March 15, 2023  | By Brian Hamilton and Eamonn Brennan, The Athletic

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The NCAA Tournament is a month’s worth of emotional overload. A bright, shining star we can’t help but stare at. It will consume the universe for the next month.

And those who watch along may consume some frosty refreshments. Which brings us to the question we ask every spring: What’s the best beverage to pair with watching every team in the field of 68?

 

Furman

The brewery: Liability Brewing Co.

The beer: Mortal Wombat IPA

The Paladins are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 40-plus years. The recommended beverage features hoppiness but also flavor notes of orange sherbet, papaya and orange rind. If we might be so bold as to continue the play on the Mortal Kombat video game franchise: FINISH IT. “It really hits all the points of what IPA is nowadays,” head brewer Jared Tuttle says. “Little bitter, little juicy, and drinkable. We use some old-world hops in new world ways bringing notes of mango, melon, and orange citrus. Honestly, I can’t wait to kick back, watch some hoops, and share a few Wombats with my friends.”

Hamilton’s tasting notes: Those orange notes come through loud and clear on the pour. Generally, I am not a fan of overly fruity and hazy IPAs; if I want a glass of orange juice, I’ll drink a glass of orange juice. This is very, very much not that beer. At all. Mildly opaque and there’s absolutely that bite at the end of each taste that I’m looking for. But before that, it’s a seriously smooth sip. There’s even the slightest hit of creaminess that comes and goes quickly – there just to help the beer slide on down before it’s gone, too.

 

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Find the article at The Athletic.