Pride and Parquet

Craft beer has slowly infiltrated sporting events over the last five or six years, much to my delight. In terms of the TD Garden, it started a few years back by opening up a craft beer garden up in the 300s, aka the “cheap seats” and where we can afford tickets.

Last year, Jack’s Abby opened up Track Zero in North Station, right in the line of sight of the escalators leading up to the venue. My jaw had a nice ride on the escalator track the last time we were at The Garden. We had no idea and missed out on sitting down for a Jack’s Abby beer.

The middle of Boston and Jack’s Abby before that moment were two things we just hadn’t expected. The brewery’s main beer hall lies over twenty miles to the west in Framingham. They opened over on Morton Street, which is now home to Exhibit A Brewing, before moving over to a much larger space on Clinton Street. While most breweries hang their hats on ales, Jack’s Abby opted to brew lagers. Some might have said it was a risky move. But they would have absolutely been wrong.

The Framingham brewery has furthered its collaboration with the Celtics organization. They’ve released Pride and Parquet, a hoppy lager. The new official beer of the Boston Celtics.

Ideally, I’d be writing this review on the heels of a pair of Roni slices from Half Time Pizza just outside the Garden. There is only one place to pregame before a Celtics (or Bruins) game, and Halftime is it. I will accept no arguments or alternatives, thank you very much. But that is just not to be for the time being.

Instead, we picked up a four-pack at our local and sat down with the new beer on our couch, which is definitely more comfortable than those new seats at The Garden. So tough, right?

As you can see from the picture, P&P is a clear, straw gold color. The head was bright white and excited to be poured. In my equal excitement, I didn’t think to snap a photo.

When I bring the glass up to my nose, I was immediately hit with wafts of malty goodness followed by a muted hoppy aroma. I couldn’t pull specifics, just a gentle citrus suggestion. A pleasant change from the beers I’ve been gravitating towards lately.

P&P is not an overly complex beer. That reads like an insult or a knock, but that’s not my intent at all. With a name like Pride and Parquet, I shouldn’t be surprised. Neither of those things is complicated. They come together to build a feeling of camaraderie and enjoyment. Now they have a beer to match.

Jack’s Abby’s latest concoction is an easy-drinking, laid back beer focused on hitting trademark flavors and being a delightful refresh for the drinker’s palate. It’s neither too sweet nor too bitter. The hops don’t run roughshod over the malt profile. The citrus and I got a bit of melon balance out well with the malt flavors. P&P is light and crisp with a dry finish.

If you hear someone describe P&P as “not like Jack’s Abby’s other beers”, they wouldn’t be wrong, but they wouldn’t be insulting this beer either. I say that because this beer was brewed for a different purpose than the rest of Jack’s Abby’s lineup. P&P is meant to be a companion for four quarters of basketball rather than an evening at the beer hall. Not that the beverage couldn’t hold its own at the hall, it absolutely could.

But when you’re squished up in the 300s- I mean sitting up in the 300s, at The Garden watching the Celts run down the court, you aren’t looking for a hop bomb or a beer laden with a complex profile. You want a beer that’s going to pair well with a slice of pizza or a bag of peanuts and a fun night of losing your voice cheering. P&P absolutely ticks those boxes, but I don’t think this is a one trick pony. I foresee this pairing well with sunshine, sand, and hanging out by a lake, as well as a handful of other summertime fun time activities.

Cheers Nerd Girls!