Beer For A Rower?

Last week, when my dear wife had done some grocery shopping, she brought home a beer I had never tasted, Saratoga Lager, which is brewed by Olde Saratoga Brewing Company in Saratoga Springs, in upstate New York. 'Springs' of course comes from the mineral springs in the area which made the city famous once upon a time. Otherwise the city is probably best known for the Saratoga Race Course, which was opened in 1863. There are still many springs in the city and many of them are covered by small pavilions, so for example Columbian Springs.

Saratoga Lager is "handcrafted", as it reads on the label, "with an 'Old World' attention to details & brewed in the grand tradition of the Marzenbiers of Germany Saratoga Lager is smooth & medium-boded with a rich aroma." And, yes, it had a 'German' taste to it.

Now, what has this to do with rowing, you ask? Well, the label on this beer (seen on top) shows horse racing (middle), the pavilion of Columbian Springs (upper right), old town of Saratoga Springs (lower right), winter sports (lower left), and rowing races (upper left) on Saratoga Lake. According to information on the 'six-pack' the packaging design is by local Saratoga artist, Karin Vollkommer, who has used turn of the century images of Saratoga. If you look closely on the label, the boats racing on the river are actually six-oared shells.

And as HTBS has stated before, rowing and beer go together!