When baseball took to the airwaves, we heard the roar of the crowd, "Going, going, gone!", and lots of beer commercials. Many of us still remember jingles we'd heard long before we were old enough to drink.

Most of the breweries that sponsored those broadcasts have disappeared; they couldn't survive the industry's postwar shakeout. Lately, however, their place has been taken by a fresh generation of brewers, whose beers are far more adventurous than the lager Grandpa drank at the ballgame.

I've been a baseball fan most of my life. A while back, a longtime dream came true: seeing a game in every major league ballpark. Wandering around the stadiums, one thing that caught my eye was better fare at the concession stands–including craft beer.

Most ballparks have added microbrews to their beer selection. You can enjoy a draft from the Red Bell Brewery at a Phillies game, try Great Lakes Brewing's Elliot Ness and Dortmunder Gold at Cleveland's Jacobs Field, or sample the Oldenberg line of beers while watching the Reds play at Cinergy Field...just to name a few. Want to know what's on tap elsewhere in the majors? Visit Gregg Glaser's "The Beers of Summer" website.

When the Colorado Rockies joined the majors, Coors Brewing Company took ballpark beer to the next level, building a microbrewery called the Sandlot Brewing Company and a pub called Rounders. The pub is literally part of Denver's Coors Field; it even has a separate entrance into the park. And the beer? It's been a hit with beer judges and baseball fans alike: both Pinch Hit Pilsner and Wild Pitch Hefeweizen have won medals at the Great American Beer Festival.

There's also a brewpub at Phoenix's Bank One Ballpark: the Leinenkugel Ballyard Brewery. So what's a brewery from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, doing in the Valley of the Sun? For one thing, Leininkugel's parent, the Miller Brewing Company, is a sponsor of the Arizona Diamondbacks. And one of the partners in the venture is Hall of Famer Robin Yount, who played 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers...who happen to train in Arizona every spring.

Anheuser-Busch has also gotten into the act. The nation's number-one brewer operates a Budweiser Brew House at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Care for a tall cold one after the game? In many cities, it's easy to find good beer near the ballpark. Let's take a quick trip around the horn:

• Baltimore. The Wharf Rat Camden Yards Brewpub (206 West Pratt Street), a couple blocks from the ballpark, specializes in English-style ales. The brewmaster is a card-carrying member of the Campaign for Real Ale, so a hand-pulled ale should be waiting for you.
• Boston. Across the street from historic Fenway Park is Boston Beer Works (61 Brookline Avenue). Its long and varied beer list includes several award winners, and the food has earned good reviews as well. Last time I was there, I tasted the best Kölsch I'd had outside Germany.
• Chicago. The bars around Wrigley Field have become as famous as the ballpark itself. And a new name has been penciled into the lineup: Goose Island Wrigleyville (3535 North Clark Street). It pours the same beers that made the original Clybourn Street location famous.
• San Francisco.The brand-new 21st Amendment Brewery, Café and Bar (563 Second Street), several blocks west of Pacific Bell Park, is both a full-service restaurant and a place to enjoy a pint after the game. Also within walking distance: the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (2 Harrison Street), which specializes in traditional German-style beer. During baseball season, it serves one of the best Hefeweizens around.
• Seattle. The Pyramid Brewery and Alehouse (91 South Royal Brougham Way), a huge and popular gathering place, is right across the street from Safeco Field's main entrance. A 10-minute walk north from the ballpark takes you to F.X. McRory's Steak, Chop and Oyster House (419 Occidental Avenue South), one of America's legendary sports bars, which has a wide selection of Northwest microbrews.

This article originally appeared on Suite101.com in April 2001.