Beers for The Avengers


As I was thinking about putting together a Beer for the Weekend post, I realized that there's an extremely important event happening this weekend that deserves proper beer coverage. No, I'm not talking about Cinco de Mayo. All I need to recommend for that is BL Margs and Loco 'Dreets, obviously. What I'm speaking of is the premiere of The Avengers, where comic book dweebs like myself finally get to see a dream collection of heroes come together to kick some ass. Since I don't get too many opportunities to inject the other nerdy aspects of my life into the blog, I thought I'd take full advantage here and recommend some beers that fall in line perfectly with the heroes of the Avengers.



Iron Man/Tony Stark - Founder's Dirty Bastard

Tony Stark, the man inside the Iron Man costume, may be an inventive genius and savvy billionaire businessman, but he also has his share of vices. With a penchant for booze, especially bourbon, and a habit for womanizing, it only made sense to me that Iron Man's beer of choice would have to be Founder's Dirty Bastard (I'm sure he's been called this a few times in his day). This wee heavy would give him the perfect taste of scotch that he lusts for, plus it has a name that screams 'I hit it and quit it'. Let's just hope his jet boots don't malfunction in Alabama when he's craving a beer..


Captain America/Steve Rogers - Anchor Liberty Ale

Patriotic and classic. Two words to describe both Captain America, a superhero that dates back to 1940, Anchor Liberty Ale, a beer from a brewery that was founded in 1896. Given how straight laced and no-nonsense Steve Rogers is, I don't see him reaching for a crazy, barrel-aged monster of a beer. I think he'd want something fairly straightforward and basic, which fits right in line with the balanced American IPA that is Liberty Ale. Plus, let's face it; the guy is completely decked out in red, white and blue, is there really any doubt that he'd go for a beer with an eagle and American flag shield on the artwork?




Thor - Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout

Based on the hammer-wielding Norse god of thunder, lightning and a scad of other things, I think it's pretty obvious that Thor would want to pay tribute to Norway when cracking open a beer. So to celebrate Thor's latest appearance on the big screen, why not look to Nøgne Ø, a Norwegian brewery that can be find at most of the larger liquor stores in the area? If I had to guess, I think Thor would appreciate a beer that is heavy hitting and regal sounding, so check out the Imperial Stout, a 9% ABV beer that is one of the more readily available amongst the Nøgne Ø offerings.



The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner - Mikkeller Big Worse Barleywine

Much like Dr. Bruce Banner, the bottle for Mikkeller's Big Worse Barleywine is pretty unassuming. A small, 11 ounce bottle with relatively plain, drab artwork of a guy's face. At first appearance, you may not expect much from this beer. But once that cork is blown, look out. Sweet, caramel flavors that are seemingly innocent help hide the alcohol in what is a 12% ABV beast that can ultimately hit you hard if you aren't careful. There are a few different versions of this, standard, bourbon barrel aged and red wine barrel aged, but regardless of which one you choose, be careful because once you've cracked this little guy open, you're definitely unleashing a monster.



Hawkeye/Clint Barton  - Odell Myrcenary

Given the fact that Hawkeye is an expert marksman who can take out targets from afar, it only seemed appropriate that he would enjoy a beer with the name Myrcenary. And really, what's there not to enjoy about this beer? Though I'm an admitted Myrcenary fan boy, I can honestly say I've never met anyone who had a bad word to say about it. It's a fantastic, year-round double IPA that drinks cleanly and has the perfect amount of citrus notes to complement the strong hop profile. Drink up Hawkeye, I'm sure it's not easy being one of the two Avengers that doesn't actually have any superpowers.



Black Widow/Natalia Romanova - North Coast Old Rasputin 

A dark, under-appreciated Russian Imperial Stout to pay tribute to a dark, underestimated Russian martial artist, weapons expert and spy. It seems like Old Rasputin tends to fly under the radar around here (North Coast beers in general do, really), but the fact is that it's a quality RIS that you can get year-round for a much cheaper price than some of the limited Imperial Stouts that people clamor for. Black Widow might seem pretty unassuming. A pretty face that a super villain might scoff at until suddenly she's behind him snapping his neck. Old Rasputin won't fatally wound you (unless you smash the bottle and eat the glass shards), but it may surprise you as to just how good it is, and make you wonder why you keep passing it over at the liquor store.



So if you plan on pre-gaming before checking out The Avengers, or sneaking some beer into the theater (this is not an endorsement to do so) somehow, you have a few great options to choose from that are a perfect fit for the superhero dream team. Given the ABV on most of these, though, you might want to stick to a couple of them, or else you probably won't remember how the movie ends.

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