Scouting report on beer at Ravens game
The depth is good: There are some solid starters, but there is not a lot of new local talent. That is my report on the beer situation this season at M&T Bank Stadium. This summary, some might say, also applies to the Ravens team.
I went to the Ravens-Jets preseason game Monday night to sample the beer and the food. I report on the beer today, the food tomorrow.
My first beer of the football season, an $8 Sam Adams Boston Lager at the bar on the club level, had a false start. Too much air in the line: It was foam city. The bartender recovered nicely and delivered a good second effort.
The dominant beer at the stadium seems to me to be the 16-ounce can. Cans of Miller Lite, Heineken and Budweiser were omnipresent. I also spotted a can or two of 12-ounce Yuengling. I prefer draft beer, and the number of tap handles at the club level bars was substantial.
In addition to Sam Adams, I saw taps for Stella Artois, Guinness, Heineken, Leinenkugel, Bud Light and Peroni.
For serious drinkers there are now four bars on the club level -- the Stoli, the Bacardi, the Patron and the Crown Royal -- that pour cocktails made with the products of their namesake brands. They also have beers, some of those mentioned above, on tap. I sat in the Bacardi and enjoyed a quiet Stella Artois before kickoff. It was $8; almost every beer is either $7 or $8.
After mingling with the glitterati on the club level, I joined the hoi-polloi, going up to the top of stadium, then traveling down to the first-floor concourse. The top level, the fifth level on the elevator, is so high that the angels talk to you. At least that is what one comedian on the elevator said.
The digs are not fancy up there. The beer selection, augmented with carts and concession stand taps, is mainstream. Blue Moon on tap, for instance is the outlier. Some of the concession stands on the top level are also pouring liquor this year. This might generate more angel sightings.
Down on the first-floor concourse, I sampled a gluten-free beer, a Redbridge, made by Anheuser-Busch. It was $7 and did not wow me, but it did not offend. Gluten-free beer drinkers are entitled to have fun as well. It is sold at a concession stand near section 130, along with gluten-free pretzels. Who knew?
I couldn't find any local microbrews in the stadium. Joe Arena, ARA general manager, told me that situation may change. He said he could add a local microbrew to the roster once the season starts. It would be a good pickup.
The closest I came to drinking local was a draft of Old Dominion Hop Mountain being poured at a beer garden stand near section 117, next to the M&T Bank money machine, always a popular stopping place in the stadium.
As I was leaving, I spotted a tap handle for Pilsner Urquell at the Guinness stand, also near section 117. That is one of my favorite pilsners; I will save it for a regular-season sip.
What do you sip at M&T Bank Stadium?
What do you think of the stadium's beer lineup?
Photo: Ravens crushing a Jet from The Baltimore Sun
Comments
Great article. Unfortunately as a Jet fan we sipped the harsh brew of defeat and mediocre play by our first team. I've always been surprised by the costs of beer at stadiums. People will buy more if it is cheaper but $8 for a Bud is outlandish to me. Hopefully you'll get the chance to tailgate at the next game and meet up with some craft beer fans as I think there is much more action out in the parking lot than there is in the stadium when it comes to gourmet cuisine.
Posted by: kip | August 25, 2009 12:44 PM
Section 117 it is!!
P.S: thank God for good beer in cans (Oskar Blues and 21st Amendment)... and big pockets! :)
Posted by: Brad | August 25, 2009 7:43 PM
Last year up in the 500 section we had a Guinness stand that had Pilsner Urquell, Guinness, Smithwicks and Blue Moon. That stand is gone and all is available is BMC and cans of Yuengling, Corona, etc. There is a Sam Adams stand that had Boston Lager and Summer Ale. Rob, if you have the ear of ARA can you get them to add some variety for those of us in the nosebleed section?
Posted by: ken | August 25, 2009 7:55 PM
It's absolutely amazing that even on the club level the selection totally sucks. Without going into the politics and the money aspects, consumers paying that much for tickets and PSL's simply deserve better. I just get my fill of the good stuff during tailgaiting and say screw the stadium and their outlandish prices for minor league beer. You can also avoid the drink one pee one syndrome. If I do drink in the stadium, I just bring in my flask and enjoy some sips of bourbon. Craft drinkers are still, by far, the minority so I guess our desires don't matter.
Posted by: Dominic Cantalupo | August 26, 2009 12:40 PM
There is no reason why we can't have locals available. A Clipper City stand (not in club) would be amazing. Imagine sipping a Loose Canon while at the game... Paradise!
Posted by: david | August 26, 2009 7:42 PM