I have recently participated in winning my local beer league championship (New York City), and while most of you might think, “so what?”, I have to tell you that it is a fantastic feeling. You really do grind out a season with the boys; all the blocked shots and other bruises add up quickly, and some of them never seem to heal. The effort that goes into it is what makes the feeling of finally lifting the trophy better than you would ever expect – even if the trophy is plastic and you can’t really drink out of it or take it home because it usually sits in a dusty office.

Between taking a slight lap in the rink and pretending you are just like the big league, that corny stuff we all do no matter what your age is, you really get a happy feeling. You go back into the locker room and start drinking. After all, this is hockey we are talking about here, right? Hockey and beer go together like a fat guy in a red suit and a herd of deer.

You get what I’m talking about…

Now, there is a reason why they call most of these men’s leagues “Beer League Hockey” – we all love drinking beer before, during, and after the games. It does not always produce the most atheletic and graceful performances, but it is always fun as hell.

The question for us here today though…”what beer is the ultimate go to in these beer leagues”?

The beers will vary between regions and countries, but there has to be the ultimate beer league beer that deserves those honors based on being the most popular beer among hockey players. I would also like to think that most hockey players a bit more diverse beer drinkers than most run of the mill baseball and football fans. In baseball and football it is a tie between Coors light and Bud Light for light beer, and Budweiser rules in most areas. But what about hockey?

So, these would be my nominations based on scientific data I have acquired during my time playing in said leagues and participating in the drinking of the said beers. I have also asked my fellow writers at LWOS, who represent some of the biggest hotbeds in hockey throughout Ontario, Quebec and various other parts of Canada and the US.

Heineken is just one of those beers that goes down easy and provides a fair amount of flavor. It has a crisp refreshing taste that is what you crave after a long tiring hockey game. The crisp flavor helps it go down very smoothly and you would be hard pressed to find anyone on the team turning one of these down. While most beer snobs will probably call this one out for its simplicity, it still delivers and is one of the most consumed beers in the world. The Heineken light has probably added to the popularity of this beer, there is only one issue with it in my eyes and it’s price. Definitely not the cheap beer, but still manageable as it often goes on sale. It’s the Cadillac of beer league beers, if you will.

I will have to group Coors Light and Bud Light together as they both offer very little in taste difference. Both are relatively cheap and very easy to drink beers. These are no one’s favorite, I hope, but they are more often than not the go-to beers due to how easy it is to drink lots of them. After a long, hard hockey game they can offer a nice refreshment indeed. Mostly you will see these beers because they are on the cheap end and are very accessible and mainstream.

Molson Canadian is a very popular beer with our hockey brethren in the North. Some may compare it to Coors/Bud Light, this beer remains the go-to in most Canadian bars and beer leagues. This beer does even make its way into American beer leagues as well, though mostly in states bordering the 49th. This beer is light and refreshing and I prefer it over Coors/Bud light myself, and has even won awards for being the best beer in North America. I know, some of you are now cringing.

Labatt Blue is another beer that stems from the North. Because of the high concentration of adult leagues north of the border, we have our second Canadian beer (well, it’s not technically owned by Canadians anymore, but it was). Let’s face it, most hockey players will not pony up for the fancy seasonals and local breweries that often, but reach for whatever is available in their local liquor store, deli, or a supermarket on the way to the games – it’s convenient. Or if in Canada the local Beer Store will surely have a beautiful display of Blue (and Canadian) complete with whatever give-away is occurring at that time. Labatt Blue is an average tasting beer that won’t blow you away by flavor, but it will definitely deliver in the refreshment department – hell, most guys won’t complain after a game, so long as it’s cold! I don’t drink this one often, but as I said before our Canadian brothers play a lot of hockey and definitely consume a lot of Labatt Blue.

So, what beer is the most popular with your team? Do you fall into the mega brands category? Does your team go off the board with a local micro? Do you reach for the bargain basement beer or are you on the sophisticated end of the spectrum? We do need this information, so please reply at the bottom!

Cheers…and have a Happy Hour!

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