Football season is here, and with it comes tailgates: the perfect excuse to fire up the grill, gather your friends, and crack open a great craft beer. We think keeping a variety of brews in the cooler can make what’s on the grill taste better, give everyone something they’ll enjoy, and keep the party going from the first round of cornhole until the final whistle. Here are our tips to pick the best beers for tailgating this season.
What Are the Best Beers for Football Tailgates?
The best beers for football tailgates include pilsners, lagers, blonde ales, pale ales, session IPAs, amber ales, wheat beers, and seasonal craft beers. These styles pair well with classic tailgate foods, offer approachable flavors, and provide enough variety for a crowd. Lower-ABV and sessionable brews also work well, especially for longer game-day gatherings.
Does Beer Style Really Matter for Tailgating?
A tailgate isn’t the same as settling into The Growler Guys for a leisurely tasting. Instead, you’re typically outdoors, eating bold foods, talking with friends, playing games, and getting ready for several hours of football. That means drinkability, versatility, and food pairing should be top of mind when choosing beers for tailgating.
We recommend building your beer selection(opens in new tab) around refreshment, flavor, and variety. A crisp beer is great for cutting through rich foods, while a maltier style complements smoky barbecue. Have seasoned craft beer fans in your group? Add hop-forward brews to the mix for extra character.
We also recommend including at least one low-ABV option. Sessionable beers generally emphasize balance, moderate alcohol content, and a clean finish, which makes them a great choice for long afternoons with friends. We’ve found that pilsners, Kölsch, blonde ales, wheat beers, and IPAs are all excellent picks.
Pilsners and Lagers: Classic Tailgate Beers for a Crowd
When you’re choosing beer for a group, pilsners and lagers are always a good place to start. Their crisp flavor, refreshing carbonation, and clean finish appeal to both longtime craft beer drinkers and anyone who simply wants a beer that’s easy to enjoy.
Pilsners bring subtle malt character with floral or lightly bitter hop notes, and light and medium-bodied lagers bring similarly balanced profiles. Both of these beer styles pair perfectly with classic football food like hot dogs and brats(opens in new tab), burgers, nachos, soft pretzels, and chips and dip.
If you’re hosting a big group and don’t know everyone’s preferences, we recommend putting a crisp lager or pilsner at the top of your game-day beer list.
Blonde Ales: An Approachable Craft Beer for Tailgating
Blonde ales are another crowd-friendly beer. They typically feature a gentle malt character, restrained bitterness, and a smooth finish, making them approachable for anyone who hasn’t explored many craft beer styles yet. But don’t think that accessibility means they’re boring. Brewers create plenty of character through malt, hops, and fermentation while keeping the balance that makes a blonde ale easy to savor.
Try a blonde ale with grilled chicken sandwiches, lighter sausages, potato salad, or snack trays. It’s also one of the best beers for early-season tailgating when the weather still feels warm.
Session IPAs: Hop Flavor Without the Heavy Finish
For football fans who love hops, a session IPA deserves a spot in the cooler. These brews deliver the citrus, pine, floral, or tropical hop aromas you expect from an IPA, but with a more moderate body and alcohol level. We’ve found that the moderate alcohol level makes them highly drinkable on game days. They also hold their own against spicy and salty tailgate foods.
We recommend pairing the bold flavor of a session IPA with buffalo wings, jalapeno poppers, loaded nachos, or spicy sausages.
Pale Ales: A Balanced Beer for Burgers and Barbecue
Pale ales are that sweet spot between lighter beers and more aggressive IPAs. They typically deliver a noticeable hop character but have enough malt balance to pair with a variety of tailgate favorites. It’s that versatility that makes pale ales one of the best beers for tailgating.
A good pale ale won’t get lost next to smoky barbecue, but it also won’t overpower a burger or sandwich. We like pale ales with pulled pork, cheeseburgers, barbecue ribs, grilled sausages, and hearty dips.
Amber Ales: A Great Match for Hearty Tailgate Food
When the weather cools down later in the season, it’s amber ale’s time to shine. Amber ales bring caramel, toasted bread, and lightly roasted malt flavors, balanced by enough hops to keep each sip refreshing. In our experience, those flavors pair especially well with what’s coming off the grill.
Try an amber ale with barbecue pork, burgers, smoked meats, chili, or brats. The toasted malt character echoes the browned, caramelized flavors of grilling.
Wheat Beers: Refreshing Craft Beer for Early-Season Tailgating
September football typically feels a lot like summer, especially when you’re standing on hot pavement next to a grill. For those warmer game days, we recommend a refreshing wheat beer.
Depending on the style, you may notice citrus, soft fruit, mild spice, or smooth wheat character. The brew’s lively carbonation and lighter body make it especially refreshing outside. Try a wheat beer paired with grilled chicken, lighter appetizers, or fresh salsa.
Seasonal Beers Bring Fall Flavor to Your Football Tailgate
Football and fall go hand in hand, and seasonal craft beer should be in the other hand. Fall releases match the weather with richer malt profiles, toasted flavors, warming spice, and fresh hop character. If you’re not sure where to start, you can always stop in to your local Growler Guys to have our certified Beer Stewards help you find the seasonal release beers that are perfect for tailgating.
How Many Beer Styles Should You Bring to a Tailgate?
We recommend keeping two to four different beer styles in the cooler. That provides enough variety to suit different tastes without turning your tailgate into a full-blown tasting room.
Your tailgate beer lineup could look like:
– One crisp option: Pilsner, lager, or blonde ale
– One hop-forward option: Pale ale or session IPA
– One malt-forward option: Amber or brown ale
– One wildcard: A seasonal or local craft beer
What Tailgate Foods Pair Best With Craft Beer?
Don’t worry about trying to find the perfect pairing. Instead, start by matching intensity and looking for complementary or contrasting flavors.
For example, rich, fatty foods pair well with beers with crisp carbonation or hop bitterness. Smoky meats pair well with toasted and caramel malt flavors. Spicy foods pair well with both hop-forward styles and refreshing, lower-alcohol beers.
Some easy combinations to start with are:
– Burgers: Pale ale, amber ale, or pilsner
– Wings: Session IPA or pale ale
– Brats: Pilsner, lager, or amber ale
– Barbecue: Amber ale or pale ale
– Nachos: Lager, pilsner, or session IPA
– Chili: Amber ale or a balanced pale ale
Keep Your Tailgate Beer Fresh and Cold
No matter how great your beer is, it won’t taste great if it spends an hour sitting in the sun. To keep your beer cold(opens in new tab), pack your cooler with plenty of ice or frozen packs, minimize how often you open it, and keep it out of direct sunlight. If you’re bringing fresh draft beer in a growler, keep that container cold, too.
Freshness also matters for great-tasting beer. The right storage preserves the beer’s aromas, carbonation, and flavors. At the Growler Guys, our state-of-the-art tap systems deliver fresh craft beer, and our Phssssh™ CO²TO GO! system keeps the growlers you take with you fresh and carbonated.
Make The Growler Guys Part of Your Football Tradition
One of our favorite things about football season is the sense of community. Friends get together around the grill. Families meet in the parking lot. Rivals trade a little trash talk. And great beer fits right in.
Before your next tailgate, see what’s on tap at your local Growler Guys(opens in new tab). Our certified Beer Stewards can help you discover new favorites and find the best beers for this season’s tailgating. Stop in for a pint, flight, or growler fill today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best beers for football tailgates?
The best beers for football tailgates include pilsners, lagers, blonde ales, pale ales, session IPAs, amber ales, wheat beers, and seasonal craft beers. These styles offer a mix of refreshing, balanced, and food-friendly flavors that work well with classic game-day fare.
What beer pairs best with burgers at a tailgate?
Pale ales, amber ales, and pilsners all pair well with burgers. Pale ales add hop character, amber ales complement grilled and caramelized flavors, and pilsners provide a crisp contrast to the meat and cheese.
What beer goes well with spicy wings?
Session IPAs and pale ales pair well with spicy wings. Their hop character stands up to bold sauces, and their carbonation makes the pairing refreshing. For a lighter option, a crisp lager also pairs well with spicy flavors.
How many types of beer should I bring for tailgating?
For most football tailgates, we recommend offering two to four beer styles. Include a crisp option like a lager, a hop-forward beer like a pale ale or session IPA, and a maltier or seasonal choice for extra variety.
Are lower-ABV beers good for tailgating?
Yes. Lower-ABV and sessionable beers are especially good for longer tailgates because they provide flavor without feeling overly heavy. Pilsners, blonde ales, wheat beers, and session IPAs all make approachable game-day choices.
How should I keep beer cold at a tailgate?
Keep your beer in a well-insulated cooler with plenty of ice or frozen packs, limit how often you open the cooler, and place it out of direct sunlight. Growlers and other draft beer containers should also stay cold until you’re ready to pour.
Can I bring a growler to a football tailgate?
Yes, as long as the venue and local rules allow it. A fresh growler gives your group another way to enjoy local craft beer. Keep it cold during transport and serve it according to the container’s storage recommendations.
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