The 87th meeting between the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University football team is set for 7 p.m. on Nov. 15 and two Northwest Ohio breweries are gearing up for their own celebration of the yearly matchup between the two rival programs.
The Battle of I-75 is the annual trophy given to the winner of the contest and Toledo’s Earnest Brew Works is teaming with Bowling Green’s Juniper Brewing Company to create a collaboration IPA to be on tap beginning Nov. 11 at both taprooms.
Earnest co-founder Keefe Synder said that he and Juniper co-founder Zach Tracy discussed the idea of doing a collaboration a few months ago.
“This game gave us the perfect reason to bring it to fruition,” Synder said. “We both love brewing hoppy beers and are very excited to bring our fans two new beers to try.”
Tracy said they couldn’t be happier to be a part of this collaboration.
“We’ve admired and respected Earnest for a long time and are looking forward to trying both beers,” Tracy said.
The Battle of I-75 Hazy IPA will feature different “hop rosters” from each brewery. Both versions will be on tap at local establishments around both Bowling Green and Toledo as well.
“I have zero doubt Toledo will be victorious. I am less certain about which Hazy IPA is the best,” said EBW co-founder Scot Yarnell.
“We admire the confidence of our friends up at Earnest Brew Works regarding the game, however, we feel as though they may be somewhat confused,” said Tracy. “The Falcons go on the road and bring home the ‘W,’ Ay Ziggy!”
Juniper’s version will have six hops, including Cascade, Mackinac, Mosaic, Incognito, Citra and Copper.
Earnest’s version will feature Mosaic, Cryo Pop, HBC 586 and Galaxy hops.
Proud alumnus of their schools, Yarnell is a 2001 UT graduate while Snyder completed his undergraduate in 2006 along with his law degree in 2010. Tracy is a 1997 graduate of BGSU.
Juniper Brewing Company opened its doors in 2021 and is a brewpub, coffee shop and gathering space located in downtown Bowling Green.
