FanPost

Beer Avenue

During the doldurms of Thursday's game, Deathrox piped up with some divine inspiration:

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So, ladies and gentleman, I give you Beer Avenue.

The Starting Nine

Catcher - Travis D'Arnaud: Trois Pistoles - Unibroue

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Nod to the French Canadian surname aside, this beer is highly rated by aficionados. The Belgian Strong Dark Ale shows signs of power with its rich body, and improves over time as it warms up.

First Base - Lucas Duda: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine

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Deathrox kicked it off, so it's only fair he gets this pick. With a pungent and powerful nose, this is definitely a thick, lumbering, deliberate beer. Also, easy to look past the hops.

Second Base - Daniel Murphy: Smithwick's Imported Premium Irish Ale - Guinness Ltd.

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An Irish blue collar ale that gets the job done, even if it doesn't look pretty doing it - what more needs to be said?

Shortstop - Wilmer Flores: Hunahpu's Imperial Stout - Double Barrel Aged - Cigar City Brewing

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New to the beer scene, Hunahpu's has made quite a name for itself, but now that it's hit the mainstream, some people are calling it overrated. Pouring jet black, shrouded in mystery, a lot of complex flavors hit your tongue. Chocolate? Vanilla? Rum? Cinnamon? A lot of people have their opinions on where this beer goes.

Third Base - David Wright: Homefront IPA - Fremont Brewing Co., Left Hand Brewing, Stone Brewing, et al.

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Only the most American, patriotic, quintessentially baseball beer will do here. Homefront IPA is a collaboration between many craft breweries nationwide, in which all proceeds are donated to the Operation Homefront project. Louisville Slugger maple bats are added near the end of the aging process. Once you crack it open, you get a big hoppy, resiny taste, and (much like 2006-2008) a bitter finish.

Right Field - Curtis Granderson: Octoberfest - Samuel Adams

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This is the ultimate nice guy of beers. It's not dynamic or loud or abrasive. It keeps its head down, does a good enough job, and everyone seems to have nice things to say about it. Also, with 8 postseason series under Granderson's belt, the name is about the best a Met is going to do.

Center Field - Juan Lagares: Racer 5 IPA - Bear Republic Brewing Company

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Racer 5 has a quick first step, as the hit of hoppy bitterness sprints to your tongue. The mellow body that follows covers the full palette, and almost lulls you into a false sense of security until you grab another swig, and the strong resin comes flying at you again.

Left Field - Matt den Dekker: La Trappe Dubbel - Koningshoeven

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Coming from the only true Dutch Trappist brewery, this Dubbel is not thought of as the best trappist ale on the market, but certainly worth a look. The smooth play of the dark brown body is enhanced by notes of pepper and lively carbonation that some think make it a mainstay.

Pitcher - Zack Wheeler: 90 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head Brewery

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Another highly touted beer, this one lives up to the hype. 90 Minute is continually hopped, meaning the hops keep hitting the brew kettle at high velocity over and over again. With its 9% ABV, it can be aged, and one can hope the winning formula will become more complex over time.

The Rest of the Rotation

Jacob deGrom: Prima Pils - Victory Brewing Company

Easily overlooked, but you'd be a fool to do so. Most people don't get excited about pilsners, but when given a chance, the bright hops of Prima Pils burst onto the scene. The pilsner style allows for a clean, fresh finish.

Bartolo Colon: Schlitz Gusto - JOS. Schlitz Brewing Co.

Been around for what feels like forever. They keep making it and people keep drinking it.

Dillon Gee: Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale - Boulevard Brewing Co.

A reliably inconsistent beer. Sometimes you get a tasty, spicy, earthy beer. Sometimes you get an unbalanced mess.

Jonathon Niese: #9 - Magic Hat Brewing Company

Was thought of as a good deal when it first arrived, but as the competition around it continues to increase in quality, the more #9 begins to look pretty mediocre. And yes, I'm passing on a joke about this beer's nose.

The Bench

Anthony Recker: Shiner Ruby Redbird - Spoetzl Brewery

Not to paint with broad strokes, but I find that women usually enjoy the fruit beers. They're usually pretty fluffy and sometimes barely even beer to begin with. That being said, Ruby Redbird has its moments, and it can be a welcome change of pace.

Ruben Tejada: Omission Lager - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

Omission is a line of Gluten Free beers. Lager is a notoriously bland style. These two facts do not, a good beer, make.

Eric Campbell: NightTime - Lagunitas Brewing Company

You hear Lagunitas and you probably think "Oh that brewery that does one thing well, hit lefties make IPAs." But when you dig deeper into their catalog, you realize that they can hack it on other styles too. Sure, you're still coming primarily for the hops in NightTime, but you also get light roasted malt and sweet coffee notes too.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Fat Tire - New Belgium Brewing

Most legitimate beer drinkers have experienced this. You want to like Fat Tire but there are so many other, better options. But sometimes when you go out for a drink, your friends convince you to go to some dive. Fat Tire's normally your fourth or fifth choice, but it's either that or anything from Anheuser Busch. Fat Tire it is.

Eric Young, Jr.: Red Stripe Jamaican Lager - Desnoes & Geddes Limited

What? They don't have Fat Tire? I guess...I'll have....a Red Stripe.

The Bullpen

Jenrry Mejia: Melange No. 3 - The Bruery

Melange No. 3 is a heavy hitting American Strong Ale. It's best in short bursts, and manages to keep its complexity in that role. Oak, maple, bourbon, and floral hops all come at you in a flurry of activity.

Jeurys Familia: Citra Mantra - Otter Creek Brewing

Otter Creek has always had potential as a brewery, but had just kind of wandered its way through releases. This year, they finally put it all together with Citra Mantra, an India Pale Lager. Bursting with citrus flavors, Citra Mantra is light and smooth, with just a touch of dry finish.

Vic Black: Saranac High Peaks Series Chocolate Orange - Matt Brewing Company

Much like the entry above, Saranac has improved dramatically of late, and this beer is a perfect example. This Baltic Porter has a nice smoky, roasty malt character, though the advertised orange aspect isn't a consistent asset, and can be hard to find. Perhaps this will be improved on the next release.

Josh Edgin: Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - The Schlafly Tap Room

I had this for the first time last year, and had a bottle on an empty stomach. I enjoyed it, then stood up and went "Woah. That...was sneaky alcoholic." 36 appearances for Edgin, seems to be just fine. And then you check. "Woah. 1.64 ERA. Sneaky."

Carlos Torres: West Coast IPA - Green Flash Brewing Co.

West Coast trucked along for a number of years being a merely good IPA. Then all of the sudden it recently underwent a reformulation and got kicked up a notch. It's enjoying a resurgence, but be careful not to drink too many, or you'll get burned out.

Buddy Carlyle: Bell's Best Brown - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

Who really gets excited about brown ales? Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan. They're just not glamorous. So when you have a good solid brown ale overshadowed by a brewery's other, clearly more visible and popular choices (Two Hearted, Hopslam, Oberon), you really do forget how solid Bell's Brown is.

Dana Eveland: Session Lager - Full Sail Brewery

A true yeoman craft brew lager. Quiet and unassuming, this smooth, clean lager does its job, little more, little else. As its name suggests, it does have the dexterity of going multiple bottles deep effectively.

The Staff

Terry Collins: Rolling Rock Extra Pale - Latrobe Brewing Co.

Another hat tip to Deathrox here. Some people seem to like it, but they're wrong. They're either drinking a skunked Rolling Rock or a fresh Rolling Rock that still tastes skunked.

Lamar Johnson: Chucktown Follicle Brown - Holy City Brewing

If there's a beer that's 'selectively aggressive,' it's this one. Chucktown is one of the few Imperial Brown ales I've had the pleasure of drinking, and like other brown ales, pours a cloudy deep brown has a smooth nutty mouthfeel. But where it jumps out of its stance is its vigorous carbonation, prominent hop character, and a little zing of alcohol.

Dan Warthen: Rübæus - Founders Brewing Company

This beer makes the beers around it better. On its own (and many may not agree) I think it tastes like a melted raspberry popsicle, and that's not what I'm looking for in a beer. But put a splash in a Hottenroth Berliner Weisse by The Bruery or a Guinness Draught or a Dogfish Head 60 Minute, and those beers take on a whole new temperament.

Sandy Alderson, Paul DePodesta, J.P. Ricciardi: Three Philosophers - Brewery Ommegang

This is a slow, deliberate sipper of a Belgian Quad. Many people buy one, let it age for a good five years, and expect positive results.

Ray Ramirez: Third Shift Amber Lager - Coors Brewing Company

This beer is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Pretending to be a craft brew, Third Shift specializes in outwardly appearing to be what the public wants, but the results of Coors' efforts are often worse than you'd even imagine.

Jay Horwitz: Pabst Blue Ribbon - Pabst Brewing Company

People like to heap praise on PBR in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. Everyone knows that the beer world has passed it by in the 30 years it's been around, but (just like Schlitz) they keep making it and people keep drinking it.

Fred Wilpon: Keystone Ice - Coors Brewing Company

The beer that should've gone away long ago. Why is Keystone Ice still a thing?

Jeff Wilpon: Keystone Light - Coors Brewing Company

Just like Keystone Ice, but crappier, and more watered down.

The Kids

Noah Syndergaard: Imperial Stout - Nøgne Ø

Thick, powerful Norse beer. Yet to be experienced by the masses.

Rafael Montero: Spotted Cow - New Glarus Brewing

This small brewery has done extremely well regionally, but has yet to hit the national stage, as it does not export out of its home state of Wisconsin. Spotted Cow is a tasty, if not fancy, ale.

Kevin Plawecki: Lips Of Faith - Gruit - New Belgium Brewing

Last year, Lips of Faith gave us Yuzu, an Imperial Berliner Weisse, that underwhelmed upon hitting the market. This year, Gruit has been putting up some pretty solid numbers, prompting people to wonder if Gruit is the LoF of the future. That being said, many have pointed out that while Gruit is a good beer, it lacks the character of a true Scottish Gruit, and may just be better suited as a regular old first baseman spiced beer.

Michael Conforto: Fire and Blood - Brewery Ommegang

Fire and Blood is one of three Game of Thrones themed special releases from Ommegang. One can only assume Conforto was enjoying a glass as he binge watched his way through this summer.

Dominic Smith: Rye-on-Rye - Boulevard Brewing Co.

This Rye packs a punch at 12% ABV, but don't let the power of the rye fool you. Behind the initial hit are the consistent smooth flavors of raisins and plums you'd find in a barley wine. This is another one to age and come back to in a few years.

Brandon Nimmo: 33 Acres of Ocean - 33 Acres Brewing Co.

33 Acres of Ocean is the only logical place where one can take a stab at finding Nimmo.

Dilson Herrera: Essential Pale Ale - Port City Brewing

Someone leaves one in your fridge after they head out for the night and you think "Fine by me, another beer to drink. Shrug." But this isn't your normal run of the mill pale ale. Instead of the typical American hop overload, Essential is clean, bready, and malty. "Thanks, that guy who left my party; clearly you don't know what you're missing. I think I'll enjoy this for many years to come."

Amed Rosario: Hipster - Evil Twin Brewing

Oh you don't know about Hipster? It's an eclectic pale ale brewed in Brooklyn, I wouldn't expect that you've heard of it. Bottom line - everyone wants to get in on this one before it blows up so they can say they knew pretty early on what a great pale ale it was.

The Other Guys

Matt Harvey: Space Station: Middle Finger - 3 Floyds Brewing Company

Don't worry, Matt, I'd flip the bird at surgery too.

Bobby Parnell: Knuckle Sandwich - Bootlegger's Brewey

Hoping that sweet knuckle curve comes back better than ever next year.

Daisuke Matsuzaka: Hop Bet Red - Pair O' Dice Brewing

The Dice Man...heal-eth.

Josh Satin: HopDevil - Victory Brewing Company

HAIL.

Scott Rice: Kirin Lager - Kirin Brewery

Get it? Because it's made with rice?

R.A. Dickey: God Lager - Nils Oscar

RAmen.

Kyle Farnsworth: Bitter American - 21st Amendment Brewery

He said he'd get his revenge. Has not happened.

Carlos Beltran: Blame It On The Boil - Crazy Mountain Brewing Company

Just don't #BlameBeltran.

Nick Evans: Who Schwarted? - Against the Grain Brewery

I don't know, did he?

Keith Hernandez: Secret Stache Stout - Finch's Beer Company

At this point, the secret is that he used to have a 'stache.

Gary Cohen: High Road Everyday Ale - Badger Hill Brewing Company

Day in, day out, Gary's in the booth doing a damn fine job.

Ron Darling: Bookbinder Bitter - Emerson's Brewery

There is no book! But there is a bookbinder.

Tony Bernazard: Treasure Chest - Green Flash Brewing Co.

When you absolutely have to take off your shirt, drink a Treasure Chest.

Cole Hamels: Arrogant Bastard Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

Presented without comment.

Alright folks. I'm sure you have better suggestions for some of the above, and some additions to the list within the Mets-o-sphere. Let me know in the comments!

This FanPost was contributed by a member of the community and was not subject to any vetting or approval process.