In week one, I advocated a balanced approach. In week two, I realized how silly this seemed and hoped instead a dominant defense would do the job.
If the Panthers have shown us anything under Ron Rivera, though, it is that they will find a way to lose the game. It's not always on one player or even on one side of the ball. No, the Panthers seem to institute Murphy's law during the last few minutes of the game to ensure they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
This week's beer, then, is less about what the Panthers need to do to win, and more a barometer of how the fanbase is feeling at this point in time.
Gose - Westbrook Brewing Company
The Brewery
Westbrook Brewing has a beautiful brewery out in Mount Pleasant, SC, which makes it neighbors with several other great breweries in the Charleston area (I visited them all last weekend. For photos, check out the Beer Lover's The Carolinas Facebook page). They brew a very diverse selection of styles throughout the year, in addition to popular year-round staples like their White Thai and IPA.
The Brew
Gose (pronounced "Gose-uh") is a once obscure German-style wheat beer that is seeing a renaissance among craft brewers. The style takes its name from German's Gose river, which flows through the town of Goslar. In the eleventh century, Goslar was well known as a brewing center and a salt mining town. It should come as no surprise that they decided to marry those two industries.
Westbrook's Gose is a sour wheat beer brewed with salt and coriander. If you haven't had the style yet, it will probably be unlike any other beer you have had. The sourness and salt make for a refreshing beer, and a dry finish leaves you wanting more. This is as good a beer as any to end summer with before committing to so many marzens and pumpkin beers.
How it relates to the game
It's one thing for your team to lose -- it's another for your team to lose in the last minutes of the game, as the Carolina Panthers under Ron Rivera are so wont to do. It leaves fans sour and salty, just like this week's beer. Westbrook Gose is also available in the can, which is where the Panthers season will be if they drop three in a row.
And if they win? They might be able to make a comeback, just like this sour, salty style.
Price Point / Availability
Here's the ticker: for the most part, this one's only available in South Carolina (with the exception of some stores in Georgia and Alabama). So if you're in NC but close to the border, consider driving south to pick some up at your favorite bottle shop. And if you're not, well, you'll have to just be sour and salty with some other beer in hand this week.
Westbrook's Gose usually runs for $10.99 a six-pack.
Looking to drink craft beer at the game? Here's a list of craft beers in Bank of America Stadium.