The time many of us have been waiting for is finally here: football season. Okay, it’s only preseason, but who are we kidding? We’ve been following even the smallest off-season events like it’s breaking news, and just the sight of real-time games warms our hearts.
It’s important to cheer on your favorite team with your favorite beer, or at least one that tastes good. Not every stadium is going to please your avid craft-beer drinker, but here are 12 stadiums that won’t let you down when you want a brew that has some spirit behind it. We cannot guarantee that every brewery mentioned will be available at the stadiums when you are there, but here at Craft Beer & Brewing, we believe a rotating draft selection is your friend.
MetLife Stadium – New York Giants/Jets
Home to Super Bowl XLVII and the only stadium that’s shared by two teams in the NFL, they also share some great beer. Your featured New York locals are:
- Brooklyn
- Captain Lawrence
- Blue Point
Find some of these out-of-state breweries for a variety of beer choices:
- Boulevard
- Victory
- Sierra Nevada
- Goose Island
- Sam Adams
- Kona
Sports Authority Field at Mile High – Denver Broncos
Colorado is full of breweries and many are in the area that surrounds Denver. Dozens lie within a short drive from the stadium, so if you don’t get your fix during the game, scout some post-game celebration spots for a great craft brew. Mile High may hold a smaller selection than other stadiums, but quality is what’s important. The biggest locals present are:
- New Belgium
- Odell
- Oskar Blues
- Great Divide (Who's going to complain if they stumble into some Yeti?)
Soldier Field – Chicago Bears
Bears fans like to brave any weather, even if their beer freezes. With a great selection of local product, you may find that this stadium’s beer is almost as bold as the fans in the stands:
- Half Acre
- Lagunitas
- Revolution
- Two Brothers
- Haymarket
- Goose Island
You can also find classics from
- Bell’s
- Oskar Blues
- Sweetwater
Levi’s Stadium – San Francisco 49ers
Are you surprised that a California stadium is on this list? They’re consistently producing some of the best beer in the world. The San Francisco locals you’ll find are:
- Speakeasy
- Anchor
- Cellarmaker
- 21st Amendment
Not enough West Coast for you? Then grab a beer from:
- Firestone Walker
- Lost Coast
- Stone
- Anderson Valley
- North Coast
- Humboldt
- Sierra Nevada
You'll also find New Belgium and Goose Island beers available.
M&T Bank Stadium – Baltimore Ravens
Not a fan of the traditional tailgating experience? The RavensWalk is perfect for you. Open three hours before every home game, the Walk is full of bars, food, and live music. You'll find brews from:
- Flying Dog
- New Belgium
- The Brewer’s Art
- Yards
- Harpoon
- Sam Adams
- DuClaw
- Union Craft Brewing
But what will you find inside the stadium? Local breweries to be enjoyed are:
- Flying Dog (tallboys)
- Heavy Seas Beer
- Union Craft Brewing
M&T also has a solid line-up of out-of-state breweries such as:
- Victory
- Devils Backbone
- Dogfish Head
- New Belgium
- Sam Adams
Lucas Oil Stadium — Colts
Do you like your game inside or outside? Thankfully, the Colts stadium can do both in the same day with a retractable roof and window wall. Your Indiana local brews to savor are:
- Sun King
- Flat 12 Bierwerks
- Carson’s
- Triton
- Tin Man
Or, if you want a “classic” beer there’s:
- New Belgium
- Sam Adams
- Goose Island
Gillette Stadium – New England Patriots
First of all, those New Englanders know how to pregame. I mean tailgate. We’ve seen Patriots fans shot-gunning Heady Topper and taking Bourbon County Brand Stout to the dome. But what quaffable beverages can you find during a game?
The Massachusetts local breweries to scout for are:
- Lord Hobo
- Harpoon
- Sam Adams
- Cisco
- Wachusett
- Blue Hills
- Mayflower
- Berkshire
- Blatant
Being the New England Patriots’ home, you’ll also find these New England breweries:
- Heavy Seas
- The Shed
- Long Trail
- Smuttynose
- Stony Creek
- Shipyard
- Two Roads
- Allagash
If that’s too much East Coast for you, there’s:
- Southern Tier
- Victory
- Oskar Blues
- Goose Island
A little fun fact I found about a usual game day: Patriots fans eat more than one ton of Italian sausage and 186 gallons of clam chowder. Now you tell me, what beer goes best with clam chowder?
Lambeau Field — Green Bay Packers
The cheese heads are a powerhouse that boasts an incredible 13 championships, which is the most in the league. It just so happens that their beer selection is no slouch either. While you are waiting for your favorite player to make the Lambeau Leap, go ahead and sample some of this local fare:
- Hinterland
- Badger State
- Titletown
- Stillmank
Other Wisconsin breweries to enjoy are:
- O’so
- Ale Asylum
- Milwaukee Brewing
- Wisconsin Brewing
- Stone Cellar
Or you could pick up a brew from:
- Dogfish Head
- Summit
- Bell’s
- New Belgium
- Kona
Heinz Field – Pittsburgh Steelers
When not popping in for a cameo in a Batman movie, this Steelers squad is spending Sundays selling out home games to loyal fans. And yeah, they like their beer almost as much as their football. The Pennsylvania local breweries you can find are:
- Rivertowne
- Yards
- Troegs
- Evil Genius
- Church Brew Works
- Pittsburgh Brewing
- North Country Brewery
If you want to try something different from the home-team breweries, then you can go with offerings from:
- New Belgium
- Anchor
- Southern Tier
- Brooklyn
- Sam Adams
- Goose Island
Bank of America Stadium – Carolina Panthers
Since Bank of America acquired naming rights, fans now refer to the stadium as, “The Bank,” “The BOA,” and our personal favorite, “The Vault.” Your North Carolina locals to sip on are:
- NoDa
- Foothills
- Olde Mecklenburg
- Sugar Creek
- New Belgium
- Sierra Nevada
Going outside of the local brewery scene are:
- Blue Point
- Goose Island
- RJ Rockers
- Avery
- Terrapin
- Allagash
Ford Field – Detroit Lions
The Lions and their fans have some serious grit. So you know that their stadium is going to showcase a robust selection to match. The list of local Michigan breweries you’ll find for your Lions game are:
- Bell’s
- Atwater
- Griffin Claw
- New Holland
- Perrin
- Rochester Mills
- Right Brain
- Frankenmuth
- Dragonmead
- Short’s
- Cheboygan
If you’re a die hard New Belgium fan, you can find their brews too.
CenturyLink Field – Seattle Seahawks
Seattle stadiums sure love their craft beer. Outside of breaking decibel levels in the stadium and making it hard for other teams to focus, the 12th man undoubtedly loves his craft brew too. Washington state local brews for your Hawks game include:
- Fremont
- Two Beers
- Bale Breaker
- Mac & Jack’s
- Georgetown
- Silver City
- 7 Seas
- Schooner Exact
- Snoqualmie Falls
- Redhook
- Elysian
- Black Rave
- Pyramid
Or you can go with these out-of-staters:
- 10 Barrel
- Sierra Nevada
- Kona
- Central City
- Goose Island
If you find any secret craft beer spots in these stadiums, let us know so we can add them to the list!