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PAC-12 Pints: Will the Bears bring brews for the UCLA Football Bruins?

By Michael Chavez

BERKELEY, CA - NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Justin Wilcox of the California Golden Bears talks to side judge Michael Marsh during their game against the Oregon State Beavers at California Memorial Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BERKELEY, CA - NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Justin Wilcox of the California Golden Bears talks to side judge Michael Marsh during their game against the Oregon State Beavers at California Memorial Stadium on November 4, 2017 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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It’s time for our final installment of PAC-12 Pints for the 2017 UCLA football season. This time we take a look at some of the best breweries you can find locally from up in the bay.

We’ve gotten a chance to spend plenty of time in the state of California during our PAC-12 Pints series. This time we look at Berkeley and the surrounding area before the Cal Golden Bears take on the UCLA Football Bruins Friday in the Rose Bowl.

It almost seems absurd to think that craftbeer meccas seem to be both to the North and South of Los Angeles but as we talked about in our last edition there are plenty of amazing craftbeer places to try and visit within driving distance.

Related Story: PAC-12 Pints: UCLA Football or USC Trojans, just agree on good beer

Northern California has been a haven of craftbeer ever since a certain craft brewery opened up in Chico. Sierra Nevada has often being described as a rite of passage for many new beer drinkers including myself. Their Pale Ale and Torpedo are standards for any get together but luckily it’s the right time of the season for our first beer. Celebration IPA is a winter release for Sierra Nevada that in my opinion should be available all year-round. The only reason it’s not? It’s a fresh-hop IPA meaning the hops used were picked straight from the vines and thrown in to make this beer. There’s a bright, piney, resinous quality to the front of the mouth with this beer that’s balanced so well with the malt on the back end. Not a hop bomb by any stretch of the imagination but a delicious, well balanced beverage that always gives you a reason to celebrate.

Drake’s Brewing company might not be a name you’re familiar with but if you love craftbeer you’re sure to be a fan. 1500 Pale Ale is a dry hopped American Pale Ale. The dry hopping shows itself in it’s aggressively hoppy bite. The malt finish might seem a little subdued but the dry hopping lends itself to a high quality mouthfeel with plenty of flavor while still being a lower alcohol by volume this is a beer you can share all day. Just like how UCLA Football QB Josh Rosen is going to be throwing on Cal all day. Am I right folks? No? Anyway moving on.

The next brewery on our list is one I’m sure you’ve heard of but it’s probably not the beer you’re thinking of. 21st Amendment has become one of the most popular craft breweries in the San Francisco area mostly because of their summer refresher Hell or High Watermelon but it’s another one of their options that’s making our list. Brew Free! Or Die IPA is another west-coast IPA that gives you plenty of of those piney, citrus qualities that you love in your beers. It’s refreshing but has a substantial body that fills your mouth with flavor without filling you up.

Next: Know Your Opponent: UCLA Football vs. Cal 2017

So there we have it. The final regular season installment of PAC-12 Pints. Should the UCLA Football team secure a win over the Cal Golden Bears and become bowl eligible there will be a special bowl game version and the first chance to look at breweries outside of the PAC-12.