ATLANTA – Crimson Tide or Bulldogs? IPA or maybe some other craft beer style? Friendly ribbing or trash talking?
College football’s National Championship will be decided in Atlanta on Monday night, which means the winner of one of craft brewing’s most unique side bets and collaborations will also be decided – after the customary pre-game exchanges of good luck among the contending breweries, usually known as trash talk.
The game between Alabama’s Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium means Good People Brewing of Birmingham, Ala. will face off against Scofflaw Brewing 
Company of Atlanta in the final round of the Craft Beer Championship Series, a collaboration between four craft breweries who bet on the four teams from their home states in the College Football Playoff.
The brewery backing the victorious team gets the opportunity to host the three losers and make a commemorative collaboration beer. The brewers on the losing side will have to wear the National Championship team’s jersey during the collaboration. Two guest brewers have already been decided. Shawn Johnson of Birds Fly South of Greensville, S.C. and Chase Healey of American Solara in Tulsa, Oklahoma lost their bets on the Clemson Tigers and Oklahoma Sooners, respectively, in the first round of the College Football Playoffs.
There is some real skin in Monday night’s National Championship game for Good People and Scofflaw. Given that both breweries distribute in Georgia, there’s plenty on the line in the outcome of the game between two of the SEC’s fiercest rivals, whose universities are less than 250 miles apart.
“We’ve been in this game for almost ten years with Coach Saban and we look forward to showing Scofflaw some small-town hospitality when they come to Birmingham to help us brew after Alabama wins another championship,” said Michael Sellers, co-founder of Good People.
Scofflaw co-founder Matt Shirah points out that Saban still hasn’t won the most National Championships at Alabama and expects it to stay that way after a victory by the Bulldogs, who gave Saban his first loss at Alabama in 2007. “Nick Saban is good, but he’s no Bear Bryant,” he said.
Shirah decided he wanted to create a four-way bet among breweries backing the finalists in the College Football Playoffs since the game is being played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium near the Scofflaw brewery on Atlanta’s Westside. But it’s up to the winning brewery to host the collaboration at its own facility, decide on the style of beer and the ingredients.
On tapping day for the commemorative beer at the winning brewery’s tasting room, the National Championship team’s flag will be displayed along with photos of the guest brewers in the winning team’s jersey. Including suggestions from its followers, the winning brewery will decide on a name for the new beer.
The winning brewer will be tasked with choosing some ingredients for the collaborative beer from its home state, emphasizing the loyalty of craft brewers to the localities where they brew.
No matter what the outcome in the National Championship and which team lives up to the pre-game trash talk by winning, the collaborative spirit of craft brewing, sometimes known as “co-opetition,” will be a winner.
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American Solera of Tulsa, Oklahoma uses the solera method that originated with sherry making to create its sour beers from oak barrels. www.americansolera.com, www.facebook.com/americansolera/
Birds Fly South Ale Project of Greenville, S.C. has been a pioneer in its home state for wild ales and barrel-aged sour beers. www.bfsbeer.com, www.facebook.com/bfsbeer/
Good People Brewing Company of Birmingham is Alabama’s largest and oldest brewery. www.goodpeoplebrewing.com, www.facebook.com/GoodPeopleBrewing/
Scofflaw Brewing Company of Atlanta has enjoyed rapid growth since opening in 2016 thanks to demand for its unfiltered IPAs. www.scofflawbeer.com, www.facebook.com/scofflawbrewingco/
Contact – jonathan@scofflawbeer.com or 404-918-6780
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