30 Day Countdown: Day 1 - Time to Pick a Rally Beer

Tomorrow is the day that you’ve been anticipating. It has finally arrived. It is as real as the body odor emanating from the man in seat 7c on this airplane. And just as overwhelming.

The Huskies take the field at Husky stadium tomorrow and, this time, it counts.

Much is expected from thr Dawgs this season. The defensive line is expected to crush. The secondary is supposed to hawk. Myles Gaskin is supposed to glide. Jake Browning is supposed to shred. At this point, it would not completely shock me if Dubs pooped diamonds.

Expectations are that high.

But, hey, we know better. Dedicated Dawg fans understand that there is adversity ahead. We get the fact that this is still an incomplete team competing in the most balanced conference in the nation. Nothing is given. Success is not guaranteed.

It is exactly in those most desperate of moments, with games on the line and legacies hanging in the balance, that fans must rally in support of their team. For many, this means screaming at the tops of their lungs. For others, it is stomping their feat as they chant a cheer. For some, it is the mere act of closing their eyes and focusing positive energy on the luck. stashed in their stylish clear stadium bag.

For me, I reach for my rally beer.

This no ordinary beer. This is not for everyday or even normal gameday consumption. This is my special stash. It is embued with special mojo that, when consumed by dedicated Husky fans, results in a burst of higher levels of achievement by the Dawgs on the field.

I could explain the technicalities of how it works to you, but that would,be boring. Just trust me. It is science.

The challenge that we have is picking the correct beer. This is critical. You only get one chance to make this pick and then you are stuck with it for better or worse the remainder of the season.

Will you help a brother out?

Option 1 - Surly Coffee Bender

ABV 5.1; IBU 30

Coffee Bender is my favorite local (Minneapolis) stout product. It is built from Surly’s award-winning Bender foundation and is steeped in a sweet, rich Guatemalan coffee before being canned cold. When you pour it, (and it really is best drank from a glass), you’ll note a beautiful creamy head that lingers for quite a while. It ismastonishingly drinkable and almost comes off as dessert.

Seattleites love their coffee and their beer. Coffee Bender is the best of both worlds. It is a great choice for a rally beer because it is so easy to drink and relatively easy to find. It’s caffeine content might also be an asset in those late-night rallies in #Pac12AfterDark. On the downside is the fact that it doesnt come in a bottle (can only) and that a beer like this might be best saved for celebration as opposed to rally.

Option 2 - Lagunitas Brown Shugga’

ABV 9.8; IBU 51

The Lagunitas brewery has a tradition of rotating special release offerings throughout the year. Their Lucky 13 offering, if you were lucky enough to find some, was a great brew. But it stopped shipping over the summer. Luckily, Brown Shugga’ is on its way.

Brown Shugga’ is an malty ale that is made with pure cane sugar. The presence of the

sugar takes the bite out of the beer’s inherent bitterness and hides its rather ballsy alcohol content. This is the kind of beer that you have one of before moving on to something else.

I like it as a rally beer because it is somewhat unique and because it goes great with the kinds of foods that I like to eat during games (basically, a

nything unhealthy). There are drawbacks. It doesnt reach stores until October (pray that we dont need it in September) and at 9.8%, you might have trouble with a second one if game circumstances require it.

Option 3 - 3 Floyds Zombie Dust

ABV 6.3; IBU 60

Zombie Dust is a wonderful American Pale Style Ale out of the 3 Floyds Brewing company in Indiana. It is intensely hopped and but not overwhelming. It has a zestiness that I tend to gravitate towards in the fall and winter after I’ve tired of some of the fruitier IPAs that I tend to prefer in the summer.

This option has a nice mojo element to it - it is made of a single type of hop grown in Washington state. It’s taste and just-right alcohol levels make it amenable to more than one in a single sitting. On the con side, it is probably the least distributed of the three options and might be hard to come by when you need it the most.

The Pick - Surly Coffee Bender

I suppose “All of the Above” would have sufficed. Still, I think Coffee Bender is the right choice in 2016. There is good mojo in coffee and the Huskies are sure to need some of it during some late night affairs (he writes as he eyeballs that Friday night contest against Stanford). The synergies are just too great to ignore. That my rally beer can double as a sweet victory drink is bonus.

So, whatcha’ drinkin’?