Opening Day at Angel Stadium

Opening day of MLB is one of my most favorite days of the year, right after my birthday and Christmas.  This week, I was able to return to one of my most favorite places on Earth, besides San Diego and Disneyland, Angel Stadium. Going to games at the Big A with my friends is one of my most favorite things to do, besides of course visiting new breweries.

For the past three (!) years, I've written about the craft beer available at the stadium on my blog.  It's been amazing to see new and familiar breweries each season at the stadium. Going to the Angels home opener is always fun for me, because I love baseball but it's also great to have a chance to check out the newest craft beer options at the stadium.

Before heading to any game at the stadium, I first stop off at one of my favorite local breweries, Noble Ale Works, which is located just north of Angel Stadium.  Enjoying a beer at Noble Ale Works before walking over to the game is a fantastic way to support a local brewery before supporting my local baseball team.  Going to Noble before a game is also a great way to save a few bucks on parking and save some money for purchasing beer at the stadium.

On busy days at Noble Ale Works, the Express Bar is open, where the line is usually shorter.

As it has been for the past few years, the location at Angel Stadium with the widest variety of beer is also closest to the entrance of the stadium.  Located near Gate 2, Draft Pick once again has the largest variety of beer choices in the stadium.  

  
Breweries at Draft Pick include:

Karl Strauss Brewing
Elysian Brewing
Left Coast Brewing
Golden Road Brewing
Hangar 24
Ace Hard Cider
Kona Brewing
Rough Draft
Firestone Walker
Angel City Brewery
Redd's
Ballast Point Brewing
Saint Archer
Magic Hat
New Belgium Brewing
Speakeasy
Stone Brewing

Domestic Draft prices are $4.50 for a small and $9.50 for a large, while Premium beers are $11 for a small and $14 for a large.

Two stand alone carts, which first debuted last season are again on the 200 level of the stadium.  The smaller of the two carts has Firestone Walker options and is located near section 204.  The larger stand is located near the Left Field Pavilion, not far from section 256.  The new larger stand has most of the same beers available at the Draft Pick stand as well as a few macro selections and ciders.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this season Angel Stadium offers free wi-fi throughout the stadium.  This makes it far easier to keep in touch with friends throughout the game, and of course post essential social media updates.

While Angel Stadium has boasted about having the lowest cost per ounce of beer in the MLB in the past, their price of beers has increased again this season.  For $14, you are able to enjoy 24 ounces of craft beer, which equates to $0.58 per ounce versus $0.39 per ounce for macro styles of beer.  While the price per ounce is nearly double the average of $0.31-$0.37 per ounce from nearby breweries, the price is still fairly reasonable for a sports venue.

While the previous two seasons saw an increase in the number of craft breweries having their beers available at Angel Stadium, this season actually has seen a decrease.  The average consumer may not notice, but many of the breweries in the past season that were previously craft breweries are no longer craft.  I'm glad that one of my favorite local breweries, Left Coast Brewery, has continued to have a presence at Angel Stadium.

Left Coast Brewery's Trestles IPA

Baseball and Strangers

Adults are always telling kids to stay away from strangers.  Interacting with them can of course, be dangerous.  But, as adults, in the social media age, it is not only encouraged but widely accepted to interact with and even befriend strangers.  While I love attending baseball games with friends, it's not always feasible.  With 162 games in MLB, it's nearly impossible to attend even all of the home games of my favorite teams.  So what's a baseball fan to do?  Watch games with fellow fans through social media.  One of the easiest and fastest ways to interact with fellow fans is through one of my favorite social media channels, twitter.  Instead of sitting at home alone, yelling at my t.v. and scaring my dog, I'm able to talk about games with fans from all over the world.

A sea of strangers

Besides talking with fellow fans during games, it's a great way to express optimism about upcoming games as well as analyze games afterwards.  Another advantage to using social media is being able to interact with players.  I often wish that social media had been around when I was a kid just so I would've been able to tell Mr. Padre how much of an inspiration he was to me.
I think one of my favorite parts about social media and baseball is that not only have I found another way to enjoy games, but, I've even made friends outside of the world wide web.  Many of my friends that I've interacted with over the years are now close friends.  These are people I may have seen at games in the past, but would've never approached to ask their opinions on about how our favorite team could improve.  Using social media is such a great way to build camaraderie among fans. So, although it is usually frowned upon to talk to strangers, in the case of social media and baseball, I think it's a win win.

Opening Day at Angel Stadium

Opening Day of MLB is one of my favorite days of the year.  This past Friday, I was able to return to one of my most favorite places on Earth, besides Disneyland, Angel Stadium. Going to games at the Big A are one of my favorite things to do, besides visiting new breweries.  For the past two years, I've written about the craft beer offerings at the stadium on my blog.  It's been great to see a steady increase every year.  Attending the Angels home opener was a great opportunity to not only watch a game but also check out the latest craft beer options at the stadium.  
Before I go to any game at the stadium, I first have to visit one of my favorite local breweries, Noble Ale Works, which is located just north of Angel Stadium.  Having a beer at Noble Ale Works before walking over to the game is a great way to support a local brewery before supporting my local baseball team.
As in the past few years, the location with the widest variety of craft beer is also closest to the entrance to the stadium.  Located near Gate 2, Draft Pick once again this season has a great selection of both local, regional, and national breweries.  I was happy to see that along with breweries that have been present at the stadium the past few seasons, there were also newer breweries on tap as well.

Always important to visit Draft Pick upon entering the Big A

Breweries at Draft Pick include:

Angel City Brewery
Ballast Point Brewing
Bootlegger's Brewery
Coronado Brewing
Firestone Walker
Golden Road Brewing
Goose Island
Hoegaarden
Karl Strauss Brewing
Kona Brewing
Left Coast Brewing
New Belgium Brewing
Rough Draft
Saint Archer
Stone Brewing

Firestone Walker DBA and Left Coast Brewing Uno Mas

Two new craft beer options are the stand alone cart from Firestone Walker which is near section 204 and another large stand located near the Left Field Pavilion, not far from section 256.  The new larger stand has most of the same beers available at the Draft Pick stand as well as a few macro selections and ciders.  As with last season, Golden Road Brewing has stand alone carts such as the one located near section 233.

This fella is happy to pour yummy craft beer!

Another stand with craft beer!

While Angel Stadium boasts the lowest cost per ounce of beer in the MLB this season, their price of craft beer increased by $0.25 this season.  For $13, you are able to enjoy 24 ounces of craft beer, which equates to $0.54 per ounce versus $0.28 per ounce for macro styles of beer.  Considering that breweries near the stadium charge an average of $0.31-$0.37 per ounce, while it is nearly double the price, it is still reasonable for a sports venue.

It's exciting to see that each year over the past three years has seen an increase in not only the variety but also more locations throughout the stadium.  Even though the price is more for craft beer, I'm happy to have the option to enjoy some of my favorite breweries while watching my Angels play games at the Big A.  

Besides enjoying delicious beer at the game, I of course also watched the game.  One of my favorite parts of Opening Day, besides the excitement of a new season is the flyover and gigantic U.S. flag that is walked out onto the field.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Today is one of my most favorite days of the year, besides of course, my birthday.  In case you live under a rock, or are not a fan of America's Favorite Pastime, today is the Opening Day of the MLB season.

Opening Day, 2012

Even though I am now an Anaheim Angels fan (yes, I know officially they have another name...), I grew up in San Diego and am so thankful that my parents introduced me to one of the loves of my life from an early age.  I still vividly remember my dad taking me to our local Sears to purchase my first Padres hat.  I was so happy to wear that hat!  I'm pretty sure it's still at my mom's house because I save everything.  My mom used to always say that I loved going to baseball games because I was allowed to yell as loudly as I wanted to.  Where else can you tease other people because they love another team?  

Opening Day is of course, a new beginning for teams.  Although sports analysts make predictions as to who will have the best season, who will make the play-offs, and ultimately who may win the World Series, I don't really pay attention to those announcements.  Of course, I love when my favorite teams win games and when they are leaders in their divisions, but I also simply love the game.  Nothing beats grabbing a dog and a beer at my favorite stadiums and watching a baseball game.