Around the Horn: Beer at the Ballparks
Baseball and beer have gone together since the first umpire yelled "Play Ball!" In the nineteenth century, many teams were owned by brewers, who used games to lure fans into their beer gardens. Breweries have been part of the game ever since.
When baseball took to the airwaves, we not only heard our favorite announcers but listened to thousands of beer commercials. My head is still filled with jingles I'd first heard long before I was old enough to drink.
Most breweries that advertised when we were kids disappeared in the beer industry's postwar shakeout. But recently, a new generation of brewers has invaded the ballparks, serving beer our lager-drinking fathers and grandfathers wouldn't recognize.
I've been a baseball fan my entire life, and my biggest thrill is going to ballparks in other cities. I can find charm even in unloved stadiums like the Metrodome. Some years ago, I made a longtime dream come true: seeing a game in every major league ballpark. Before games and during rain delays, I spent time wandering the concourses in those parks, and noticed better food--and beer--at the concession stands.
Today, craft-brewed beer is part of the lineup all around the majors. You'll find national brands like Red Hook and Samuel Adams in many parks. Regional favorites, too, are on tap: Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia serves Yuengling Black and Tan, Shiner Bock is a hit at Houston's Astros Field, and Rolling Rock has found its way to Edison Field in Anaheim.
Ballparks are also pouring hometown micros: Boulevard Wheat at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, Penn Pilsner at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold at Cleveland's Jacobs Field, just to name a few. Oriole Park at Camden Yards offers a selection of Maryland microbrews. And in beer-savvy Seattle, Safeco Field offers more than two dozen Western micros, including Pyramid Hefeweizen and Fat Tire Amber Ale.
When the Colorado Rockies joined the majors, the Coors Brewing Company went back to baseball's beer-garden roots. It built a microbrewery and pub complex which is literally part of Denver's Coors Field. The pub is a great place to watch the action, and it's open to the public when the Rockies aren't playing. And the beer is major-league caliber: Sandlot Brewing's Pinch Hit Pilsner and Wild Pitch Hefeweizen have both earned medals at the Great American Beer Festival.
There's also a brewpub at Phoenix's Bank One Ballpark: the Leinenkugel Ballyard Brewery. You're probably wondering how a brewery based in Wisconsin ended up in the Valley of the Sun. To begin with, Leininkugel's parent, Miller Brewing Company, is a sponsor of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Additionally, Hall of Famer Robin Yount, who played 20 seasons in Milwaukee, is a partner in the venture.
If a tall cold one is part of your game-day ritual, you'll find good beer in the vicinity of many ballparks. Let's take a quick trip around the horn:
Baltimore. The Wharf Rat Camden Yards Brewpub (206 West Pratt Street), a couple blocks from Oriole Park, brews British style beer. If you like cask-conditioned ale, you're in luck: brewmaster Bill Oliver is a card-carrying member of the Campaign for Real Ale..
Boston. Across the street from Fenway Park is Boston Beer Works (61 Brookline Avenue). Its long and varied beer list includes several award winners, including a wonderful, hard-to-find Kölsch. The food has earned good reviews as well.
Chicago. The bars near Wrigley Field are as famous as the ballpark itself, and now the lineup includes Goose Island Wrigleyville (3535 North Clark Street), which pours the same beer that made the original Clybourn Street location famous.
Denver. There are so many watering holes near Coors Field you can do an evening-long pub crawl on foot. Start with Breckenridge Brewery and Pub (2220 Blake Street), which is right across the street, and Falling Rock Tap House (1919 Blake Street), a block to the south, and go on from there.
San Francisco. The brand-new 21st Amendment Brewery, Café and Bar (563 Second Street), several blocks west of Pacific Bell Park, is both a full-service restaurant and a place to have a pint after the game. Also within walking distance is the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (2 Harrison Street), which serves one of the best Hefeweizens around.
Seattle. The Pyramid Brewery and Alehouse (91 South Royal Brougham Way), across the street from Safeco Field's main entrance, is a huge and popular gathering place. A 10-minute walk north takes you to F.X. McRory's Steak, Chop and Oyster House (419 Occidental Avenue South), a legendary sports bar with a wide selection of Northwest microbrews.
Toronto. In the shadow of Skydome, the Steam Whistle Brewery (255 Bremner Boulevard) brews Canadian lager and offers tours and tastings. A few blocks north of the stadium is Smokeless Joe's (125 John Street), which offers from Canada and the world, which you can enjoy outside if the weather's nice. From there, it's a short walk to the Club District's pubs and nightspots.