Ballpark beer guide - Part 2 - pre and post game

Adding to the Giants (Oracle Park) options. Public House is part of the park itself and has an entrance with a metal detector inside to avoid some long lines at the normal outside entrances. Great beer list. Outside the park, walking distance would be Black Hammer (taproom only) and 21st Amendment (full restaurant). If you are into a longer walk or a short Uber/Lyft then CellarMaker (beer only), City Beer Store (they have a restaurant) and Mikkeller (has a restaurant) are your best choices. If you want to go a little further afield some classic taprooms are Toronado and Crafty Fox.

 

For Camden Yards I'd recommend Max's obviously, it's probably ~2 miles from the stadium so walking it is possible if you give yourself a 45 minute head start or so. If not there's a bus that leaves from the intersection of Pratt St. and Green St. that runs every 10 minutes I think that's less than half a mile north of the bar. Get off at Eastern and Broadway and you should be about 2 minutes from the stadium, it's impossible to miss.

I'd double check to make sure it's running when you need it but it should be running at least before the game starts. I know there's an Orange bus that runs too but it drops you off a little further away.

Their tap list and bottle collection is unreal. Completely unmatched by anything in the city and I'd put it up against any bar I've been to across the states as far as selection goes.

If you want something that's legitimately right next door, Pickle's Pub is the place to be pregame. It's not a great beer list but it's an establishment and has been a pre-game drinkin' hangout for locals for 30 years now.

 

Our move when visiting Max's is at the very least to take the water taxi either to or from Fell's Point via Inner Harbor to save over 1/2 the walk. Although since it is pregame with little time to waste you want to really watch the arrivals/departures schedule or hope you get lucky. There always seemed to be plenty of taxis back in the day after hours if you are post-gaming at Max's (now I'm sure the ridesharing apps are just as easy).

One of the funniest nights of my life was we were visiting for a series at Camden with a pilot friend of ours who takes his job seriously and rarely drinks as a lifestyle choice, but he tipped back a few at the Greene Turtle in Fell's Point postgame one of the days. The clumsy hitting on girls and moves displayed on the dance floor had us rolling!

Agreed Pickles is "good enough" beer wise, it seems like they have been around awhile. If I'm not mistaken, a bar we spent many a pregame drinking outside at is now a Chipotle if my street view estimates are correct?

My drinking recommendation also around 2 miles away is Diamondback Brewing, have been a big fan of their beers and they were cramped when "first in" in their development but now have really spread out the taproom and patio area. They're at the McHenry Row apartments near a World of Beer and other new businesses there. Seems like you could cheat transit wise also connecting a water taxi from near Fell's Point across the river to the stop next to Under Armour HQ then hoof it from there.

 

I've been to 42 MLB parks (28 current and 14 closed, new Miami and Atlanta stadiums the remaining two I haven't been to). The White Sox are my favorite team. Boston is the best current park you haven't been to, Pittsburgh is the best new stadium, San Francisco, Seattle and Minnesota are nice new parks as well.

Back to the beer, new Comiskey has great beer options including the following:

Two Brothers (Pinball)
Three Floyds (Alpha King & Gumball Head)
18th Street (Sex and Candy)
Ballast Point (Sculpin)
Bell's (Oberon & Two Hearted)
Founders (All Day IPA & Rubaeus)
Goose Island (Born and Raised, Next Coast IPA, Matilda, Sofie and others)
Half Acre (Daisy Cutter)
Hop Butcher (rotating)
Maplewood (Pulaski Pils & Son of Juice IPA)
Marz (Jungle Boogie)
Noon Whistle (Freshman @ Life Kolsch Ale & Guave Gose Sour Smack)
Pipeworks (Lizard King Pale Ale, Blood of the Unicorn Red Ale, Pilsner, Mango Guppy)
Pollyanna (Full Lemonty Golden Ale, Lexical Gap IPA, Pils, Summerly Raspberry Wheat)
Revolution (Anti-Hero IPA, Every Day Hero, Fist City Pale Ale, Freedom Series, Cross of Gold, Rev Pils, Sun Crusher)
Shortfuse (Loosey Juicy, Sticky Nuts Coconut Stout)
Surly (1st Avenue +1, Xtra-Citra Pale Ale)

In terms of places near the park, my post in the visiting Chicago thread by neighborhood may help you explore the area a bit wider than Murphy's and a parking lot. Marz Brewing is the closest near Sox park, you can walk a mile and a half or take the 35th street bus to iron street and it's a block and a half south. There are also brewers in Pilsen and the South Loop. Wrigley as many breweries a mile west of the park.

Milwaukee has some decent bars pre-game, but most close relatively early on a weeknight. Wolski's was the only bar open past ten. Perhaps places stay open beyond 9-10 on a weekend.

 

For the Oakland Coliseum, there's nothing within walking distance.

Your best bet is to take BART.

For example, near 12th street is Mad Oak, The Trappist and, if you're willing to venture to Jack London, places like Beer Revolution.

Near 19th street is Drake's Dealership, Lost and Found, Woods and Diving Dog. (also Good Hop if you're willing to walk to Telegraph).

Alternatively, if you're feeling a little upscale and have time-to-kill, there's also Rockridge (Beer Baron, Golden Squirrel, Ben and Nick's), MacArthur (Bierhaus, Temescal Brewing, Hog's Apothecary, and Cato's if you're willing to walk), or Powell (Mikkeller).

 

Park at Noble for free during the game. The Bottle Logic/Noble combo was a big hit with my group