Beer you shouldn’t shower: India Bourbon Ale for Arkansas State

The allure of Natural Light is strong during baseball season.

Its pale, light, frothy appearance and low price turns the head of even the most selective palettes. For baseball, you’re looking for a beverage to drink for four to five hours of outfield time, and volume plus price is a real economic situation.

More importantly, you need something you won’t feel bad about hurling into the air after Thomas Dillard pulverizes a defenseless baseball midway into the student section like he did Saturday against Wright State.

At Swayze Field, beer is meant as much for throwing as it is drinking. But sometimes—especially for those midweek games when the vibe is chilled—you want something you’ll actually enjoy sipping on.

This weekly column will introduce you to beer cocktails you’ll want to keep in your cup after Dillard humiliates some hapless directional school pitcher.

The challenge with beer cocktails is ease of preparation and minimizing ingredients. We’re not going to send you out with a cutting board, half the produce section and force you to grow a curling mustache to prepare these.

Our lead-off hitter for this weekly feature: an IBA (India Bourbon Ale) to sip during Tuesday night’s matchup against Arkansas State.

The India Bourbon Ale

• 6 oz IPA of your choice (I recommend a Goose Island IPA for something less aggressive)
• 1.5 oz chilled bourbon of your choice (Maker’s, Bulleit or Michter’s are great options)
• .5 oz lemon juice
• Honey to taste

It’s a little piney, a little lemony, and there’s an underlying sweetness that will send you soaring like a Sikes Orvis dick-slapped dinger. Opting for a more hops-forward IPA will further enhance the contrasts in this drink.

If you have an aversion to IPAs but still want to give this a whirl, opt for a pale ale like Sweetwater 420. You still catch a buzz, no harm in that.

How to watch the game on Wednesday

Who: Ole Miss vs. Arkansas State
Where: Oxford
First pitch: 4 p.m. CT
Online streaming: WatchESPN

What’s your favorite beer-tail? Comment or tweet @redcuprebellion and we may pick yours to share with our readers.