FanPost

"Beer of the Series" Series #36 - Chicago White Sox, August 2-4, Comerica Park

It seems like we just played these guys a week ago...because we did. Since then, however, the Tigers have had a nice little 5 game winning streak against a pair of NL East teams and the White Sox have taught us all how to blow interesting leads to a furiously lucky team, being swept at the hands of the Cleveland Indians and not allowing the Tigers to gain any ground in the division. However, that's not all that has changed.

The White Sox and Tigers became swap buddies, working with Boston on a 3-team trade sending Jake Peavy to the Red Sox in exchange for a bounty of prospects. The key names for Tigers fans were Avisail Garcia, Brayan Villarreal (sorry, Erin), and Jose Iglesias.

The departure of Peavy weakens the pitching staff that was probably the strength of the Chicago roster, but it no doubt bolsters the injury depleted Red Sox rotation. Swapping out the fireballing Villarreal to Fenway and the powerful but poorly disciplined Garcia to the Southsiders for the light-hitting, slick-fielding Iglesias fills a bevy of potential holes, most notably Jhonny Peralta.

Peralta's connection to Biogenesis is for anything from receiving wrinkle reduction cream to deer antler spray to elephant growth hormone. MLB's silence on the matter is peculiar, but hopefully the (suspected) 50 game suspension comes soon so that he can be ready for the playoffs. Until then, we'll see what Iglesias has.

As for the beer, we're heading back into Michigan after two consecutive Interleague series. Wolverine State has been around since 2006, uniquely brewing only lagers. The tastiest of the lot that i have selected for this series is the Gulo Gulo India Pale Lager.

Wolverine-state-gulo-gulo-ipl-india-pale-lager_medium

via beerpulse.com

The reason most homebrewers and craft breweries predominantly make ales is the fact that they're easier to make, require less energy (read: refrigeration), and have a wider "window" of creativity. Lagers need to be made and fermented at a much lower temperature than ales do, and if you make a small mistake with a lager, it's more likely to completely ruin your batch. The upside is that a lager is a much crisper, cleaner beer that is extremely drinkable and flavorful when made right. The Gulo Gulo was made right, using a two-stage hop technique by not only hopping in the brew pot, but also in the fermenter, allowing the hop aromas and flavors to be imparted on the beer as well as the clean, dry aftertaste IPAs are known for. The citrus aromas and delicate floral flavors greet the drinker, while a solid pine aftertaste leads to the crisp finish. A beer not for the faint of heart and one that definitely leaves you pleasantly surprised, the 7% ABV and 65 IBU figures ensure that a six pack will be all you need for the weekend.

Wolverine State Brewing Company is located in Ann Arbor, MI.

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