How enjoyable was last weekend? A nice, relaxing basketball win, and football went undefeated.
I hear the States is getting absolutely plowed with polar vortex snow right now...
Michigan returns to action this weekend against the vaunted Big Ten powerhouse, the Terrapins of Maryland. I know very little about Maryland's football team other than former Michigan recruiting target Stefon Diggs is quite good and I think they have a better record than Michigan does. And they actually scored against Michigan State. You'd think Michigan has better talent, but all bets are off.
It's always difficult to write drinking instructions for these types of games - especially this season, when I've found myself going off-script and ignoring my own advice in favor of Regret Whiskey (tm). Fortunately, Maryland makes it a little easier - there's a ton of good beer happening from that part of the country.
Maryland's a quick Metro ride from DC, which has been until recently a beer wasteland. The first craft brewery in DC wasn't even in DC - a wonderful institution called Port City opened a little south of DC in nearby Alexandria. Since then, at least five craft breweries have opened up, but that's a story for another day. Today, let's talk Flying Dog, out of Fredrick, which isn't really near UMD, but when else will I write about them?
They've got the standards - your decent hef, a couple IPAs (including the gratuitously named Raging Bitch). Where Flying Dog really shines is their rarities/oddball beers - they did a beer with Old Bay in it (which wasn't great, but cool idea) and they put oysters in their Pearl Necklace oyster stout, which is the perfect beer for today. It's a little salty, but it's creamier than a normal stout and I was slightly weirded out at first - but there aren't like, chunks of oyster in your beer, so it's cool.
Their other standout - and this is perfect for Michigan's season - is the Gonzo imperial porter. It's a smooth, hoppy 9.2% - which, for a porter, is downright absurd. And it's delicious. It isn't cheap, but you're basically getting two beers per bottle, which is the only way I'm going to survive Michigan football today.
Don't even bother shoveling your snow today - figure out a way to get a six-pack and enjoy the game. Until next weekend, cheers, Michigan Faithful!