit-forward fullness,” Evans says. “It’s very beer-forward.”
(Courtesy Southern Roots)
Boise State
The brewery: Barbarian Brewing
The beer: Little Wolf IPA
There was some debate about whether Little Wolf or the Nugs. Chillin. Grindage. IPA would represent Barbarian — and by extension Boise State — in this endeavor. The final answer is, in the end, appropriate. The Broncos are a top 20 defensive unit who didn’t suffer a double-digit loss throughout the entire regular season. That sort of uncomplicated quality is reflected in Little Wolf. “It’s a well-balanced and easy-drinking West Coast-style IPA made with Skagit Valley Malt and El Dorado, Mosaic, Citra and Comet hops,” co-owner and head brewer James Long says. “At 6.5 percent ABV, Little Wolf is a solid beer and it’s f— good, just like Boise State this year.” Well put.
Hamilton’s tasting notes: We didn’t get to sample all the beers in this guide. We did get to sample Little Wolf, and thank the heavens. It is, as Long says, just f—— good. I know a lot more about basketball than I do about beer, and I don’t know much about basketball, but Little Wolf somehow has the heft of a bigger IPA but a robust, fruity flavor profile and light finish that you’d find in your typical West Coast-style offering. It’s enough to make a guy put together a prospectus for a Boise satellite site.
Bryant
The brewery: Lops Brewing
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The beer: Station 3 Pilsner
Smithfield, R.I., is not hopping (heh … OK, sorry) with hyperlocal craft breweries, but Lops Brewing in the nearby tremendously named town of Woonsocket has just the trick. Full disclosure: Lops is run by Providence grads, but the brewery was at pains to point out it would also be rooting for Peter Kiss & Co., too. “At Lops, we will be drinking our Station 3 Pilsner,” Sean Lopolito said. “This crisp, refreshing, crushable lager is to be enjoyed during New England’s 50-degree March days. It is best suited for first-round marathon watching sessions of March Madness and most delicious when paired with the RI local delicacy, dynamites or a Woonsocket favorite, poutine. This beer is named in honor of Woonsocket’s Station 3 Firehouse, located only a couple of basketball courts from Lops. The captain requested a light lager with bold taste, and we were happy to oblige.”
Cal State Fullerton
The brewery: Radiant Beer Co.
The beer: Little Presents lager
Remember the Titans? Probably not. It’s been a minute since they appeared in an NCAA Tournament field, but here they are after a thrilling one-point win in the Big West tournament championship. Radiant is one of the newer breweries we’ll feature in this guide, having opened for business in 2020, but the backbone employees are veterans of The Bruery in Placentia, Calif. While president Jonas Nemura says he’ll usually default to hoppy beers, Little Presents is his choice for marathon game viewing. “It’s a simple American lager brewed with a bit of rice to keep it super crisp and just enough hop character to refresh your palate,” Nemura says. “At 4.5 percent ABV, you can have a few while watching the games and feel good the next day, and it can pair well with pretty much whatever you’re eating. I love full-flavored beers that make you think about them, but when watching sports I just want something refreshing.”
(Courtesy Radiant Beer Co.)
Chattanooga
The brewery: Hutton & Smith
The beer: Tectonic Session IPA
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When coach Lamont Paris arrived in Chattanooga in 2017, he inherited a big rebuilding job, one that was going to take some time to complete. Chattanooga finished 304th in adjusted efficiency in his first season. Then 266th in Year 2, and 147th in Year 3, 156th in Year 4 until the 2021-22 season, when the Mocs have become one of the best mid-major teams in the country. You might call this a tectonic shift in Chattanooga hoops, and – see what we did here? – downtown Chattanooga brewers Hutton & Smith have come through with an appropriately named beverage. “If we had to pick one beer to drink during a sporting event, it would hands down be Tectonic Session IPA,” Melanie Krautstrunk said. “Full of flavor, low-ish calories and not so heavy that you feel full. You get a nice hop blast presence of citrus, pine, and tropical aromas and this beer has a nice light body.” At 5.1 percent and 146 calories per 12 ounce can, this is a thematically fitting beer that you can also drink a lot of. Deal.
Colgate
The brewery: Good Nature Farm Brewery & Taproom
The beer: Good Natured Blonde Ale
Ah, the beers of Madison County. Not too many options in or around Hamilton, N.Y., but Good Nature opened in 2010 and has been focused on local, “farm-to-glass” brewing ever since. With any luck, the weather will be good enough this month to grab a spot at Good Nature’s beer garden to enjoy a beverage or two whilst the Raiders pursue an upset or two. “Our Flagship Blonde Ale may be good natured, but she doesn’t lack in complexity,” president and founder Carrie Blackmore says. “Light and biscuity yet bold and malty, her crisp finish will lead you thirsty for more. This is the beer to pair with watching the NCAA Tournament because it’s light and easy-drinking in a relatively low ABV for a craft beer, while still being full flavored and tasty.”
Colorado State
The brewery: Maxline Brewing
The beer: Irish Red
Niko Medved’s squad doesn’t miss a ton. Likewise, when reaching out to the array of quality breweries in the greater Fort Collins area, we were fairly confident we’d connect, one way or another. Maxline it is, with a core offering that rates high in efficiency, much like the Rams themselves. “The drinkability is off the charts with the perfect balance of its 6.2 percent ABV — the sweet spot — malt-forward notes on the nose and palate, followed by the caramel/cherry finish,” sales manager Geno Taylor says. “It’s light-bodied enough to throw back a few over the course of a full game and still be able to fully enjoy the moment Colorado State sinks that game winning shot. There’s a reason it’s our best-selling flagship. It’s freakin’ delicious.”
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Creighton
The brewery: Monolithic Brewery
The beer: Meister Hefeweizen
A “meister,” according to the interwebs dictionary search, is “a person regarded as skilled or prominent in a specified area of activity.” In almost any other year, the high-octane Bluejays would be considered shot-meisters … but this season it’s been a top-30 defense keeping Greg McDermott’s club afloat. Creighton, in a way, is hard to get. The Meister Hefeweizen from Monolithic is at least a little bit of a kindred spirit, in that small-batch Monolithic doesn’t distribute, so you’ll have to head to the taproom to get your hands on one of the brewery’s most popular offerings. But it’s worth a little extra effort. “It’s light in ABV and packed with flavors of banana, clove, and bubblegum thanks to our house German Hefeweizen yeast,” head brewer Shane Costello says. “It’s one of our core beers and a brew that I can enjoy over and over.”
Hamilton’s tasting notes: Well, it just so happened that I had Meister by my side while the bracket unfolded on Selection Sunday. Less fruity than I anticipated, which is a good thing. It tilted a little more toward the spice, at least out of my crowler. Again: Not complaining here. No shock it’s a core beer for Monolithic; it’s incredibly easy to drink and, as I can say from personal experience, a good partner for watching basketball-related television while not worrying that the beer is doing right by you.
(Courtesy Monolithic Brewing)
Davidson
The brewery: Lost Worlds Brewing
The beer: Clacton ESB (Extra Special Bitter)
We are more than happy to highlight beers that derive names from spears made of something called Yew Wood, discovered in obscure British sea resort towns in 1911, which carbon dating put at 420,000 years old — therefore making it the oldest known man-made wooden implement ever found. What’s that? Oh, right. The beer. You came to read about the beer: A pub-style ale that comes in at 5.3 percent ABV and 20 IBUs, giving it all-day quaffability. “People would sit around, drink this style and have great conversations — like debating teams on the bubble and Cinderella stories,” Lost World brand manager Sherri Johnson says. “Even though the word ‘bitter’ is in the name, this style has a balance of maltiness and hop character with neither overpowering the other. With our Clacton ESB, you’ll notice a biscuity and somewhat sweet malt character that is well balanced with earthy hop notes. We also use a traditional English strain of yeast that accentuates these flavors and aromas.”
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Hamilton’s tasting notes: If you’d like to imagine yourself watching the NCAA Tournament at a corner pub in the United Kingdom, this is your beer. That striking yeasty maltiness hits on the first sip, big time, and transports you from the couch to the barstool. But the finish is neither overly dry nor overly bitter. In fact, Clacton makes a lot of sense as a long-haul beverage for full days of games. I had it by my side on the last day of the regular season, and it got smoother with every sip.
Delaware
The brewery: Twisted Irons Craft Brewing Co.
The beer: Pinipple IPA
The 10 to 14 beers Twisted Irons has on tap daily might not offer the largest selection in the area, but head brewer and COO Matt Found believes it’s the “widest and most varied selection.” “We have everything from lagers like our pilsner, Czech Please, to darker lagers like our doppelbock, The Inebriator, and everything in between,” he says. “We regularly keep two IPAs on tap and also have English ales, Belgian ales, and even a dark mild on nitrogen, plus occasional Gose sour fruited beers. Most local breweries have 12 beers, but of that three or four are IPAs; we thrive on diversity and variety.” The choice here is the Pinipple pineapple IPA, though, which was brewed for the Breast Cancer Coalition in Delaware. With every beer sold, Twisted Irons donates $1 to the Coalition, in perpetuity, Found says. Drinking for a good cause: There can be no more noble pursuit.
Duke
The brewery: Fullsteam Brewery
The beer: Lion In Winter Imperial Stout
It’s the final ride of Mike Krzyzewski. There’s no holding back now. Bring on the 10.7 percent ABV beverages and let it all hang out. “It’s Coach K’s last year, and in his final season, he remains who he is: a stalwart and steadfast king,” says Fullsteam CEO Sean Lilly Wilson, a Duke grad himself. “We brewed this roasty, boozy imperial stout with domestic and North Carolina grain — it’s an old guard imperial stout free of the adjuncts and additions common to new guard pastry beers. It’s the perfect beer to sip slowly and reflect on the legacy of a true Lion in Winter, a strong, established — yet vulnerable — leader. Sure, it’s not for everyone. But neither is Duke. We all know that.”
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Georgia State
The brewery: Atlantucky Brewing
The beer: Mile High Pale Ale
With the possible exception of Julia Roberts, Georgia State’s most notable alumnus is Ludacris. Why not pair the Panthers, then, with another institution of early 2000s hip hop — the Nappy Roots? Yes, the alternative rap group that met at Bowling Green in 1995 while attending Western Kentucky (hence the “tucky” appendage to the brewery’s name), one you will instantly remember if you are of a certain age and put this song on, is now making some good beer in Atlanta not far from Georgia State’s campus, while also leading the way on the burgeoning diversity in ownership in Atlanta’s craft beer scene. The Mile High Pale Ale “is our most approachable beer,” operations manager Kevin Irvin said. “Made with Warrior, Lemondrop and Citra Hops, this 5.5 percent ABV easy sipper is a straight up crushable beer perfect for drinking all day as you watch your bracket rise or bust.”
Gonzaga
The brewery: Lumberbeard Brewery
The beer: Flavor Nuggets Hazy IPA V.6
We are happy there are such things as Flavor Nuggets, and that there have been six versions of them. A brewery with the mission to make “super easy drinking, hoppy delights,” as Lumberbeard sales rep Zachary Keetch puts it, has our attention. “Flavor Nuggets is our rotating hazy IPA series, and with it we’re able to mix and match tons of different hop varieties,” he says. “Version 6 is going to hit you with Azacca, Idaho 7 and Mosaic hops, which create a well-rounded flavor profile. This hazy fruit bomb is ready to grace your tastebuds with tangerine, peaches and melon rind. When we make an IPA, we don’t try to knock you out with bitterness. Our brews are meant to be drank with ease and finish dry.”
Brian Hamilton’s tasting notes: Hazy is right. Flavor Nuggets pours an opaque yellow most analogous to pineapple, and the Mosaic scent hit big-time when we lifted a glass. But it is far from a viscous hazy beer — which we very much appreciate. (If we wanted orange juice, we’d order orange juice.) Very drinkable on repeat. Really easy to imagine having a bunch of these across six potential Gonzaga games. And it definitely comes with the dry finish Keetch advertised. We’re only sorry we missed versions 1 through 5.
(Courtesy Lumberbeard Brewing)
Houston
The brewery: Holler
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The beer: Dollar Pils Y’all pilsner
This German-style pilsner made with noble Hallertau hops checks in at 30 IBU and 5.4 percent ABV, which means it doesn’t go quite as hard as Kelvin Sampson’s crew. This is probably a good thing. Going that hard is great for the Cougars but might result in a catastrophic health spiral for casual NCAA Tournament watchers. “Light-bodied, cold and refreshing, crisp, clean finish,” Holler hospitality director Jorge Benitez says. “It’s light enough to drink more than one yet is packed with flavor to enjoy every time. Perfectly paired with the Texas heat and the thrill of victory.”
Illinois
The brewery: Riggs Beer Company
The beer: Illinois Kolsch
We needed a new entrant for the Illini in this year’s installment, so we dialed in on a fifth-generation farm about 5.5 miles east of the State Farm Center, and the dream child of brothers Darin and Matt Riggs. They opened in 2016 and operate on 20 acres that include a tap room, a beer garden and a lot of wheat and clover in the fields. And, appropriately enough, the Kolsch is a seasonal, available on March 10 — just in time for the madness. “Unlike its German counterpart, Illinois Kölsch is slightly hazy, which helps give this 4.8 percent ABV beer a bit more flavor than its filtered German cousin,” Matt Riggs says. “The thing that makes this beer really unique is that it’s brewed with 100 percent Illinois-grown ingredients. The barley and wheat are grown on our family farm here in Champaign County. The hops come from a local hop farm. I’m pretty sure none of the other beers in your bracket can say anything like that.” (Note: Yes, we know about Blind Pig and its Illini-specific IPA. But everyone knows about Blind Pig. We thought maybe we’d spread the love to a less ubiquitous purveyor.)
Indiana
The brewery: Switchyard
The beer: Orange Blossom Blonde
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Once upon a time, Bloomington’s brewery scene pretty much started and ended with Upland, a fantastic local brewery, one of Indiana’s finest, and still Bloomington’s largest, but one that no longer reigns unchallenged. Switchyard is one of a few relative newcomers on the scene, and its inclusion here is fitting, considering the wave of refreshing newness at Indiana this season — particularly evident in the Hoosiers’ late push to the NCAA Tournament. (Limping meekly out of the Big Ten tourney appears to be a thing of the past.) “Orange Blossom Blonde is my gameday beer of choice,” Switchyard’s Dave Burton writes. “It’s easy drinking with delicious sweet notes of orange blossom honey from a local farmer. It is a beautifully simple beer with a hint of citrus that hits home in any season — but especially during March Madness. I choose this beer for game days because you can have multiple when your team struggles OR in celebration.”
Iowa
The brewery: Big Grove Brewery
The beer: Easy Eddy Hazy IPA
In 2013, Big Grove opened its doors in fittingly modest fashion. It was a small brewery and taproom in Solon, Iowa, your standard 3,000-person Iowan small town with a quaint main street strip — but also one with Lake MacBride State Park on one side and a well-regarded public golf course on the other, making it the sneaky-perfect place to open up a brewery for day trippers. The beer was good, too. Big Grove has since opened a 28,000-square foot brewing facility and entertainment venue in Iowa City, and in 2019 its bracket pick won the Gold Medal at Open Beer Championship. Available “year-round and found in the beautiful prairielands of Iowa,” Easy Eddy is double dry-hopped and its featured “tropical flavors of pineapple and mango are complemented by a round body and soft bitterness.”
Brennan’s tasting notes: I have gone in and out of hazy IPA fazes in the past couple of years. I was all about them when they first started popping up. Then, like sours, it started to feel like things were getting out of hand: Every new hazy I tried had to be juicier and weirder than the last. This one is great. It is fruity and hazy and refreshing, yes, but it’s also clean and a bit dry, at least by some hazy standards. It’s excellent mostly because it doesn’t overdo it. To this Iowan, it feels very Iowan: allergic to flash, but quietly great.
Iowa State
The brewery: 1717 Brewing Co.
The beer: Rootwork Black IPA
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There are a couple brewery options local to Ames, but we didn’t hear back from them for inclusion in the guide. So we had to head down I-35 to Des Moines — and we’re always happy to head to Des Moines — and one of several downtown options. It’s a “cult favorite” in central Iowa, per co-owner and CEO Matt Glenn, which nicely matches the level of devotion regularly displayed by Iowa State basketball fans. “Rootwork is a great balance of roast, hops and alcohol; well balanced, aggressive but oh so smooth, like an Izaiah Brockington step-back jumper,” Glenn says. “Packing a beefy 70 IBUs and 7 percent ABV, this beer is a goer but not off-putting, as the bitterness from this IPA comes from the hops and not the black malts, resulting in zero astringent bite that makes some beers hard to handle.”
Jacksonville State
The brewery: Back Forty
The beer: Rollin’ in the Haze New England IPA
The small town of Jacksonville proper is not exactly bustling with breweries, but nearby Gadsden, Ala., saw the founding of a regional gem (in a state that in 2009 still prohibited the production or sale of beer with more than 6 percent ABV). Back Forty got its start as a couple of one-off beers made in the back of a microbrewery in neighboring Mississippi — when those beers took off (and won Great American Beer Festival awards) owner Jason Wilson finally had enough cash on hand to open his own spot in Gadsden, which has since expanded to a second location in Birmingham’s thriving craft scene.
Chief operating officer Tripp Collins notes “for full disclosure” that there are a few Auburn alums at the Gadsden location, but his wife went to Jacksonsville State. Good enough for us. His selection is designed for everyone — JSU fans just happy their team is in the tournament, or Auburn fans who will stress with every bounce of the ball. “Rollin’ is a true New England IPA, hazy, floral, citrusy and delicate,” he said. “It is our latest year-round offering distributed in our footprint throughout the southeast. It’s chosen for the bracket because it is easy to drink at 6 percent, and has low bitterness and soft mouthfeel. Rollin’ can be enjoyed anytime of day, especially for the 11 a.m. tip in round one — but will be just as enjoyable during primetime.”
Kansas
The brewery: Fields & Ivy Brewery
The beer: Breezedale Hazy IPA
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We’ve had the occasion to visit Fields & Ivy on a trip to Lawrence to write about the basketball, and it’s a cool, airy, farm-to-table spot about two miles south of downtown proper — not bad at all for hanging out and tasting beverages while the madness swells around you. Founder Cory Johnston notes that the road from Allen Fieldhouse to Fields & Ivy passes through the Breezedale neighborhood, for which the beer is named. Breezedale, Johnston says, is known for “comfort house” architecture. He is quick to point out how The Phog is not structured similarly. “You’ll historically find no comfort in that house,” he says. But the beer? Sure. “It’s also hard to beat,” he says. “It’s a dialed-in hazy with no flaws. With an in-your-face tropical aroma driven by Citra and El Dorado hops. The finish is smooth with never a letdown. Some call it the best New England IPA this side of Massachusetts.” Well, then. We must investigate such claims further.
(Courtesy Fields & Ivy)
Kentucky
The breweries: Blue Stallion Brewing Company, West Sixth Brewing
The beers: Marz Madness Märzen, West Sixth IPA
So here’s the thing: We reach out to many breweries for this project. Sometimes they respond so happily, and in such close proximity, that we feel bad choosing one over the other. And Kentucky is a No. 2 seed and back in the NCAA Tournament after the hell on earth that was the 2020-21 season. So … it’s a tie! Bottoms up, right?
Serendipitously, we reached out to Blue Stallion, which focuses heavily on German ales and lagers, and the brewers had been concocting a beer for March itself — with an homage to Kentucky hoops. It’s available March 18, for the record, and head brewer JR Redmon expects it’ll be one of Blue Stallion’s most sought-after products. “Properly brewed and lagered, this orange-amber lager is crisp, clean, yet rather rich in malt character that only comes out in March,” Redmon says. “Aromatics from the choice of malts help balance the sweet maltiness and moderate hop bitterness. This beer is perfect to cheer on the ’Cats during tournament time while the can label showcases Kentucky’s blue-and-white gamut even further. So whether you’re enjoying the games with us at the brewery, out with friends, or at home, this beer signifies that we all bleed blue.”
West Sixth is the O.G. of Lexington breweries, so it feels only appropriate to have its flagship IPA on hand, too, for Wildcats tilts. “The first beer in a can made in Kentucky, this IPA is Kentucky Proud,” West Sixth’s private events manager Ben Self says. “It’s citrusy with a backbone of bready malt and pine stickiness with notes of peaches, lemon zest, danky grassiness, pine needles, and tangerines. We launched the brewery with this beer on March 30th, 2012 — coming up on 10 years — and two days later, UK won the national championship, so the two are forever tied together.”
Longwood
The brewery: Three Roads Brewery
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The beer: High Bridge Helles
The sleepy, quaint central Virginia town of Farmville is not a traditional hub of either basketball or brewing, but change is afoot: Longwood is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament this week, while Three Roads Brewery has become a celebrated hub of good beer in the five years since it was founded, with a tight connection to all things Longwood University. “The beer that I would likely drink while watching the Lancer men and women triumph in the tourney would be High Bridge Helles,” Three Roads COO Dean Palmer said, of a beer named for the High Bridge state park visible from Longwood’s campus. “This is a classic South German Lager. Very light and crisp, with aromas and flavors of delicate German malts. A subdued hop profile takes a back seat, with just enough bitterness, to round out the clean malt character. Very drinkable, nice, and dry. Tastes like victory.”
LSU
The brewery: Cypress Coast Brewing Co.
The beer: O Brother, Where Art Brau? Dortmunder lager
Cypress Coast is a great story in itself. Its founders worked at a Target together, started home-brewing in the subdivision they both lived in and, ultimately, opened Cypress Coast in 2020. Yes, that 2020. And while a German lager might not be the first beverage type one associates with LSU hoops … this one checks in at 5.4 percent and therefore can be consumed in large quantities over a long stretch of time. So, yes, it absolutely makes sense as a representative of an LSU athletics enterprise. “This Dortmunder lager is golden, smooth, and crushable,” co-founder Caleb Schlamp says. “It showcases great balance between rich German malts and noble hops. This brew has been one of our favorite lagers since we first brewed it while home brewing years ago. It is perfect for crushing with crawfish and cheering on the purple and gold.”
Hamilton’s tasting notes: Not the happiest times, basketball-wise, in Baton Rouge right now. But that does lend itself to drinking times, basketball-wise! I had not had a Dortmunder, to the best of my recollection, but I am now a fan. Maybe because O Brother had more sweetness than I would’ve expected from a German lager, tip-toeing up to an almost fruity sensation – while not going all the way there and turning into something entirely else. Bottom line, the crowler emptied. Quickly.
Loyola Chicago
The brewery: Corridor Brewery & Provisions
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The beer: Wizard Fight IPA
Stay with us here. This city produces an absolutely preposterous amount of good beer from a lot of excellent breweries. Any choice will set off a firecracker in the comment section. We live here. We get it. But tucked along the Southport Corridor on the North Side is … well, Corridor Brewing, opened in 2013 and since producing an ever-changing selection available only on-site, or in growlers or crowlers for takeout. If this is your first time hearing about Corridor, that’s understandable. Our personal experience is having exactly 100 percent good beer from this spot over the years. (The food is also terrific. One cannot go wrong with the cauliflower and curds followed by the Everyday I’m Brusslin’ pizza.) Wizard Fight is Corridor’s flagship IPA and worth the trip. “No amount of basketball madness can control the grapefruit aromas, the bouquet of sweet floral notes and dank bitterness from this magical American IPA,” head brewer Frank Haynes says. “Its wand of thirst-quenching ability and American hop flavors never cease to amaze its beholder.” The Athletic can confirm.
(Courtesy Corridor Brewery & Provisions)
Marquette
The brewery: Good City Brewing, Third Space Brewery
The beer: Reward DIPA, Happy Place pale ale
Shaka Smart and the Golden Eagles return to March for the first time since 2019. Which is not that long ago. But if any fan base will celebrate in a way that deserves a double entry, it’s Marquette’s. And neither refreshment should be hard to find.
Good City has a downtown brewpub location in the “Deer District” next to Fiserv Forum. And judging by the selection — an 8.5 percent ABV double IPA — Marquette fans may feel warm and fuzzy about what happens regardless of actual on-court results. “Reward is no stranger to March Madness, having won the 2017 National IPA Championship, an annual bracket-style tournament featuring the top IPAs from across the country,” Good City co-founder David Dupee says. “Reward showcases Citra, Amarillo, and Eureka hops for a dank and tropical character that stands out amongst the competition.”
From there, what better beer to reflect where the Golden Eagles find themselves than a beverage called Happy Place, which comes in at a very repeatable 5.3 percent ABV? “It delivers bright hop aromas with notes of citrus and tropical fruit in a supremely balanced hoppy pale ale,” Third Space director of sales and marketing Paul Mott says. “I can enjoy them all tournament long, and still remember all the buzzer-beaters and even who I picked winning each game in my bracket.”
(Courtesy Good City Brewing)
Michigan
The brewery: Wolverine State Brewing Co.
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The beer: Wolverine Premium Lager
An interesting wrinkle from Wolverine State Brewing — the company exclusively brews lagers. You can get always get an Indian Pale Lager, a brown lager made with coffee, a West Coast IPL, and so on, in addition to the dozens of seasonal lager beers Wolverine State rotates in and out of supply. We’ve gone with the Wolverine Premium Lager here, and not just for the name: It feels like the no-fuss, no-frills, no-snobs-allowed choice that your average beer drinker would instinctively reach for during a massive Wolverines tourney tilt.
Michigan State
The brewery: Ozone’s Brewhouse
The beer: Kryptonale
Can Michigan State make a run? That is always the question in East Lansing this time of year, even in the seasons, like this one, when the Spartans still haven’t totally found their identity. East Lansing’s representative beer shares no such existential concerns. Kryptonale — a Cherry Vanilla Amber Ale — knows exactly what it is, which is what it says on the tin. “Kryptonale is a malt bomb of an amber ale that meets up with vanilla and tart cherries from Northern Michigan to create a truly unique brew,” Ozone’s founder and brewmaster Kyle Malone says. “Tart cherry and vanilla up front with caramel and biscuit on the back, you can really taste the varying flavors in it — and coming in at 5.1 percent it’s perfect to drink during a binge session of tournament watching on the couch.”
Memphis
The brewery: Wiseacre Brewing Co.
The beers: Tiny Bomb
Ask Wiseacre which of its beers makes the most sense for an NCAA Tournament pairing, and the answer is both swift and emphatic: “Tiny Bomb is our choice without a second thought,” owners Davin and Kellan Bartosch say. Understandably so. Tiny Bomb is a Great American Beer Festival bronze medal winner and immensely popular. It is one of the top pilsners in the country, despite being available in just 15 states, and is the most-sold Tennessee-brewed beer in the United States. “It can be sniffed for subtleties and admired for complexities, but as a 4.5 percent super crispy lager, it can also be chugged,” the Bartosch brothers say. “That last part is why we love it so much and why it makes sense for watching March Madness — no one wants to feel full on day four of opening weekend.”
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Brennan’s tasting notes: Weirdly, given its popularity, this was my first time having Tiny Bomb, and it’s easy to see why it’s so well-loved. It is a very smooth, light, bright, citrusy but also balanced pilsner that tastes like something close to the ideal version of this type of brew — the type of thing a beer enthusiast could appreciate but that you could also casually toss to anyone in the vicinity who just wants a beer, confident in the knowledge they’ll enjoy it.
Miami
The brewery: Tripping Animals
The beer: Ever Haze IPA
Tripping Animals got its start as three guys in a garage in Caracas, Venezuela, perfecting their brews, sampling everything they could get their hands on, and then deciding to move to Miami to build something together. It’s a fitting brewery for this Hurricanes team, which is back on the national radar thanks in large part to transfer arrivals who came together to build a tournament team in Coral Gables this year. Ever Haze is “one of our core beers,” founder Iker Elorriaga said. It has a space in our heart yearlong like the Miami Hurricanes. “With a delicious creamy body, and pine and citrus notes, this beer drinks so easily that drinking a few through the game won’t be a problem. By the end of the game, you’ll be happy no matter what. But make no mistake, this Miami local is ready to crush its rivals.”
Montana State
The brewery: Mountains Walking Brewery & Pub
The beer: Damsel Fly IPA
Here are our thoughts on Bozeman: It is awesome. Like if the Bobcats became a national powerhouse, and that required The Athletic to make multiple trips to campus annually, we would be fully supportive of this development. Alas, this year’s breakthrough is the first NCAA Tournament berth for the program since 1996. So, small steps. But it would be a fascinating story, much like that of Mountains Walking co-founder Gustav Dose, who grew up in Taiwan and Japan and basically has traveled the world studying the craft of … well, craft. Damsel Fly IPA is an homage to fly fishing, which is kind of a big deal around Bozeman. “It’s kind of the Mecca for fly fishing,” Dose says. The beer itself is a 5.3 percent West Coast IPA, brewed in collaboration with Warriors and Quiet Waters, a foundation that helps post-9/11 war veterans deal with mental health issues. Portions of the sales of Damsel Fly go to Warriors and Quiet Waters. Drink with a purpose, friends. “It’s great liquid, it’s crushable, a good springtime beer as the weather warms up,” Dose says. “It kind of hits the spot. It’s piney dankness but also extremely drinkable, which is what we try to do here.”
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Murray State
The brewery: Hop Hound Brew Pub
The beer: Racer lager
There is only one brewery within Murray, Ky., town lines, and there is only one officially licensed beer of the Murray State Racers, so there is only one logical choice for this beer guide. Owner and brewmaster Chad English wanted to create a beer that would have a foot in two beer-drinking worlds, appealing to both craft enthusiasts and your macro-domestic consumers. At 4.2 percent ABV, Racer lager is this beer. “Racer Lager is one of Hop Hound’s most sought-after releases and holds a top spot in the restaurant’s lineup,” English says. “This American lager is light bodied and highly carbonated which pairs well with any game-time favorite while watching the madness of March.”
New Mexico State
The brewery: Little Toad Creek Brewery & Distillery
The beer: Lucky Toad Lager
The Aggies return to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence — a return from the postseason badlands, and for that, a beer created by a brewery that opened in 2012 in a town surrounded by the Gila Wilderness. Lucky Toad is the lightest beer Little Toad makes at 4.8 percent ABV. “It is bright, crisp, refreshing and goes right with so many snacks you crave when watching a game,” co-founder Teresa Dahl-Bredine says. “You can put down a few and still keep your focus on the plays. This lager is mellow but rich in flavor. Easy light drinking.”
Norfolk State
The brewery: Makers Craft Brewery
The beer: Norfolk Naddy Lager
Central Virginia (Richmond especially, but also Charlottesville, and tons of smaller places nestled in the mountains) traditionally gets most of the brewery scene attention in the state, but Norfolk’s craft beer scene is growing of late, too. Makers – which opened in 2018 in Norfolk’s up-and-coming railroad district, a historic industrial district of the city since reclaimed by artists and artisans – is an excellent example. Makers offers a huge, experimental beer list at any given time, but general manager Claire Weis kept it simple and crowd-pleasing with her hoops-watching pick: “Our beer choice for drinking during the NCAA Tournament would be the Norfolk Naddy Lager,” Weis said. “It is a clean, crisp, 100 percent malt lager. Pairs well will yard work, grilling or just enjoying with good friends (while watching basketball).”
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North Carolina
The brewery: Dingo Dog Brewing Company
The beer: Buster Brown Ale
Change was afoot at North Carolina this season, with coach Hubert Davis inheriting the program from legendary Hall of Famer, and UNC suffering some experimental growing pains before coalescing late in the season. Dingo Dog Brewing Company can relate. The small Carrboro, N.C., brewery leans into evolution and change. Buster Brown Ale (named after a dog, like the brewery, which operates as a nonprofit and donates everything after operating costs to no-kill North Carolina animal rescues) is the closest thing the nonprofit brewery has to a flagship beer — but even it changes with the season. “Our brewery is located on PlowGirl Farm, an organic produce farm in rural Orange County, N.C.,” brewmaster Tim Schwarzauer says. “We are blessed by wonderful bounty because of our locale, and we strive to display that in our beers. Buster Brown perfectly encapsulates this idea: Each season we change it slightly to showcase the season’s bounty. Examples include Carrot Cake, Pecans and Honey, Fire Roasted Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and this one: Shiitake Mushroom and Basmati Rice.” It’s not unlike changing Roy Williams’ traditional two-big, secondary-break lineups to include a stretch four. Hey, whatever works.
Notre Dame
The breweries: Crooked Ewe Brewery & Ale House, South Bend Brew Werks
The beers: Supercrema Robust Porter, Logan’s Irish Red Ale
Another tie! We’re celebrating two beers to mark the end of Notre Dame’s five-year NCAA Tournament drought, which coincides nicely with the springtime dissolution of the notorious “perma-cloud” that descends upon Michiana skies in late autumn. Let’s start with Crooked Ewe’s Supercrema Robust Porter, which is brewed with dark chocolate and hazelnut and checks in at a meaty but quaffable 7.6 percent ABV. “We usually don’t see consistent weather in March,” Crooked Ewe owner Sean Meehan says. “It’s either really, really cold or really, really warm. One thing we can count on is … it’s St Patrick’s Day season in South Bend, Indiana. If it’s not green beer in March, it’s black, so we are throwing our Supercrema Robust Porter on the bracket. Perfect balance of semi-sweet bitterness with dark chocolate and bittering hop additions. We balance it with hazelnuts post fermentation to create something better than Nutella. It’s Supercrema, and it’s the new black for March Madness.”
The choice from South Bend Brew Werks, a small-batch brewery started by lifelong city residents Michele and Steve Lowe, is equally fitting for the month and the local basketball team playing in it. “Seriously, what better way to enjoy watching Fighting Irish basketball during March Madness than with a Logan’s Irish Red?” Steve Lowe says. “Our beer of the month for March is not only a crowd favorite, but proceeds from sales are donated to the LOGAN Center, which serves adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the greater Michiana area. Logan’s Irish Red is brewed to style, featuring a deep red hue, a crisp malty body with a dash of roasted barley in the background, and mild bitterness from the Fuggle hops. Quite simply, it’s the perfect beer for cheering on the Irish.”
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Hamilton’s tasting notes: Crooked Ewe sent some Supercrema Robust Porter our way and it sold me on porters in a way I’d not been sold previously. Those chocolate notes are super inviting as they hit the nose. That almost coffee-like nuttiness comes through on the first sip, and the bitterness hits on the finish. A much, much easier drink than I expected. It’s a beer adventure! One we normally don’t take, but one we’d be happy to take again.
(Courtesy South Bend Brew Werks)
Ohio State
The brewery: Seventh Son Brewing Co.
The beer: Humulus Nimbus
Columbus has no shortage of craft beer options — heck, just 4th Street and the surrounding environs have no shortage of craft beer options. But Seventh Son is solidly among the most reliably high-rated beverage purveyors in the Buckeyes-obsessed city, and owner Collin Castore has an immediate answer when asked for his let’s-watch-sports-all-day go-to. “Humulus Nimbus is as cloudlike and refreshing as its namesake,” Castore said. “Citra and Mosaic hops add pine, orange, and berry aromas that are showcased against a crisp pale malt base. Nimbus tastes effortless and immensely enjoyable and stands as one of the best pale ales in the country.”
Brennan’s tasting notes: Insert that “he ain’t lyin’” meme here. I loved this beer. It’s piney and lemony, bright, crisp, maybe even slightly dry, and it’s kind of walking the line between an IPA and a pale ale but without all of the juiciness you get from so many more complex IPAs. Finishes extremely clean. Just a fantastic pale ale. Would definitely pick it up again.
Providence
The brewery: Long Live Beerworks
The beer: The All Seeing Eye Hazy Double IPA
If this is the year that put Providence basketball fully at the center of the national landscape — the Friars won the Big East regular season title (no easy feat in the latter years of Jay Wright’s Villanova tenure), won just about every close game they played (to the point of defeating math itself) and inspired a level of raucousness at the Dunk never before seen — then it’s only fitting the local brewery submits the beer that made it a contender, too. The All Seeing Eye is very well-reviewed. It has a 93 score at Beer Advocate and 4.3 stars on Untappd. “This beer is hopped with Simcoe, Citra, and Kohatu, and hits you with intense tropical fruit flavors, notably juicy pineapple, and a pleasant rounded bitterness,” Long Live Beerworks brewmaster Armando DeDona said. “We’re known for our hop-forward offerings and this is the one that put us on the map.”
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Purdue
The brewery: Brokerage Brewing Co.
The beer: Pitter Patter stout
Try as we might, we couldn’t make direct contact with a West Lafayette brewery. (And People’s was the 2021 entry for the Boilermakers. We know they make Purdue-branded beer sold at Mackey Arena. We’re trying to spread the love.) And Brokerage, in a bit of unfortunate timing, was closed the day we were in town for some The Athletic-related interviews. Otherwise an in-person tasting could have occurred. Anyhooo, we’d generally default to the New Kid on the Hop West Coast-style IPA, because of course. But the Pitter Patter is super intriguing, too. Brokerage says it’s filtered through coffee to balance the chocolate notes from malt and cocoa nibs. If it has a little extra kick to get us through NCAA Tournament-watching marathons, all the better.
Richmond
The brewery: Ardent Craft Ales
The beer: Ardent Pilsner
Richmond people take their beer extremely, extremely seriously; it’s one of the best beer towns in the country these days, and there is no shortage of options to choose from. But whereas even outsiders have likely heard of renowned spots (and author favorites) like The Veil and Triple Crossing, Ardent, in the Scott’s Addition neighborhood, is both a locally beloved and maybe slightly underrated gem. The atmosphere can’t be beat, and the brew stands up to its contemporaries. Ardent has also paired with the Richmond athletics program to do tastings at some home games this season, so it’s the perfect pick for the surging Spiders, who played their way in with a title at the Atlantic 10 tourney. “Ardent Pilsner is a crisp, clean, and crushable lager, perfect for the first beer of the day to welcome a 12:15 tipoff or the last beer you crack as a 10:00 game between a 1 and 16 seed is over by halftime,” Ardent media coordinator Ryan Kelly says. “This refreshing German-style Pilsner is brewed entirely with premium German ingredients and packs plenty of flavor, as evidenced by the bronze medal it won at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival.”
Brennan’s tasting notes: Confession time: Not a huge pilsner guy. Bad pilsners just remind me of a time before I either a) had access to or b) could afford craft beer or even, like, you know, Guinness. (Basically, I’m talking about college. They remind me of college.) So it’s rarely my first pick at a brewery, even if it has a good reputation. But this is something else. It’s definitely recognizably pilsner, down to that specific malty scent, but it also feels much more balanced than even your average craft brewer’s pilsner offering — really light and clean and floral, with just a bit of bitterness. You can see why it won a GABF gold medal. It feels like the ideal execution for this type of beer. If this is the pilsner, I’m back in.
Rutgers
The brewery: Jersey Cyclone Brewing Co.
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The beer: Flood Imperial Stout
After a meek beginning to the season, Rutgers basketball took the Big Ten by storm in the second half of the year, redeeming their ugly early losses and finding their way into the NCAA Tournament after all. Jersey Cyclone was born in the wake of a storm, Hurricane Irene in 2011, after which owners Jan Chwiedosiuk and Brian Teel decided to give their brewing dreams a go. Flood Imperial Stout is the pick here — not only does it fit the weather theme, but it is a nice counterpoint to a list with lots of easy-drinking hazy IPAs and all-day pilsners.
San Diego State
The brewery: Hopnonymous Brewing Company
The beer: Euro Step
Hopnonymous is a relative newcomer to the robust San Diego craft beer industry, but it rapidly became a beloved one — finishing second in the 2020 best new brewery category. The brewery has anywhere between 15 and 20 beers on tap every week, and it releases a new beer every Friday to keep the pace. With all that rotation, it’s initially hard for owner Remy Zurita, a native of Dunkirk, France, to narrow down just one. But then he realizes the no-brainer: Euro Step. “It’s actually a good theme, attached to basketball,” Zurita said. “It’s a beer that we almost always make. And if I put myself in the space where I’m drinking beer and watching basketball during the day, this is the perfect beer for that — it’s light, refreshing, only 4.8 ABV, a tiny acidity and a nice dryness at the end. It’s not just a light beer. It’s a light beer with character, and just exactly the beer you want to drink when it’s nice and sunny out.” Yes, please.
San Francisco
The brewery: Local Brewing Co.
The beer: Loud N Clear modern West Coast IPA
Does it hurt that co-founder Regan Long says she’s a fan of The Athletic, as are many of her regulars? It does not. But it’s not flattery that gets Local here; it’s good beer. (We didn’t know about Long’s very good taste in sports journalism until after we reached out for this.) “We specifically selected Loud to represent USF and San Francisco because it’s brewed with our signature, innovative SF style — with Extra Pale malts and a blend of new-school (Strata) hops and old school (Comet) hops— making this a unique, light, bright, crisp, Loud and Clear IPA that’s always fresh,” Long says. “It’s dripping with juicy notes of fruity pebbles, lemon citrus, dank nugs, and mild bitterness for ultimate sessionability.” As a bonus? Local will be pouring libations at the Chase Center during regional semifinal games. You can enjoy Loud N Clear courtside as the madness unfolds before your eyes.
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Saint Mary’s
The brewery: Headlands Brewing Company
The beer: Point Bonita Pilsner
Plenty of greater Bay Area breweries to choose from, but Headlands is less than five miles from the center of campus and founder Phil Cutti is Saint Mary’s alum. That is an appropriately winning combo for a Gaels-force beer. And we cannot argue with the math Headlands uses for the Point Bonita Pilsner — first brewed by Cutti himself — a 5.3 percent ABV selection it calls the “perfect pint for March.” “Just 16 four-packs will get you through all 63 games and leave you one to celebrate the Gaels’ cutting down the nets in Louisiana,” Headlands CEO Austin Sharp says. It’s simple math. You can’t argue with numbers, people.
(Departed Soles Brewing Co.)
Saint Peter’s
The brewery: Departed Soles Brewing Co.
The beer: Light Rail lager
Say it with us: JER-ZEEEEEE. Apologies. One half of your beer guide author team grew up about 30 minutes from Departed Soles’ current location on Bay St. and has family who currently can walk there from their place in Jersey City. (They’re fans of the owners, apparently.) Anyway, Light Rail lager gets its name from the transit system running through Hudson County. It’s much better than calling it “NJ Transit” lager, too, because then the beer would always arrive two to three hours late. “Our house Amber Lager pours a deep copper and sips like a light beer, with subtle hints of caramel and toasted malt, perfect to appease traditionalists and craft beer fans at any bar or on any couch,” brewer Brian Kulbacki says. “With 5.3 percent ABV, it will keep everyone sane. We’re also keeping our gluten-free ‘Brut Tang Can’ tangerine IPA on hand for some morning beermosas.” Sounds like a perfect all-day March plan.
Seton Hall
The brewery: Four City
The beer: Keg Stand Lager
The first brewery to operate in Orange, N.J., in nearly 40 years, just up the road from Seton Hall’s campus, Four City — the culmination of 10 years of informal beer enthusiasm organized in a local group called “The Beer Council” — has been a hit since co-owner Roger Apollon Jr. opened its doors in August 2019. Four City’s core audience is very much there for its selection of crafty beers, but Apollon went with a crowd-pleaser for the tourney. “While lagers may not be as sexy as IPAs or sours, they are the perfect complement when spending a few hours talking trash and eating endless appetizers,” he says. “If Budweiser had a younger sister who went to grad school, it would be The Keg Stand: sophisticated and balanced, but can still party. Plus, who doesn’t appreciate a good keg stand during the tailgate?”
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South Dakota State
The brewery: Wooden Legs Brewing Co.
The beer: Sheep Slayer White Stout
If you drop by Wooden Legs this week, you’ll find a stack of brackets next to the cash register waiting to be filled out. Lead brewer Derek Schmidt says the plan is to throw the brackets on the wall and do an ad hoc best-one-wins competition, with the hope that the Jackrabbits’ appearance in the field of 68 gooses some interest. Sheep Slayer, meanwhile, has our full attention. “It’s a salted caramel white stout,” Schmidt says. “It’s been a killer brew for us.” How does one come up with a salted caramel stout? Well, Sheep Slayer allows its pub keeps to whip up a brew every now and again. A couple years ago, one of them craved something super sweet and smooth. Going with the white stout style was a final subversion for a beer that pours a nice golden ale but very much tastes bigger than that. “It just makes people go, what the hell is that?” Schmidt says. “It’s just something we find kind of unexpected and pretty fun. Out of a mid-major school it might be a good bracket-buster.”
(Courtesy Wooden Legs Brewing Co.)
Tennessee
The brewery: Printshop Beer Co.
The beer: Hop Pusher IPA
The car on the Hop Pusher label art looks like something out of the 1970s, which is fitting for a program led by a coach whose career sprouted out of the 1970s. “Our flagship IPA brings everything I want in an IPA — great balance between bitterness and tropical fruit flavors, with just enough malt backbone to complement the hops while ultimately letting them shine,” Printshop’s Jim Civis says. “Hazies tend to garner more attention, but a West Coast IPA will almost always be my pick for game day. Hop Pusher’s intense flavors enhance a wide range of foods, from spicy wings and tacos to richer burgers and barbeque. The dry finish pairs with a fair amount of carbonation, allowing the beer to drink a bit lighter than it probably should, which is essential when you’re dedicating the day to supporting John Fulkerson and the younger Vols working to bring some more trophies back to Knoxville.”
Hamilton’s tasting notes: In a nutshell? Yes. Yes, we will have this beer in almost any scenario and it will be satisfying. Pours from a crowler with an almost auburn hue, which usually has me bracing for a stiff shot of malty heaviness. Hop Pusher is far, far more welcoming than that, as it turns out. Picture the perfect IPA to complement a barbecue bacon cheeseburger, and you’ll pretty much understand what Hop Pusher brings to the table. And, honestly, we’re suckers for West Coast IPAs anyway.
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TCU
The brewery: Bankhead Brewing Co.
The beer: Adios Bitchachos lager
A proper way to send off the past couple years of NCAA Tournament misery and frustration and welcome back the real thing, particularly because this version was brewed during the Time of Which We Will Not Speak. Also the easy winner for best beer name in this year’s guide, and perfect for the tournament long haul at 5.3 percent ABV. “This is our Mexican-Style Lager made with Flaked Corn and Pilsner malt,” Bankhead owner Vivek Rajbahak says. “Expect flavors of corn tortilla and toasted bread with a floral-spicy hop finish. This beer is ideal for ‘dunking’ your favorite chicken wings in all the dipping sauces out there. Be careful not to ‘dribble’ any of that beer or sauce down the front of your shirt during the final ticks of the shot clock with the game tied.” Yes. The puns. Extra points for all the basketball puns.
Texas
The brewery: Live Oak Brewing Company
The beer: Gold German-style pilsner
You could close your eyes and point to a spot on a map of Austin and hit a good brewery. We know this. Everyone knows this. Live Oak is among the O.G. spots in town, opening in 1997 and ever since focusing on an old world-style for creating ales and lagers. Live Oak boasts of the “shadiest Biergarten in town,” and we love every possible interpretation of that. Gold also recently took the gold medal for pilsners at the Texas Craft Brewers Cup. “When Gold starts selling on draft and in six-packs across Texas, it starts to feel like spring,” Live Oak marketing manager Myk O’Connor says. “Gold has a dry and crisp finish with an herbal and floral aroma. Pours a deep straw golden color with the perfect head retention. Gold is quite simply the perfect afternoon beer.”
Texas A&M Corpus Christi
The brewery: Neuces Brewing Co.
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The beer: Neuces Original 001 lager
A little love for Steve Lutz here: The former Purdue and Creighton assistant coach headed down to the Gulf of Mexico coast for his first head-coaching opportunity … which was taking over a program that had won five games the previous year. From there? All the 49-year-old Lutz did was lead the Islanders to 23 wins and the Southland Conference tournament championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2007. Pretty outrageous jump. As for the beer, you can find Neuces in downtown Corpus Christi, and you can drink a lot of Neuces Original while there. It’s a Mexican-style lager checking in at just 5.1 percent ABV and 18 IBUs. “The perfect basketball-watching beer,” co-founder Brandon Harper says. “It’s light but tasty, crisp and pairs perfectly with spicy snacks. If you haven’t had it, you’re missing out. It’s just good beer.”
Texas Southern
The brewery: For the Culture Brewing Co.
The beer: Strawberry Wheat ale
For the Culture is Houston’s first Black-owned brewery, hatched during a night while everyone was hunkered down during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. For the Culture is currently under construction, CEO Carl Roaches Jr. says, so social media is your go-to to follow along and figure out where its beer will pop up next. Should you get your hands on the Strawberry Wheat, it sounds like an ideal beverage for springtime in Houston. “The beer is an easy drinking, low-ABV beer with a subtle ‘wheaty-ness’ and a hint of strawberry,” Roaches Jr. says. “It is definitely something you can enjoy consistently throughout the tournament without feeling as though you’ll need a detox after.”
Texas Tech
The brewery: Two Docs Brewing Co.
The beer: Buddy Hoppy IPA
Another program making consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and, therefore, a new brewery as its Beer Bracket representative. It’s an easy call here on all fronts. Two Docs is owned and operated by a group of Texas Tech alums. And the very cool taproom-and-patio setup is almost a stone’s throw from the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts — named, of course, after the Lubbock native and pioneering figure of mid-1950’s rock and roll. “It’s our most popular beer and the perfect match for the Red Raiders and (National Coach of the Year?) Mark Adams,” Two Docs manager Eric Washington says. “It’s aggressively hopped, like our vaunted no-middle defense, but balanced, like Texas Tech’s offense.” The Athletic had the occasion to sample this particular selection on a trip through town this season, in fact. Oh, Buddy Hoppy IPA. How our heart yearns for you.
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UAB
The brewery: Good People Brewing Company
The beer: Cherry and Almond kettle sour
Didn’t hear back from Good People after Andy Kennedy and the Blazers took home the Conference USA automatic bid, but that’s understandable. The Athletic’s resident Alabama expert, Aaron Suttles, pointed us here for the best beverages in the Birmingham area. Good People advertises its eponymous IPA as the “best-selling IPA in Alabama for the last 10 years.” So they’ve got that going for them. Which is nice. We’d try that … but not before the Cherry and Almond Kettle sour, which is a seasonal release and a fascinating combo. Description from Good People’s site: “Expect bright cherries and sweet almond nougat on the nose. Flavor is tart cherry and almonds on the finish.” At 4.5 percent ABV, this could be an ideal springtime basketball-watching partner.
UConn
The brewery: New Park Brewing
The beer: Cloudscape IPA
It may come as a surprise, but … not a whole lot of brewery action going on in Storrs proper. So we consulted with a very reliable source — The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll, our UConn beat writer — and Charlotte is a fan of New Park, which is on the west side of Hartford. So what Charlotte says, goes. Anyway, Cloudscape won a local beer award years before New Park even opened, when co-owner and brewmaster Alex Dee entered it into a competition. Now it’s the flagship offering at New Park and its most popular beer to this day. “It is a classic New England IPA — pours hazy with a thick, creamy head and has notes of peach, melon and citrus with a soft finish,” co-owner John Doyle says. “It will always have a special place in my heart. I finish most days with one. I cannot imagine a better beer to celebrate a Huskies win.”
UCLA
The beer: Broxton Brewery
The brewery: Nana’s Tea Party American IPA
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For whatever reason, we had a bit of an issue getting UCLA-area breweries in Los Angeles to respond, so perhaps the comments will have some more suggestions to add, but Broxton Brewery, located just down the road from UCLA’s (incredibly beautiful, by the way) campus, looks like the play here. Nana’s Tea Party is a light, sweet 7.3 percent ABV IPA that seems just perfect for wandering down a college-adjacent street, finding an outdoor spot to sit in the sun and watch basketball — particularly if the Bruins are playing and students are out in force.
USC
The brewery: HiDef Brewing
The beer: Lars Pilsner
Named after HiDef co-founder and brewmaster Lars Lesterud, Lars Pilsner is your classic pils with a very subtle twist. “Hop notes come from Hallertau and Tettnaner hops which give mild floral and spicy notes, with Tettnanger in both the kettle and in the dry hop lends a very mild peppery flavor,” according to founder Cristina Ward, who describes the beer as “glorious.” Still, the goal was to produce a classic pilsner, and the all-German ingredients make this your classic drinkable daytime beer, perfect for a good sports-watching session, and also perfect for pairing with the kinds of foods (Cristina recommends spicy: wings, BBQ, Thai, that sort of thing) that tend to also pair well with the first weekend of the tournament.
Vermont
The brewery: Switchback Brewing Co.
The beer: Switchback Ale
We know there are 8 billion great breweries in the Burlington area and beyond. We have been to some of them. We are, in fact, still awaiting The Athletic’s response to our deeply researched prospectus on a Burlington satellite site. Strong, the opinions will be about this selection. But Switchback wanted to participate, and that’s final, and we can’t complain about the choice of a “New England powerhouse.” A reddish-hued ale that comes in at 5 percent ABV seems ideal for any activity in March, including monitoring the progress of John Becker’s Catamounts. “This unfiltered, undefinable and undefeated icon is the perfect balance of flavor complexity coupled with an unusually smooth and refreshing finish,” Switchback marketing and events coordinator Amy Leiblein says. “Whether you call it Switchy, The Original, or simply The Blue One you can’t miss with a Switchback Ale in your hand.”
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Villanova
The brewery: Workhorse Brewing Company
The beer: Golden Lager
Few programs are more reliable high-seed NCAA Tournament participants than Villanova these days; Workhorse is honoring the steadiness of their Wildcats with a classic NCAA Tournament beverage pick. “This light, crisp and refreshing brew only comes in at 5 percent ABV, so you know you’re able to crush a few of these traditional Munich-style Helles lagers while watching basketball all weekend,” Workhorse brand manager Steph Siciliano says. “Not only did the Workhorse crew choose this beer for its easy drinking ability, but we are hoping for another golden Villanova victory.”
Virginia Tech
The brewery: Moon Hollow Brewing Company
The beer: Drops of Juniper Saison
Anyone who has spent any time in and around Blacksburg can attest that one of the true pleasures of the place is finding a quiet, out-of-the -way spot to sit in the foothills of the mountains and have a damn good beer. There are plenty of options; it’s hard to go wrong. We chose Moon Hollow for this exercise, though the Virginia Tech commenters — and we know from Bubble Watch there are lots of you out there — can list their favorite spots below the line. Drops of Juniper Saison, which is “gin -inspired” and features “botanical flavor from Juniper, Lavender, Pink Peppercorn, Coriander and Lime Zest” sounds like the perfect beer for an outdoor session, a basketball tournament, or all of the above.
Wisconsin
The brewery: Karben4 Brewing
The beer: Midwesty American Pilsner
For any Midwesterner — particularly one born and raised that no longer lives in the glorious upper middle of the country, and misses various random things about it all the time — Karben4’s Quinn Natzke has a simple and yet profound sales pitch: “In Wisconsin we love few things more than beer and da Badgers,” Natzke said. “And there is nothing better than sitting down in your chair and cracking open and nice crisp pilsner while watching your team.” This is very true! “Midwesty is a pilsner that is perfect for game day, and March Madness, and exemplifies everything we love about the Midwest. Simple, no frills, pilsner malt and soft hops gives you a combination with a beer that is light, crisp, refreshing, and always a winner.”
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Wright State
The breweries: Lock 27 Brewing, Warped Wing Brewing Company
The beers: It’s Always Sunny in Dayton pale ale, Hydro Haze hazy pale ale
A moment to appreciate Scott Nagy’s work at Wright State, and to wonder why he hasn’t been plucked for a larger opportunity: The Raiders have won 20-plus games in five of Nagy’s six years … and the other one was a pandemic-ravaged 2020-21 season in which Wright State only played 24 games (and won 18 of them). In each of the last five years, the Raiders have won either the Horizon League regular-season title or the conference tournament. That’s a whole lot of consistent winning. Why, it’s even enough for another beer guide double entry!
(Courtesy Warped Wing Brewing Co.)
And both of them have the profile of an all-day beverage. At 5 percent ABV and 40 IBU, Lock 27’s It’s Always Sunny in Dayton pale ale has some bitterness that’s mostly counteracted by the Citra hop flavors. “We know the weather does all sorts of crazy things in Dayton, so we crafted a beer that brings a little sunlight to Dayton no matter the weather outside,” Lock 27 marketing director LeAnna Galyk says. “A citrus explosion hits you in the nose, followed by flavors of bright orange, grapefruit and mango.” Likewise, Warped Wing’s Hydro Haze hazy pale ale comes in at 5.5 percent ABV and goes heavier on the fruit notes than the tartness. “It’s a lower-alcohol option — gotta keep a responsible pace during the games — and it’s got notes of tropical citrus and low bitterness, which I really love,” Warped Wing marketing director (and Wright State alum) Tara Spoores says.
Wyoming
The brewery: Bond’s Brewing Co.
The beer: BEER cream ale
Yes, this is correct: The name of the beer is BEER. This is wonderful. This is the most Wyoming of Wyoming beer possibilities, it feels like. “Straight to the point, nothing more, nothing less” is how co-founder Mallory Bond of Bond’s puts it. BEER is an adjunct cream ale coming in at 4 percent ABV and 20 IBUs, which also means it can last as long as Jeff Linder’s crew remains in the field … and well beyond. “A traditional Wyoming beer brewed with Wyoming ingredients,” Bond says. This beer will most definitely cure your thirst. Simple ingredients served cold and enjoyed fresh.” We can think of no better way to spend the month.
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(Courtesy Bond’s Brewing Co.)
Yale
The brewery: Armada Brewing
The beer: Neptune’s Dagger pale ale
Oh, sure, Yale, you’re all fancy and smart and good at basketball and you have a brewery just eight minutes from campus with an average rating north of 3.9 on Untappd? Guess we can’t be too angry about it. Guess we just should celebrate a pale ale that has the profile of an IPA but the 5 percent ABV of a more crushable beverage. “You can session the beer throughout the games and it packs all the flavor you would want in your pale ale beer desires,” founder John Kraszewski says. “The beer chosen by Gods and Champions alike.”
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