Going Suds Up: English Premier League Season Beer-view

By Kirsten Schlewitz / Senior West Coast Beer and Aston Villa Correspondent

One English side will be celebrating with beer like Ashley Cole and Chelsea did.
Hopefully not with Heineken, though.

The Free Beer Movement has a massive treat for you today a team-by-team beer-view of the English Premier League that will kick off Saturday morning. Our regular contributor and "Going Suds Up" writer Kirsten Schlewitz has tagged each side with a tasty brew for you the fan to sit down with as each begins the long and treacherous hunt for the EPL Trophy.

So as you sit down this Saturday or Sunday to re-new your faith in your favorite English club make sure you try and find one of these beers to wash down the opening ecstasy of victory, the sorrows of defeat, or the blasé of a draw (unless of course you're for Blackpool then any points are crucial!).

Better yet..... print it out, slide it into your man-purse, and keep this helpful list with you and drink through the opponents as the season goes on.

By May when the Premier League table has solidified you'll have drank your way through some of the best beers the world has to offer.

Cheers! May the best team win!

Club	Beer	Brewery	Style	Description
Arsenal	Éphémère Apple	Unibroue (France)	Fruit beer	Want France exported to a different country? Something beautiful, but without a lot of depth? Go with this fruit beer. Plenty of apple in the aroma. Crisp taste. Both tart and sweet at once.
Aston Villa	Night Owl	Elysian (Washington)	Spice/Herb	A beer from the gods for God’s own club. Aromas common to a pumpkin pie--cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. The clove in particular stands out. This is a beer that is wonderful in the fall, but just doesn’t seem to work come the spring.
Birmingham City	-	-	-	I cannot, in good conscious, recommend a beer that compliments scum.
Blackburn	Kodiak Brown	Midnight Sun (Alaska)	Brown	It’s brown. With minimal beige head. It smells brown, like brown sugar and chocolate. It tastes brown, like nuts and toast. Yes, it’s a brown.
Blackpool	Double Trouble	21st Amendment (California)	IIPA	Pours an orange-honey color. Floral and spicy hop in the aroma, but plenty of citrus in the taste. At nearly 10% ABV, you’re definitely in for some trouble.
Bolton	Smoke Ale	Rogue (Oregon)	Smoked	Aroma primarily of smoke with a hint of toasted caramel. Lots of smoke and saltiness in the taste. No subtlety here.
Chelsea	Rochefort Trappistes 10	Rochefort (Belgium)	Belgian	The 10 stands for the ABV, but this beer is really an 11.3%, capable of sweeping aside almost anything in its path. The alcohol is evident in the aroma, but it tastes of dark fruits, caramel and bittersweet chocolate, with just a tiny bit of a bitter linger.
Everton	Claymore Scottish Ale	Great Divide (Colorado)	Scottish Ale	A lot of sweet and more than a touch of warmth in this beer. Just like having someone whispering in your ear in a Scottish brogue. Beware, though, this one is only available through mid-April.
Fulham	Landlord	Timothy Taylor (England)	Bitter	A classic English bitter that can be celebrated for representing its country well. Aroma of floral hops. Citrus, pepper, and brown sugar tastes, and of course a nice bitter linger.
Liverpool	Duet	Alpine (California)	IPA	Citrus and pine hops working in perfect harmony—at least, that is the goal. A fresh beer for a fresh season.
Manchester City	Utopia	Sam Adams (Mass.)	Barley Wine	For only $599, Utopias can be yours. Can you find just as good of a barley wine for just $20? Of course you can—but if you’ve got the pockets, why not get something flashy?
Manchester United	Troublette	La Caracole (Belgium)	Witbier	Smells deliciously citrusy with underlying caramel, clove, and yeast. Tastes of citrus and wheat with a slightly sour, spicy finish. But what is most intriguing about this beer is the label, a snail representing Narcissus…the god who fell in love with his own reflection.
Newcastle	Black	Allagash (Maine)	Stout	Adored by many, but I don’t quite see the appeal. Pours coal-black and smells a bit funny. Coffee and chocolate tastes make it a standard stout.
Stoke	Kolsch	Gaffel (Germany)	Kolsch	Fun and yummy in a domestic context, the Kolsch often falls flat in other venues. To experience it at its best, enjoy in its home.
Sunderland	Black Cat Porter	Mac and Jacks (Washington)	Porter	I have run out of clever things to say about some of the clubs and have resorted to connecting this one based on its nickname. This brewery is known for their amber, and the porter is standard, with coffee and caramel, but there is no wow factor.
Tottenham	Boulevard Pils	Boulevard (Missouri))	Pilsner	Tasty for what it is. Classic, not too bitter, not too sweet. Refreshing on a hot day, but nothing you’d pick up in order to impress.
West Brom	The Abyss	Deschutes (Oregon)	Imperial Stout	Two releases ago, this beer was amazing. The taste was full of anise and bourbon, a total winter warmer. But the last one, only so-so. What will the next release bring? Well, the Abyss beckons…
West Ham	Cuvee de Tomme	Lost Abbey (California)	Sour	Adored by its fans and completely misunderstood (often despised) by everyone else, Tomme has the aroma of sour straws and tastes of cherries, chocolate, bourbon and vanilla, with a long lingering sourness.
Wigan	Hop in the Dark	Deschutes (Oregon)	Black IPA	Prepare for the unexpected. A red-black pour but a floral and citrus nose. Atypical combo of chocolate and spicy hops in the taste, but surprisingly it all works.
Wolves	Totem	Black Raven (Washington)	Pale Ale	A beer that shows that Black Raven have finally figured out how to make a solid offering. While last year’s batch wasn’t special, this one is solid. Earthy, grassy, and not too bitter.

About 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 contribute to Two Footed Tackle.


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