The two squads and fan bases in this year's biggest sporting event couldn't be more different. In one corner, you have the New England Patriots and the six-state, although relatively geographically small, region of New England, and calling the Pats perennial contenders seems like as much of an understatement as calling the New York Yankees of the late 90's that we all hated so much "perennial contenders". In the other corner, you have the Atlanta Falcons, a team that's been the definition of up and down, and whose most memorable moments have been crushing clutch losses - whether it's losing in their only Super Bowl appearance to old-man John Elway's Broncos, losing to Colin freaking Kaepernick in the NFC Championship, or locking up the #1 seed in the NFC in 2010, only to get boat-raced 48-21 in the worst loss a #1 seed has ever suffered in the divisional round.
And with these two squaring off in the Super Bowl, Massachusetts-based brewery Samuel Adams and Atlanta's Sweetwater brewery have taken beer-bet wars to a new level.
Betting a case of beer for the winner? Remember Chad Ochocinco? Child, please.
It starts, of course, with some good, friendly trash talk:
Hey @SamuelAdamsBeer, feeling a little deflated? https://t.co/HqWN7BL28K
— SweetWater Brewery (@sweetwaterbrew) January 27, 2017
@sweetwaterbrew Your joke’s falling flat. Better Belichick yourself before you wreck yourself.
— Samuel Adams Beer (@SamuelAdamsBeer) January 27, 2017
.@SamuelAdamsBeer alright the cutoff sweatshirt is comin off. When we win you gotta ship us a brewer to be our intern for the day. #riseup
— SweetWater Brewery (@sweetwaterbrew) January 27, 2017
And then, well, things escalated quickly.
.@Sweetwaterbrew Sounds like you need #OneMore employee to help with production…Let’s up the ante - loser wears winning team’s colors? #SB51
— Samuel Adams Beer (@SamuelAdamsBeer) January 27, 2017
.@SamuelAdamsBeer Let's #riseup the stakes and force the loser to rename a beer after the winners team. Dirty Bird Lager has a nice ring
— SweetWater Brewery (@sweetwaterbrew) January 27, 2017
.@Sweetwaterbrew New England #Patriots Extra Pale Ale it is. Sales, through the roof. #SB51
— Samuel Adams Beer (@SamuelAdamsBeer) January 27, 2017
It's on like Donkey Kong!
Gotta give credit to Sweetwater for throwing down the gauntlet, really. Taking a gentleman's bet is one thing - upping the ante in a game you're currently favored to lose by 3 is ballsy and deserves respect.
And at the end of the day, both places are so, SO much better than that lame "beer with your team on it".
(PS: I have been to both breweries, multiple times, and if you ever visit Atlanta, Sweetwater's brew tour is superb. Highly recommended.)