Does good beer exist at an MLB ballpark?

April 15, 2008 7:18 AM

I'll be attending a Tigers baseball game tonight at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit and I'm sick of drinking crappy beer. Does anyone know if there are any vendors in the park that sell beer with flavor? If so, where are they? I'm looking for something inside the park that I can buy and take back to my seat. Even a Sam Adams will work, pretty much anything but the usual Bud, Miller, or Labatt's.
posted by mjp to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

Maybe you could smuggle in or buy some lemonade and make yourself a shandie!
posted by mkb at 7:22 AM on April 15, 2008

Detroit might be rough, but there are bars in stadiums these days, can't you try and see if you can find one in Detroit, even still you probably aren't going to find a nice Stella. So your second option is to do what mkb said and buy some little bottles of your liquor of choice and make mixed drinks.

...GO NATS!!
posted by BobbyDigital at 7:27 AM on April 15, 2008

Depending on what you like in your beer... I knew a guy who used to take liquid hop extract with him to such events. A few drops made a real difference.

Check with your local homebrewing supply place.
posted by flexiblefine at 7:30 AM on April 15, 2008

Best answer: I googled "Comerica Park beer" and got a bunch of hits that recommend the Downtown Beerhall in left field. The most authoritative seems to be from ESPN's Page 2 tour of all the ballparks from a few years ago (which was a great series). Here's their bit on Comerica, and here's the relevant snip:

"Beer: There is a surprisingly limited beer selection for a new stadium, though you can get Sam Adams at the park's Downtown Beerhall, tucked behind the left-field line. Fittingly, for a bar that advertises its downtown Detroit location, the place was virtually empty during the game, with Tigers/stadium employees outnumbering customers by at least 2-1. Perhaps they could add a few more beer choices or maybe they should just reconsider their TV channel selection. When we visited, "The Cosby Show" was on one of the screens. Then again, given the Tigers' usual level of play, this is perfectly understandable."

Or you could just go to Fenway...
posted by nkknkk at 7:31 AM on April 15, 2008

Yep, the Beerhall is definitely the way to go. Otherwise, I hope you like Miller Lite.
posted by fusinski at 7:36 AM on April 15, 2008

I should add that the best beer you will find there is a Samuel Adams. If I recall, they had that and Bass Ale on tap last time I was over there.
posted by fusinski at 7:45 AM on April 15, 2008

There's also a bar, whose name I forget, that you get to by turning left from the main ticket offices outside. It's got Sam Adams and Bass, and usually runs specials into about the third inning. It's always deserted.

Then, afterwards, go to the Detroit Brewing Company right around the corner.
posted by klangklangston at 8:45 AM on April 15, 2008

As a general rule it doesn't hurt looking around the most expensive seats to see if they have a seperate smaller concession selling something other than the 3 or 4 mainstream beears that are sold in a ballpark. It may not work in all stadiums but that is my usual strategy if I am in an unfamiliar stadium.
posted by mmascolino at 10:54 AM on April 15, 2008

I knew a guy who used to take liquid hop extract with him...

That's brilliant!
posted by grateful at 12:43 PM on April 15, 2008

I was at the park this week and can confirm that the beerhall is the place to go for something other than the common light lagers. It does seem weird that the only place to get a Michigan beer (Oberon in the bottle) there is tucked away in that corner.

They are expensive, but so is everything else in the park. The tap selection is mediocre, and the bottle selection is only slightly better, but both are miles ahead of the rest of the vendors.

Also, like klangklangston says, Detroit Beer Company is walking distance from Comerica Park.
posted by revgeorge at 9:41 AM on July 13, 2008