Beer and Hockey

Ice was used in latter-day lagering - before refrigeration -- keeping kegs cooled in caves on blocks sawn from nearby lakes where puckers dared to play.

Not that I would ever recommend such an aberration as serving beer iced; brewmasters take keen care of the temperatures at which their beer is served, and at a specific potency, not watered down by melted ice.

Despite that fact my stalwart, Madison-based beer drinking buddy, Gil, still insists on pouring his tap beer -- a porter if he can get one -- over the rocks. I know he wants it colder, but that's not the point.

Stroh's Brewing was my favorite Detroit brewery in the pre-craft days, before the brewpub boom of the late 1980's. I used to lug 30-packs - yes, 30-packs - of cans and a bag of ice in an insulated satchel around Chicago's transit system back in the day.

In 2009 we have a great opportunity -- with the upcoming Stanley Cup championships -- to witness hockey and history come together again with deep brewing traditions. All four cities in the NHL playoffs are home to great breweries and brewpubs.

I would think Beer Cups should happen more often these days, as brewpubs and breweries proliferate throughout the northern hemisphere. I don't think there are the amazing diversities of local beer options in Calgary, Tampa and San Jose that there are in Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh or Raleigh. (I know there are exceptions, but they are not the rule).

Perhaps hockey championships are more prone to bless great beer cities. I'll leave that figuring to some hockey-stat geek.

The fans of the Blackhawks of Chicago are hearty and amped, having last seen The Cup in 1961, a drought to be sure. Bars promote 'Viewing Parties', drawing noisy, beer drinkers to their facilities. Hear the cheers at Piece Brewery and Pizzeria, Goose Island Brewing, or grab some bottles of Half Acre Brewery product and watch the game on your back porch.

The alternative to the Blackhawks in the Western Conference are perennial late-skaters, the Red Wings of Detroit. As the Chicago Beer Pairing Examiner, I wish them well...just not as well as the Blackhawks. When in Motown try Detroit Beer Co., Atwater Block Brewery, and Motor City Brewery.

I have hockey cards in my collection that date back to the Bobby Orr/Phil Esposito-era of the champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Since then Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr drank champagne from the Cup of Lord Stanley. When in Pittsburgh you can drink with fans of Iron City (Pittsburgh Brewery), Penn Brewery and Market Street Alehouse.

The south is a mystery to me, hockey-wise. I get hockey in Montreal and Minneapolis, ya' know, south of the northern polar cap, but not below the Mason-Dixon Line. Refrigeration, the same technology that moved lagering out of caves, is responsible for the ability to play hockey in sweltering climates in the month of June. The Carolina Hurricanes' fans of Raleigh are host to Big Boss Brewery, Carolina Brewery, Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery.

Pair hockey and beer and chill out, enjoying the exciting combination.