Going Suds Up: Your Weekly Soccer and Beer Picks

By Kirsten Schlewitz

Hello friends, and welcome to the latest edition of my column—which now has a name! After an extensive twitter vote which included ballots cast aside due to cats not having opposable thumbs, “Going Suds Up” won by a single vote.

If you’d like to participate in future votes/beer/soccer chat, follow me @7500_Kirsten. Credit to Chris King (CaryFC) for crafting the winning title, and honorable mention to Aaron Campeau (7500_Aaron) and Steven Stoehr (stoehrst) for the runners up.

With the shameless self-promotion over, time to move on to this week’s matches. The game of the week this week is…

Seattle Sounders v San Jose Earthquakes: 2pm CDT, Fox Soccer Channel

That’s right, the Seattle Sounders, in their infinite wisdom, have scheduled a match at noon PDT—fifteen minutes after the start of the Champions League final. Before anyone gets snippy with me and says that people should support their hometown side over a club halfway across the world, let’s be clear: this isn’t me wanting to stay home and watch an Aston Villa match. The Champions League final is the biggest annual event that football sees. It’s like scheduling a WHL game during the Stanley Cup final, or hosting your NCAA Division II game during the Super Bowl. It is a slap in the face to a fan of the sport. I love donning my Osvaldo Alonso jersey and heading out to cheer on my Sounders, but this logic defies reason. It would have been so easy to schedule the game later in the day, and allow fans of soccer to watch two of the best teams in the world before tuning in to their local match.

If you’re like me and going to Qwest Field tomorrow, stop off at Elysian Fields before the game, conveniently located just across from the stadium. While many of their standard offerings—porter, pale ale, IPA—are a typical mid-table beer, their special brews are certainly in the running for Champions League competition. But even if you can’t find any of their seasonals on tap, the Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA is always worth a drink. This fun IPA pours golden brown with plenty of bubbles, leaving behind a beige lacing. The smell is exotic and flowery with a bit of sugar mixed in. The jasmine certainly comes out in the taste as well, but the flower isn’t overpowering, as it is tempered by orange spice and peppery hops. At 6.3% ABV, after a couple you might find your anger dissipating. And if you can’t make it to Elysian tomorrow, Avatar Jasmine is one of the few Elysian beers available in bottles, but alas you probably won’t be able to find it too far outside the west coast. I suggest you come experience a Sounders match day, and hit up Elysian beforehand.

Bayern Munich v Inter Milan: 1:45 CDT, Fox

If you’re not going to be watching your favorite MLS team take the field at inappropriate hours, you’re likely to be joining the rest of the world in watching the Champions League final on Saturday afternoon. Bayern Munich take on Inter Milan at the Bernabeu in Madrid, with both teams seeking a treble. Will the Special One succeed? Will Ribéry regret not being on the field? Hundreds of stories have been written about this match-up already; I’m not here to replicate them. Instead I’m here to tell you about Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock, arguably the best dopplebock in the world and an excellent example of Bavarian beer (for those of you who didn’t pay attention during Geography, Munich is in the region of Bavaria in Germany).

Celebrator is a deep brown brew that holds a decently foamy tan head. It has a primarily malty aroma, with a bit of chocolate and a slight hint of smokiness. This beer is smooth and creamy, with a very faint alcohol burn at the end. It tastes mostly of toasted malts, chocolate, and smoke. Celebrator is available nationwide, and with an ABV of 6.7%, it is the perfect glass to raise when Bayern Munich take the field. Plus, the bottle has a little goat charm hanging off its neck—challenge your friends to a head-to-head action figure battle during halftime!

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Meet Kirsten:

Ever since Brazil caught my eye during the 1994 World Cup I’ve considered myself a soccer fan, but it wasn’t until the summer 2008 that I decided to find a club. I focused on the Premier League and eventually chose Aston Villa. Initially drawn in by the pretty clarets and blues, I found I liked their organization, their owner and their manager. I fell hard and now it’s too late—I can’t give them up. As for MLS, that was easy, as I live in Seattle.

I also support Exeter FC, SSC Napoli, FC Koln, Estudiantes Tecos and Tooting & Mitcham FC, all for a variety of reasons including cider, tattoos, scarves, owls, and a soccer player texting while on the pitch.

I’m the Managing Editor of SB Nation’s Aston Villa site, 7500 to Holte. I also will be contributing to Two Footed Tackle after the World Cup.

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