Buffalo Wild Wings Launches Limited-Edition Beers for Fantasy Football Drafts

For plenty of fantasy football leagues, the draft is the most exciting day of the season, and hosting these draft parties has become big business for bars: They’re guaranteed a group of people who may only get to see each other a few times a year and are ready to consume their own weight in beer and appetizers. Buffalo Wild Wings understands this and has taken a unique approach to luring in drafters: The chicken wing chain has released a series of exclusive regional beers specifically designed to pair with fantasy drafts.

Back in February, Buffalo Wild Wings introduced its B-Dubs Brew Series where the brand teams up with different brewers around the country to create one-of-a-kind beers for the chain. For example, the first beer in the series came from California’s Stone Brewing. But for fantasy draft party season, Buffalo Wild Wings has taken that concept to another level with its Regional Brew Series, teaming up with six well-known brewers, each from a different region of the country, to create six different exclusive limited-time only beers, all with a football team.

In the West and North Central parts of the country (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MN, ND, NM, NV, OR, SD, WA), B-Dubs will be serving Deschutes Fantasy Football League India Pale Lager. The Central region (CO, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, TX, WY) will get Odell Draft Party Milkshake IPA. Locations in the Midwest (IL, IN, MI, OH, OK, WI) will offer Founders 3rd and Lager. The Southeast region (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN) is getting Sweetwater Low Hanging Fruit. The Northeast (CT, DC, DE, KY, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV) will be served Harpoon Simcoe the Underdog Pale Ale. And finally, Utah (apparently a region unto itself) is getting Moab Grapefruit Pale Ale.

So what makes these beers so fantasy draft friendly? 3rd and Lager boasts “a gorgeous tropical fruit aroma and flavor.” Simcoe the Underdog is said to pack “in all your favorite tropical, citrus, fruity notes with none of the bitterness.” Low Hanging Fruit “is an incredibly crushable golden ale with passionfruit.” Fantasy Football League IPL features “notes of tangerine, honeydew, pineapple and pine.” Meanwhile, Draft Party Milkshake IPA has “aromas of peach, pineapple and pear … while tropical fruit-like flavors dominate and a slightly sweet milk-sugar character balances the bitterness.” Essentially, all these beers are on the drinkable, fruity side.

Granted, some craft beer fans might be skeptical of the 1,200-plus sports bar chain, but Buffalo Wild Wings actually has a long history of being one of the few national chains that has given power to individual managers to stock the beers of their choosing. And even the Brewers Association has given the brand the okay: Last month it was announced that Buffalo Wild Wings would be an official sponsor at this year’s Great American Beer Festival.