Tyler Berry's Sports-Watching Drinks of Choice

Photo Cred: Fansided

Two things I love dearly in this crazy messed up world of ours are alcohol and watching sports. A third thing I love is talking — or writing, in this case — about alcohol and sports. So, fresh off a liquor store run on this cold, blustery day in Central Indiana, I thought “Hey, why not write about what I like to drink while watching specific sports.” Because it’s my blog and I’ll project my ever-so-slight alcoholism and my not-so-slight obsession with sports on anyone who will take the seven minutes to read it.


Hockey (NHL, AHL, NCAA)
For me, watching a hockey game is a damn good time. I don’t need to get crazy liquored up to enjoy the fastest game on ice. But, I do enjoy a tasty beverage while I watch people six or seven years my junior do things that I’ll never ever be able to do.


So what’s my beverage of choice? Well, I am watching hockey, so naturally I usually choose the most Canadian drink known to man: Molson’s, the official beer of the NHL. Look, I know you’re thinking that Molson’s is “bad,” or “piss water,” or “what the fuck is Molson’s,” but it’s really not bad as far as those mass-produced lagers go.


At 5.0% ABV, it’s easy to drink two or three during a two-hour NHL game and still be sober enough to follow the puck and remember what icing is.


Premier League Soccer (or World Cup, Euro, etc)

As a huge Premier League and European soccer fan, I’ve oft woken up at the crack of dawn on chilly days to root for an Arsenal win or an Arsenal rival loss. Being that most of those games take place between the hours of 4-10 AM PST, I’m not usually in the mood to get black out drunk. Also, chances are it’s still semi cold out even in LA at 4 AM, so I’m not ready for a liquor-based drink like a Jack and Coke or a lighter beer like Corona.


My go-to drink, actually drink combination, at these early hours of the morning is a shot of chilled Fireball cinnamon whiskey and an ice-cold Newcastle brown ale. 


This honestly started as a tradition for me back in 2014 when Arsenal played a 9 AM PST FA Cup Final match. With a Newcastle in hand, I plopped down on the couch in my LA studio apartment and began to watch what should have been a gimme game against a far less superior Hull City side. Well, Hull City quickly went up 2-0. So, that’s when I brought out the Fireball from my freezer.


A shot of that, and then another shot, and another, along with a couple more Newcastles and I was waking up the entire apartment complex with my cheers and shouts. Arsenal came back to win the final 3-2, and I forever gained a new drinking tradition.

NFL Football
Football Sundays have been a staple in my life for the past few years. Thanks to the kind bartenders and servers that I have grown close to over the years, I have developed a good drinking combination for the long 11-hour day that is NFL Sunday.


First, I always start off with a Bloody Mary. Chances are, I went drinking the night before and need a delicious hair-of-the-dog to get my mind and body right. From there, it’s all about the Corona.


For me, Corona Light is the ideal beer to drink consistently over the course of an entire day. It’s lower in calories, less filling, a 4.5% ABV, which all lead to a good time and a decent buzz, while still leaving you without a bloated feeling.


Corona Lights are my thing for football, no question about it.


NBA Basketball (College, too)

For any game outside of a Pacers game, give me a delicious craft beer. Something like a Modern Times brewed beer if I’m in California, or a Sun King if I’m in Indiana. You know, a great-tasting beer that has a higher ABV, one that I can drink two or three of while enjoying watching the Warriors destroy everyone.


For a Pacers game, it all depends on how the game is going. If the Pacers look good, I’ll probably still stick to a nice craft beer. If the ‘Cers are getting their asses kicked, bring out the Jack Daniels. Jack and Coke is my favorite “I need a stiff drink because my team looks like shit” drink.


MLB Baseball

The White Sox are terrible. So, liquor. Just any liquor I can throw in a cup and drown my sorrows in. Hell, just give me the bottle.


What are your drinks of choice depending on the sport you’re watching? What’s that? You’re not a borderline alcoholic so you don’t think about these things? That’s fair…I’ll just be over here.


*Sips beer*

Photo Cred: Rosamund Press