Best MLB stadiums for craft beer

The Gray Eagle

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Aug 1, 2001
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The Athletic (subscribe, already!) ranks the best stadiums for craft beer.

https://theathletic.com/1600725/2020/02/19/a-beer-nerds-guide-to-baseball-ranking-every-stadium-by-craft-beer-offerings/?source=dailyemail
Spoiler: Fenway ranks 25th. At least we beat the Yankees! And the Dodgers, Marlins and Blue Jays too.

These kind of rankings are all going to be pretty subjective of course. But it sure sounds like Seattle, San Diego and San Fran all have ballparks that are better beer bars than you can find in many other cities.

Obviously not everyone likes craft beer, and it's good to keep in mind that it's a ballgame, not a beer tasting.

But from the Seattle review:

"Pacific Northwest labels Fremont Brewing, Reuben’s Brews, Georgetown Brewing, Bale Breaker, Black Raven Brewing, Ecliptic Brewing, Ninkasi Brewing, and even the smaller pFriem Family Brewers all have beers available at the ballpark. There’s a $6 (!) can deal every year, and one year it was a hazy IPA from Georgetown Brewing called Bodhizafa. Practically every food vendor has a craft tap, and there are cans in the aisles."
The $6 can option is a great idea and something that I wish Fenway would offer. It doesn't have to be some amazing, rare beer that people rave over, just a solid local pale ale or pilsner in a can at that price would be a great option. Hell any option at that price would be really welcome. I'd hit up a can of Gansett lager if each one was less than half the price of a Sam Adams or whatever.

Another idea that could improve Fenway if they could adopt it, from the White Sox review:
In what might prove to be an innovation that eventually will spread to most ballparks around the league, the White Sox put in a Craft Kave in 2017 — a beer bar with plenty of taps, but an even more impressive beer cooler. One of the difficulties of stocking smaller craft breweries is the peril of a kicked keg without a replacement. A useless tap can cost the ballpark a ton of money. So instead enter a cooler full of cans that can spread to the rarer parts of Chicago’s beer scene, without the same danger if a certain can runs out.

As a result, the list of available beers on the South Side is impressive, maybe one of the longest in the league. And, even if you might notice that a large percentage of those beers is only available in the Kave, there’s good news. There’s now a second (express) Kave in the 500 level. Add that to the Revolution Brewing Bar and the two Midwest Craft stands and a few assorted craft beer carts, and you have top-shelf accessibility.
 
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YTF

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The Athletic (subscribe, already!) ranks the best stadiums for craft beer.

https://theathletic.com/1600725/2020/02/19/a-beer-nerds-guide-to-baseball-ranking-every-stadium-by-craft-beer-offerings/?source=dailyemail
Spoiler: Fenway ranks 25th. At least we beat the Yankees! And the Dodgers, Marlins and Blue Jays too.

These kind of rankings are all going to be pretty subjective of course. But it sure sounds like Seattle, San Diego and San Fran all have ballparks that are better beer bars than you can find in many other cities.

Obviously not everyone likes craft beer, and it's good to keep in mind that it's a ballgame, not a beer tasting.

But from the Seattle review:



The $6 can option is a great idea and something that I wish Fenway would offer. It doesn't have to be some amazing, rare beer that people rave over, just a solid local pale ale or pilsner in a can at that price would be a great option. Hell any option at that price would be really welcome. I'd hit up a can of Gansett lager if each one was less than half the price of a Sam Adams or whatever.

Another idea that could improve Fenway if they could adopt it, from the White Sox review:
I doubt they are going to sell a can of beer, which will cost them more than draft beer, at $3.00 less than they're whacking you for draft.
 

shaggydog2000

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Apr 5, 2007
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Unfortunately the Sox have a mediocre local brewery as a major sponsor, so they get to shove out the better local craft beers. I'd love to be able to get a trillium at a game. Or a Fiddlehead or what have you. But instead we get some Sam attempt at making a NE IPA. It's just no the same. :(
 

Bergs

funky and cold
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Jul 22, 2005
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Wrigley and Fenway right where they should be. Embarassing. I thought Miller would be a bit higher, and San Fran is the best I personally have been to (but I haven't been to the South Side since before this "Craft Kave" thing.
 

The Gray Eagle

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I doubt they are going to sell a can of beer, which will cost them more than draft beer, at $3.00 less than they're whacking you for draft.
I doubt they will either, yet Seattle does it.

I would assume that Seattle gets a huge order of cans at a big discount from a local brewery that wants the exposure and wants to move some cans that aren't selling that well.
 

Bozo Texino

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Jul 18, 2005
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I couldn't give a rat's about craft beer. I want to know which MLB stadium has the CHEAPEST beer.

Turns out it's Coors Field. Not surprising. $3.00 a pop. I pretty much only drink Coors Banquet, anyway.

So I guess the Rockies are my NL team now. Cool.

EDIT: HOLY SHIT. Hot dogs at Camden Yards are only $1.50?!
 

Senator Donut

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Apr 21, 2010
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Yankee Stadium sucks for craft beer but I could swear they have refrigerators scattered around with local tallboy cans.
I haven't been for a Yankee game, but for football and soccer they have plenty of can stands, but the selection was very limited. I ended up drinking the Blue Point Toasted Lager (technically local, but subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev) and some really bad one-off IPA from Brooklyn Brewery.

Fenway was slightly better than Yankee Stadium in 2019 but roughly in the same tier. Both venues are miles behind TD Garden and Gillette Stadium. Gillette Stadium has by far the best beer selection of any venue I've attended. I think it's the only place in Massachusetts that has legally sold Heady Topper. I've also had good stuff from Trillium and apparently Tree House was for sale during the Bills game this year.
 

ernieshore

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Aug 24, 2006
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The Camel City
Last year, Seattle had one kiosk that had "Cask beer" on draft. I was amazed - although it was a little misleading and I was disappointed because they didn't have a true hand-pulled cask engine (spoiled beer snob).

And the beer lines in the outfield were ridiculous.
 

CarolinaBeerGuy

Don't know him from Adam
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Mar 14, 2006
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Kernersville, NC
I couldn't give a rat's about craft beer. I want to know which MLB stadium has the CHEAPEST beer.

Turns out it's Coors Field. Not surprising. $3.00 a pop. I pretty much only drink Coors Banquet, anyway.

So I guess the Rockies are my NL team now. Cool.

EDIT: HOLY SHIT. Hot dogs at Camden Yards are only $1.50?!
Pretty sure those $1.50 dogs are the kids dogs, not regular sized.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Sep 10, 2017
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Whenever I see that "Fenway beer tasting" ad from the Red Sox via email or facebook, I have to laugh. Like what, $25-30 to taste 8 varieties of Sam Adams or something uninspiring like that. Oh boy, sign me up!
 

Doug Beerabelli

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When I saw the Sox in Cleveland in 2018, they had a deal where you could get two Miller Lite 12 oz cans for $8 from one of the stands above the bleachers. The venders in the bleachers were selling 16 oz Miller Lite cans for...$8.

Made no sense to me, but that two for $8 deal, even for ML, was such a lovely departure from Fenway's beer buying experience.
 

Soxy

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Dec 1, 2008
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Unfortunately the Sox have a mediocre local brewery as a major sponsor, so they get to shove out the better local craft beers. I'd love to be able to get a trillium at a game. Or a Fiddlehead or what have you. But instead we get some Sam attempt at making a NE IPA. It's just no the same. :(
Fenway has never really had a great selection, but they've definitely regressed. I believe they cut over 50% of their beer skus when Sam Adams became the sponsor. Jack's Abby was one of the more prominent local casualties.

Just getting Jack's Abby back into the fold would be nice. Or Night Shift. They're probably the two biggest local MA craft breweries outside of Lord Hobo, who is already in Fenway (they managed to survive the post-Boston Beer sponsorship deal cuts).

I don't think it would ever happen, but I'd love to see Notch at a stadium. They've been specializing in session beers for years, which is usually what I seek out at stadium venues. Along those lines, I'd bet my life that Dogfish Slightly Mighty is all over the place at Fenway this season, now that they're owned by Boston Beer.
 

Spelunker

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Jul 17, 2005
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Last year, Seattle had one kiosk that had "Cask beer" on draft. I was amazed - although it was a little misleading and I was disappointed because they didn't have a true hand-pulled cask engine (spoiled beer snob).

And the beer lines in the outfield were ridiculous.
Still. I can confirm that the Safeco* experience is about as good as a ballpark gets for beer.

(*Yes, I know they changed the name. I don't give a fuck)
 

twibnotes

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Jul 16, 2005
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Stating the obvious, but it’s really a bummer how lousy the beer scene is at Fenway when it could and should be the best in baseball given the amazing things going on in New England. What a huge miss by the organization that also, by the way, now serves up French’s ketchup.

Sponsorships are a part of the business, of course, but maybe a better focus on fan experience would have its own ROI.