Share Your Favorite Craft Beer to Drink While Watching Your Local NFL Team for the TODAY SHOW

Let’s have some fun, o legion of beer geeks.

I’m writing a post for the Today Show’s website in honor of the 2012 NFL season, and I thought it would be cool to recommend a local craft beer to enjoy while watching each of the 32 NFL teams play.

I’d love to get you guys and gals into the act, and let you have a chance to make the recommendation for your local team and local brewing company. This will give the article a fun “boots on the ground” vibe instead of me picking what looks good from New Jersey.  I’ll give credit where it’s due, and if you have a blog (especially a regional beer blog) I’m happy to include a link in your recommendation.

Here’s how to play along: In the comments below, please share your local team, the beer you recommend and ONE OR TWO SHORT SENTENCES about why this beer is a great gameday companion.  A mention of flavor is always important.

It should look like this:

Team: New York Jets

Beer: High Point Brewing Co’s Ramstein Classic Wheat

Notes: High Point is the way to go, because this beer will probably be the “high point” of watching the Jets struggles this year. This dark wheat is has a smooth roasted flavor, with awesome hints of clove and apple.

You don’t have to be funny, just recommend your favorite beer and tell us a little about it.  But there are rules (which are made to be broken if there’s a good reason):

- 100 Miles: Each beer should to be brewed within a 100 miles or so of the hometown of the NFL team.  This should be easy to do, what with so many excellent breweries dotting the American landscape.  It might actually be tough to decide what beers to recommend in Denver or San Diego or even Charlotte – there are lots of choices.

- Widely Available: While it might make you feel cool to recommend curling up with a wax-sealed growler of Pliny the Younger to watch the Niners or a 2009 Dark Lord to view Andrew Luck’s official debut, I’m really looking for beers that are readily available in each NFL city.  It sucks to recommend something that folks can’t easily get their hands on.  That goes double for your homebrew (but you can mention it if you like as an alternative to the beer you recommend).

- Around 6% ABV.  I’m looking for beers that won’t make you go blotto after a couple bottles.  Football games last for three hours or more, so please try to recommend more sessionable fare.  We want folks to remember the fourth quarter!  This rule isn’t set in stone however, as long as you can provide reasons for why you went over the limit (this should be a no-brainer for Browns fans and folks who root for Jacksonville – the pain!!!!).

And there you have it.  As I said, I’m happy to give you credit for your submission – just let me know how you’d like to be credited (or I’ll just use your log in name over here) and where you’d like me to link.  The post should go up midweek next week.

Also, you don’t have to live in the city to recommend a beer local to your favorite team.  If you’re an Eagles fan living in Florida, you can still tell us how Victory/Sly Fox/Independence has a beer you’d love to watch the game with.
Most of all, have fun!  And thanks for helping out!!

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