Few things go together like beer and baseball and several Major League Baseball teams are capitalizing on the natural combination.
By now, most teams in professional baseball have caught on that craft beer is big business and offer excellent selections at specialty kiosks and in some cases throughout the entire stadium. Others have strayed from Budweiser and Miller as their beer sponsors and gone with craft companies instead. The teams we’ve listed, though, have gone the extra mile and established beers with local breweries.
Kansas City Royals + Boulevard Brewing
Boulevard Brewing is a Midwest staple, and providing a beer in partnership with hometown Kansas City Royals is a natural fit. The brewery releases ¡Vamos!, a Mexican-style lager, throughout the Royals regional viewing area, as well as in Kauffman Stadium. The crisp beer is an ideal beverage for long summer days in Kansas City.
Houston Astros + Karbach Brewing Co.
Looking to deepen the connection with fans, the Houston Astros organization and Karbach Brewing sought to make a beer you could drink with dad at a baseball game. The two organizations came up with Crawford Bock, a nod to the popularity of other bock beers in Texas, like Shiner Bock. A portion of the price of every Crawford Bock also heads to the Astros Foundation, whether at a game, in a bar, or when taking it from a store. The 4.5-percent alcohol by volume, malt-forward beer is great for tipping back at Minute Maid Park or anywhere under the hot Texas sun.
New York Yankees + Blue Point Brewing
Blue Point Brewing‘s use of New Zealand hop Motueka in the NY Pinstripe Pilsner gives the balanced, light beer a bit of lime characteristic. Pinstripe Pilsner will be available at New York Yankees games all season at the Bleachers Bar in Yankee Stadium. Joining ERA and Crawford Bock, Pinstripe Pilsner is one of three MLB beers brewed by breweries in the craft portfolio of AB-InBev, a natural evolution in the beer and baseball experience for the makers of Budweiser.
San Francisco Giants + Anchor Brewing Co.
The pioneer of the craft brewing industry has done plenty, so why not jump into the baseball beer game? Anchor brewed up a specialty Mexican-style lager named Los Gigantes in 2017. They didn’t stop at one special beer, as Anchor also releases a special edition San Francisco Giants-branded 12-pack of the iconic Anchor Steam. The beers are available in Northern California. Anchor has also brewed Strength in Numbers with the Golden State Warriors.
Tampa Rays + Green Bench Brewing
Tampa’s Green Bench Brewing has made several beers for the Tampa Rays, including the Two Seam Blonde Ale, first made in 2016. A nod to the two-seam fastball that some pitchers throw in the game, the blonde ale likely won’t take hair off the chin like its namesake. Also available at Tropicana Field is Green Bench’s Four Seam Lager.
Colorado Rockies + SandLot Brewery
The Rockies have been in the craft game a long time, largely because built into Coors Field is The SandLot Brewery, an incredible, award-winning brewery operated by Coors and the location where the venerable craft gateway beer Blue Moon got its start. Sure, it’s not a specific beer brewed for a baseball team, but it’s hard to beat a brewery in the ballpark! Also, it’s only open during the baseball season.
Atlanta Braves + Terrapin Brewing ATL Brew Lab
The Rockies do have some competition with Terrapin Brewing’s small brewpub in the Atlanta Braves‘ SunTrust Park, which opened in 2017. The five-barrel brewhouse offers plenty of experimentation power for Terrapin and the taproom is open year-round. Like SandLot, Terrapin has connections to MillerCoors. They might be on to something with this brewery-in-the-ballpark thing.
Boston Red Sox + Boston Beer Company
The reigning World Series champion Boston Red Sox aren’t to be left behind. After finally having Boston Beer Co., makers of Samuel Adams Boston Lager, join as the beer sponsor last year, the brewery whipped up a special celebratory double New England IPA following the Fall Classic win. Damage Done is a big, flavorful IPA aged on vanilla beans with guava, mango and lactose.
Washington Nationals + Devil’s Backbone Brewing
Back for the third year, Earned Run Ale, or ERA (a nice touch), will celebrate the U.S. capital’s team, the Washington Nationals — now without star player Bryce Harper, who made his way to Philadelphia. Primed for the diamond, the session pale ale is made with Amarillo and Citra hops. It’s not the only beer with a professional sports team in Washington made by Devil’s Backbone, either. The brewery released #ATTR with the NFL’s Washington Redskins last fall. It’s available in 16-ounce cans and on draft in Nationals Park and the Washington, D.C. area.
