Not many things go together better than March Madness and an ice cold beer. But if you’re representing your team with pride, you want to make sure that you’re also doing so with the beer you drink. Try these depending on which team you picked to win it all.
Kentucky
The Wildcats are the #1 team in the country and look like they will be fairly hard to beat. It’s not often that the unanimous #1 actually wins the tournament. If they can find a way to get past upstart West Virginia, that dream will come a little closer to reality.
The Blue Grass state is home to many brewpubs and small craft breweries including Blue Stallion Brewing Company, Bluegrass Brewing Company, Ethereal Brewing, Alltech Lexington Brewing and Falls City Brewing Company.
Drink This Beer During The Game: Lexington Brewing Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale
When you are imbibing a beer from the heart of whiskey country, you have to find a way to incorporate bourbon into your beer drinking experience. This 8.19% ABV English Strong Ale is aged in bourbon barrels to give the drinker a unique taste experience while they watch the Wildcats manhandle their opponents.
Wisconsin
The Badgers are 33-3 and won the Big Ten title over fellow sweet sixteen member Michigan State 80-69. If they can get past ACC power North Carolina, they’ll have a date with either Xavier or Arizona.
The home of the Miller Brewing Company is also home to the famed Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Lakefront Brewery, Stevens Point Brewery and New Glarus Brewing Company.
Drink This Beer During The Game: New Glarus Moon Man
This 5% ABV American Pale Ale is a session beer that packs a punch with five different hops, but still manages to have a malty, sweet finish that is perfect for sipping while watching the Badgers dominate the backcourt.
North Carolina
It was an up and down season for the Tar Heels. They lost eleven games and were close to not even making the NCAA tournament. None of that matters now because wins over Harvard and Akansas have propelled them into the sweet sixteen.
North Carolina is home to the east coast breweries for craft stalwarts Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blues and most recently New Belgium. It’s also home to a booming craft beer scene including Wicked Weed Brewing, Foothills Brewing Company, Olde Hickory Brewery, Green Man Brewery, Trophy Brewing, Raleigh Brewing and many more.
Drink This Beer During The Game: Pisgah Brewery Greybeard IPA
This 6.8% ABV India Pale Ale is the perfect beer to enjoy while you watch the Tarheels distmantle yet another team in the NCAA tournament.
Notre Dame
Experts knew that the Irish had a good team this year, but few (if any) predicted that Notre Dame would beat Duke and North Carolina en route to winning the ACC Championship. To move on, they’ll have to take down a ferocious and scary Wichita State squad.
3 Floyds Brewing, one of the most popular craft breweries in the country, is located in Munster, Indiana. For those who don’t know, Notre Dame is in South Bend, a short drive from Chicago, home of Goose Island Beer Company, 5 Rabbit Cerverceria and Tap Room, Argus Brewery, Atlas Brewing Company, Finch’s Beer Company, Begyle Brewing Company, Lagunitas Brewing Company and Half Acre Brewery.
Drink This Beer During The Game: 3 Floyds Alpha King
There’s no surprise that this pale is a devilish 6.66% ABV. 3 Floyds flagship beer is the perfect representation of Indiana and the best brew to enjoy while you watch the ACC Champions continue their journey to the NCAA championship.
Michigan State
The Trojans lost to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game, but they have still reeled off twenty-five wins. They are a #7 seed, but they are expected to beat #3 Oklahoma. If they can get past the Sooners, they will face off with either NC State or Louisville.
The State is a haven for craft breweries. Some of the more well-known breweries include Arcadia Ales, Short’s Brewinf Company, New Holland Brewing, Dark Horse Brewing Company, Kuhnhenn Brewing Company, Bell’s Brewery and Founders Brewing Company
Drink This Beer During The Game: Founders All Day IPA
This 4.7% ABV session ale won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival and its name speaks for itself. You can literally pound back All Day IPA’s all day (although we wouldn’t recommend it).
Gonzaga
It feels like every season, Gonzaga gets far into the NCAA tournament. They are never good enough to win it all, but they manage to knock off a few favorites along the way. En route to the sweet sixteen, the 34-2 Bulldogs easily dispatched North Dakota State and Iowa. They’ll need to take down upstart UCLA to move on to the elite eight.
Gonzaga, the private, Roman Catholic university is located in Spokane, Washington. The Evergreen State is home to an obscene amount of craft breweries including Elysian Brewing Company (recently purchased by Anheuser- Busch), Fremont Brewing Company, Two Beers Brewing Company, Pike Brewing Company, Bellevue Brewing Company, Black Raven Brewing and Reuben’s Brews.
Drink This Beer During The Game: Fremont Interurban IPA
This 6.2% ABV is packed full of both rich malt flavor and a generous flavor of multiple different hops including Chinook, Amarillo and Centennial hops. It’s a tasty, fresh beer that is perfect anytime of the year especially accompanied by a buzzer beater.
Arizona
The Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in the tournament, having reeled off thirteen straight wins including blowout wins over Texas Southern and Ohio State in the NCAA tournament. They’ll have to carry on the winning ways against a tough Xavier team if they hope to keep the winning tradition alive.
Spend a little time in the desert and you might find yourself a bit parched. I visited Phoenix in July a few years ago. Stepping out of the airport, I was met with a wall of 119F heat. To beat the heat, desert dwellers look to the myriad craft breweries including Four Peaks Brewing Company, Lumberyard Brewing Company, Nimbus Brewery, Papago Brewing, Sleepy Dog Brewery, Dragoon Brewing Company and Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company.
Drink This Beer During The Game: Four Peaks Kilt Lifter
It’s said that you can’t visit Phoenix without trying a Kilt Lifter. The name alone is enough for most to want to try this 6% ABV Scottish Style Ale. Don’t drink too many though. You don’t want any pieces of your wardrobe to spontaneously float into the air.
