Friday, May 14, 2010

Guest Column: This Weekend's Perfect Soccer and Beer Pairings

(Editor's Note: We continue another great series on the Free Beer Movement site. Meet Kirsten, a massive soccer fan, a beer aficionado, and, coolest, a girl and enjoy her second column on the site. [Her first column here.] Each week she will bring you a great game of the week and a beer to pair with it plus a little bonus soccer and beer. Any comments and feedback are welcome below.)

We also have another great guest writer on the post below. Nigerian Mugwayne Nanfusu, helps educate Americans about soccer and to help American soccer fans educate their friends. Check it out!
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By Kirsten Schlewitz

I bet you thought this week’s match to watch might be awarded to MLS, what with the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 all crowning champions last weekend (although the French games continue this weekend). Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga have races that will come to a tight close this weekend. In La Liga the usual suspects, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are fighting for the title, while Sevilla and Real Mallorca are each trying to capture Spain’s fourth Champions League spot.

In Italy, FC Internazionale Milano are two points clear of AS Roma at the top of Serie A. It would seem as though Inter has an easy time of it on Sunday when they face Siena, who have already been regulated. However, Inter’s quest for the Champions League trophy next week might distract their attention from the scudetto. If Inter draw or lose, a win at Chievo means that Roma will take the title.

Siena –Inter Milan, 8am CDT on Sunday, May 16h—Fox Soccer Channel

Chievo—Roma, 10am CDT (tape delay) on Sunday, May 16th—Fox Soccer Channel


A couple early matches for American fans. Obviously, Italy is much better known for its wines than its beers (please, avoid Peroni), so this week, I’m recommending a beer whose taste is more wine-like than the straw-colored, grainy lagers revered as American beer. Beers that are listed as “sour” are often ones that are recommended for wine-lovers who believe that all beer is bitter, weak, and unremarkable. The sour that set off my obsession with the style was Duchesse de Bourgogne, which remains one of my favorites; it exemplifies a sour.

Crisp, with a tart cherry and apple flavor, everything in this beer works in balance. One of its best elements is its smell: deliciously sharp sour apple aromas. Bottles of Duchesse are easy to find in most bottle and beverage emporiums. Check the Belgium section. The royalty of the Duchesse fits well with the bourgeoisie supporters of Inter, so go ahead and pull the cork for the early game.

Sours are also a great breakfast beer, because it’s almost like having one of your servings of fruit for the day! You’ll want something mildly flavored to munch with this beer—I would actually suggest something that includes either cheese or chocolate. Use this as an excuse to welcome the day with a chocolate cannoli and truly celebrate Italy.

Kansas City—Chicago, 7pm CDT on Saturday, May 15th—Fox Soccer Channel.

With summer dialing up full-strength in some parts of the US, and spring finally creeping in in other corners, it’s quite possible you don’t want to abandon your lovely Saturday evening to tune in to FSC’s only MLS game this weekend. Particularly since it’s Kansas City, who managed to get themselves beat by DC United thanks to my magical powers of saying that DC United was going to win, against Chicago, who got themselves thrashed 4-1 by Toronto, who I have chosen to support this week.

My little Sounders are at the bottom of the West and face RBNY who are leading the East, so we’re going to pretend that game doesn’t exist and encourage everyone to watch Wizards v Fire. It’s like a twisted game of Paper, Rock, Scissors: Incendio! No, my powers shall win! Aguamenti! I predict a stalemate. Goalless draw.

Although Kansas City apparently has an excellent brewery in Boulevard Brewing, I have never tasted any of their beers, so instead we’ll have Chicago importing their beers into Kansas. For this match, grab a four-pack of Goose Island Matilda, which is a fairly new offering for the brewery, most famous for its Bourbon County Stout.

This Belgian comes in elegant bottles, perfect for impressing whomever you’ve decided to woo over the soccer match. Be sure to serve it in a tulip or trappist glass, however, unless you’re really fancy and you have a Matilda glass (and if you do, can you please send one my way?) The ale pours orange amber with very little head. Spicy aroma, with fruit and sugar, which apparently comes from the rare yeast they use. Dark fruits, clove, sugar and spice in the taste—a typical Belgian ale but done very well. At 7% ABV, even if the game does turn out goalless, at least you’ll get a nice buzz going.

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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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4 comments:

  1. i hope to be able to find one of your beer choices but living in pennsylvania ( land of state stores and beer distributers) it won't be easy
    ps i didn't think peroni was that bad

    ReplyDelete
  2. Try this:
    http://www.ratebeer.com/places/states/38/

    It should help you find a place that has some good beer.

    I'll be sure to use an east coast beer next week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. thanks 4 the link found some very interesting beer sellers close by

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  4. "Duchesse de Bourgogne", right on...if you are ever in Oakland California, hit us up, we'll take you out to the Trappist, quite possible the best Belgian beer bar on the west coast, maybe in the US... introducing soccer to American's via beer? might as well introduce them to the Duchesse while you at it, hats off to the Free Beer Movement! You rule! Boosh!

    ReplyDelete

"Anyone who tells me soccer is boring, I'm going to punch them in the face."
- Former Dallas Burn (aka FC Dallas) coach Dave Dir

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