Baseball season is heading toward playoff time, college and pro football are kicking off, and Atlanta is crazy for the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, United FC and Major League Soccer.
For me, anyway, it’s the best time of year to be a sports fan. And it’s the best time to enjoy a well-made pale ale — a venerable British style that American craft brewers made their own with all-American ingredients, most notably the likes of Cascade, Chinook and Centennial hops.
Call it ingenuity or serendipity, but bright, citrusy American pale ales make a perfect match for all the foods we love on game day, including Tex-Mex nachos, cheeseburgers and barbecue.
Hammer 58, brewed by the Terrapin team with Falcons legend Jesse Tuggle, is a great example of both the history and the evolution of American pale ale, employing a range of malts and hops in a beer that’s both engaging and easy to drink.
And in honor of another weekend of sports, Hammer 58 is this week’s Beer Pick.
Beer Pick
Hammer 58
Terrapin Beer Co., Athens, GA
Limited edition available on draft at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, SunTrust Park, select Taco Mac locations and the Terrapin tasting room in Athens.
Profile
Originally brewed at the ATL Brewlab at SunTrust Park with legendary Atlanta Falcons linebacker and beer lover Jessie Tuggle, Hammer 58 is described as an “easy drinking, hop forward pale ale.”
Designed with eight different malts, including wheat, flaked barley, Carapilsner and Crystal 65L, plus the Falconers Flight hop blend, which imparts distinct tropical, floral, lemon and grapefruit notes, this is both a subtle and complex pale ale. It pours a clear gold, with a fine white head, an aromatic, pleasantly citric nose, and a medium-body that supports a clean, dry bitterness through to the fiinish.
Pair with
According to the folks at Terrapin, Hammer 58 pairs well with “game-day nachos and a Falcons win.” But like most good pale ales, Hammer 58 is versatile and food-friendly, which means it's a match for all your tailgates favorites, from hot dogs and cheeseburgers to wings and barbecue.
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