By: Madelynn Lockwood, Features Editor
The first annual Griff Weekend this past Fall debuted an unexpected piece of merchandise — Petey’s Pilsner, aptly named the “official beer of Griff Weekend.” Although, a lot of buzz immediately surrounded the topic, not all of the family, alumni and students – including myself – could get their hands on this new treat to give it a try because they were being sold exclusively at ticketed events throughout that weekend. It wasn’t until this weekend that the University advertised that they would be sold at a discounted price during the Men’s Basketball Game on “Petey’s Birthday” for $3 that I was willing or able to give it a try.
Every first impression starts with the look, and I am pretty impressed with the can’s design and size. The pilsner can is 16 fluid ounces and the design itself is pretty neat. It is a hyper realistic recreation of a Griffin flying through a lightning storm. It kinda gives AI generated image, but that’s an opinion, not an accusation. It’s a matte overlay as well so it gives it a weird texture. Some ups, some downs, a solid three stars for the design.
Now, the actual taste – let’s talk about it. I am not the biggest beer lover we know and love (that would be our EIC), but for me, there was not a single redeeming quality about this beverage. The first taste was pretty harsh, with a lingering taste that seemed to settle right in the middle of my tongue. Let us also note that it has a 4.4% ABV. It was most definitely tolerable while it was straight out of the cooler, but by the time it was closer to room temperature, it felt much more like a chore to finish it before we were allowed to exit the “alcohol zone,” guarded by far too many student life employees and a public safety officer that looked at my ID so long that I began to wonder if I really was 21. Apparently, it’s a Czech or Bohemian-style beer, which doesn’t mean much to me as an uninformed beer drinker, but it may make a difference to you.
While the pilsner wasn’t my favorite, buying it allowed me and my friends to sit courtside next to the Griffs’ bench, which gave us a unique viewing experience of a pretty full game. The promotion ran during an Athletes for Athletes games, so it was a larger crowd than normal.
Again, I don’t love the drink, but I think it was incredibly inventive on the University’s part to invest in something like this with a local brewery. It screams Buffalo in many ways. With both University and athletic competition attendance falling quite drastically, it felt like a new way to get some more folks interested in Canisius. I don’t necessarily think that it will be the difference between a student coming to Canisius or not, but I think that it will be a fun way for more people to hear about and eventually love our little corner of Buffalo.
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