FanPost

What are you drinking tonight?

The Lions have returned. As Suh, Fairley, Ansah and the rest of the pride gather to feast on the flesh of one Mark Sanchez, and the rest of us raise our voices and our glasses in a frenzied celebration of these preseason exploits, well, what is in that glass that you're holding anyway?

For me, it will be these selections:

1. Lion Stout.

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Appropriately named for the event at hand, 8% abv, rich, roasty, and a surprisingly good value at $10 for a 6-pack, this beer from Sri Lanka is my go-to. There are slightly superior stouts if you want to pay more (and for those I'm partial to my locals, New Holland Dragon's Milk and Founder's Imperial Stout), but for the money, I'm going with Lion Stout every Sunday afternoon (or Friday night, as it were).

Pairs well with:

shrimp, bbq pork, and a Calvin Johnson catch in the corner of the end zone.

2. Miler High Life.

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My favorite of the cheap cheap domestic mega-brews, High Life and I had some crazy adventures together when I was a younger man (and by "crazy adventures" I mostly mean parties with copious amounts of Super Smash Bros and some cannibis.). This beer will always hold a soft spot in my heart--and a square foot of space somewhere in my kitchen for the box of 'em.

Pairs well with:

chips, fries, a 60-yard Sam Martin punt, and most importantly, the higher-quality beers you drank earlier.

3. Big House Bourbon

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A few bucks cheaper than Jack, this $19.99 whiskey compares favorably to one that would cost $30 or more. My local specialty beverage retailer (shout out to International Beverage on the southeast side of Grand Rapids) offers whiskey samples at the counter periodically. When I came upon this bourbon, I enjoyed the taste, was surprised by the price, and really loved the bottle design--it has a classic square shape, with a cork instead of screw top, which feels so old-timey and badass.

Pairs well with:

steak, ribs, epic comebacks and epic collapses, may there be far more of the former.

4. Diet A&W with Hudsonville Vanilla Ice Cream

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For the non-alcoholic option, and since it was National Root Beer Float Day on Tuesday (I know, you're really kicking yourself for missing a lame marketing holiday invented for such a specific food item), this is always a good choice. Diet A&W root beer is the only pop I've found that doesn't have the "diet" taste, but I don't drink pop much I guess. Anyway...

Pairs well with:

chocolate, victory, and a celebratory Jim Schwartz fist pump

How about you?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride Of Detroit or its writers.