From urban revitalization to quaint villages, there is a stark contrast between the two regions of Western Missouri and Coastal New England. Image credits (L-R): Lawnstarter, MysticSeaport.org, VisitKC, Wikipedia

Editor's Note: The author is a huge professional football fan and is about to make mention of this sport in a new weekly series. Fear not, non-football fans; the focus is on the aspects of drinking delicious alcoholic beverages from all across America.

I am entering my favorite part of the year: the humid summer weather will be going away, my kids are back at school, and the football season is getting underway. When the calendar flips to September, the big red wines become more frequent than white wines, and the spirits cabinet morphs from Tequila and rum to Scotch and brandy. My beer preferences change from the refreshing wheat ales to hearty stouts. Despite all my efforts to convince you that there is no need for "seasonal" drinking, guess what? I still do it...and I don't care. With that in mind, today I debut a new series revolving around the teams playing on NBC's Sunday Night Football. Since Week 1 has kicked off every year on a Thursday night since 2002, I will be including the Thursday night game in my opening post. 

2017's opener gives us the Kansas City Chiefs and the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Aside from outstanding barbecue, some of my favorite items coming out of Kansas City is the beers of Boulevard Brewing Company. The founder of the brewery, John McDonald, was a carpenter by trade, but he drew inspiration for what he was about to build from a European trip in 1984. After sampling many Belgian-style ales from overseas, he was ready to turn his dream into reality. McDonald built his brewery in an old brick building on Southwest Boulevard (where the brewery takes its name from). By 1989, the first keg of Boulevard Pale Ale was ready. 

Thanks to word of mouth, beer-lovers soon discovered how good McDonald's beers were. The company flourished so much, Boulevard outgrew that old brick building by 2004. An expansion of the brewery and addition of state-of-the-art equipment was part of the revitalization of this Kansas City neighborhood. Today, Boulevard boasts an impressive lineup of brews, whether they are available year-round or in limited releases.

For the New England beverage of choice, well I have many states and cities to choose from, with anything from New Haven north and east all the way up to Maine. I do realize that the craft brewing scene is unbelievable throughout New England, but with the weather still a bit muggy and warm lately I will give you a rum to enjoy!

Back when I did some events for a private club in New London, I remember being introduced to filmmaker Bailey Pryor, who produced The Real McCoy: The Legend of Bill McCoy and the Rum War at Sea. In a nutshell, it was the story of a rum-runner during the Prohibition Era, constantly beating the authorities in the spirits trade, all while gaining such a well-regarded reputation for providing uncut spirits, the buyer always knew he was receiving "The Real McCoy." It's a fascinating piece, and if you have about an hour to check it out, you should click the link above.

Pryor worked with Richard Seale, Master Distiller at Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, to develop a rum that could live up to the name "The Real McCoy." While the distillery is down in the Caribbean, the company operates out of Mystic, Connecticut, offering a range of rums that includes 3 Year, 5 Year, and 12 Year age statements. Certainly great for mixing cocktails, I chose one that I really enjoy sipping on its own. 

So who do you have...Kansas City or New England? No matter who you root for, you can't go wrong with either of these two beverages. Stay tuned for Part 2, which includes what to drink for the Giants-Cowboys game. Cheers!

Boulevard Brewing Company Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale ($13/4-pack): When I went to Florida on vacation this summer, it seemed as though all of the restaurants in or near the theme parks had Boulevard's Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. So after spending a week in Disney World passing on Tank 7 every time, we went to Universal Studios Orlando only to see this beer on our lunch menu at Cowfish. I was happy to have finally tried it; citrusy and lively, Tank 7 has some body and richness (at 8.5% abv) to it, but it finishes bone-dry and made me want to eat everything in the restaurant. Boulevard also has a "Great Eight" variety pack, which includes Tank 7 and three other beers from the Smokestack Series (The Calling Double IPA, Tell-Tale Tart Sour Ale, and the Imperial Stout) that should cost you about $20 if you can get your hands on it.

The Real McCoy 5 Year Old Rum ($26): A tasty range of dried fruits (mango, pineapple, papaya) on the palate are complemented by the flavors from the ex-Bourbon casks used to mature the rum. Vanilla and brown sugar come through, but the finish is nutty and spicy...it's like drinking French toast!