With football season behind us, for many NFL teams, it’s a chance to start anew. For almost two decades, for New England fans the words “Patriots” and “Super Bowl” were boastfully used in the same sentence year after year. For most franchises, five years since the last championship doesn’t seem like a real lot. For New Englanders, it has seemed like forever. With a new coach, what will next year bring? For now, let’s take a look at the competing QBs over the last two years: Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. We won’t just investigate but have a beer as well. Thus I give you Mac vs Zappe, part of the six-pack series. This time it’s pairing these two New England quarterbacks with six New England IPAs.
Mac Jones and Fox Farm’s Allora
Beginning this quarterback battle is the starter, Mac Jones, paired with Connecticut’s Fox Farm Brewery. This juicy, hazy IPA, it’s what you’d expect for a classic New England IPA, with its golden strawlike hue and the citrusy mouthfeel from one of the region’s best breweries.
Bailey Zappe and Treehouse’s Sssappp
Zappe rips the starting position from the hands of Mac. Any IPA from the New England behemoth Tree House Brewing Company would suffice for this round. I chose Sssapp because it brings in a delightful piney spin on an IPA from New England.
Mac Jones and Beer’d’s Dogs and Boats Double IPA
Here’s a CT original, Dogs and Boats by Beer’d. It’s not too hazy, but it’s still repping New England just fine. We’re returning to the basics with Mac in this round of Mac vs Zappe.
Bailey Zappe and Two Roads’ Honeyspot Road IPA
Another established IPA from Connecticut is the Honeyspot Road IPA. Before there was hazy and citrusy, there was wheaty. Not like the breakfast cereal, this beer, named for the road in Stratford adjacent to the brewery, is kinda like a mix of IPA and wheat beer. For round 4, our Zappe pick is another CT classic.
Mac Jones and Austin Street’s 9th Anniversary Double IPA
For the last two rounds of Mac vs Zappe, we’re heading up to northern New England. Portland’s Austin Street brings out a special beer brewed for its ninth anniversary in 2023. At 8%, it’s higher in ABV but brings out all that haze and juiciness one would expect from a New England IPA.
Bailey Zappe and River Roost’s Rise of the Dahu
Zappe counters that with the final beer of the six-pack, a double IPA from River Roost Brewing in White River Junction, Vermont. Whatever they make is always good. The Rise of the Dahu is no exception. It’s got that classic River Roost IPA taste. Clean, juicy, and hazy, yum.
So who will win the starting quarterback job for the New England Patriots in 2024? It’s way too early to tell. It could be Mac or Zappe, or someone completely different. If it will be a similar season to the last two, drinking this six-pack might be the best part of it.
