Update spring 2016: When we first started, Jim and I would cross our fingers that the city we were heading to for a game would also have a brewery to write up. Sometimes they didn’t or sometimes we had to stretch our boundaries and pair a park with a brewery that was 25+ minutes away. Slowly the tide turned and suddenly instead of crossing our fingers to find a brewery, we were hoping breweries we wanted to visit had a team nearby. These days we find ourselves visiting multiple breweries in most every place we visit, and so the one we choose to pair is usually the most together, got the most options or most unique atmosphere and serves as a local hotspot or simply our favorite. We have come to realize that if we want to do justice to the places we review (and do anything other than peruse breweries in these towns we visit) that we can’t go everywhere. So if we’ve missed a great one, or didn’t write up the one you’d expect for a certain place, feel free to let us know! There is usually method to our madness, but sometimes it’s just a matter of time!
Who are we?
We’re Gillian and Jim, two sports fans who are also, well, beer-fans. Whenever possible, we’re traveling around the country visiting ballparks (stadiums, arenas and the like), and pairing them with local breweries. Sometimes there are just too many good breweries in one city to pick just one, in those cases, keep an eye out for our “bonus breweries” where we give you even more (and in some cases better) options for your next visit.
If you’ve had a chance to read a couple of our entries, you might notice that Jim traditionally likes stouts and porters (the smokier the better) and anything that’s spent some time steeping in a bourbon barrel. Gillian leans more toward reds and browns, but we’re game to try pretty much anything; and we have! Throughout our adventures, we have enjoyed beers so smoky, you’d think you were drinking a bbq in a glass, and have tried beers with ingredients you would never expect to go into a good recipe, from jalapenos to oysters, and even 150 pounds of hemp!
If you have a favorite local haunt that we should visit, please send us an email and let us know — we’d love to hear from you. Otherwise, please look around and enjoy our travels. And don’t forget to come back soon, our goal is to add a minimum of two new posts each month in-season, and one a month even when the ballclubs are taking their winter break. In between, be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter as we keep you tuned in to our latest exploits, and help keep you on top of the best ballparks and brews news from around the country!
Celebrating America’s pastimes,
Jim and Gillian Wilson
JimWilson@ballparksandbrews.com
GillianWilson@ballparksandbrews.com