Byrd Stadium

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It’s time to get your buzz on at Maryland football and basketball games this season — if you’re of legal age, that is.

After the Prince George’s County Board of License Commissioners approved beer sales at Byrd Stadium and Xfinity Center for a trial year, The Diamondback caught up with Dining Services’ Joe Mullineaux to figure out what’s in store for the fan experience.

On the menu? Craft beer and football — that’s what Maryland does, apparently.

At $8 per beer, Terps fans and visitors can lighten their pockets and indulge in frothy specialty and imported beers in 12- or 14-ounce servings. Or in domestic variety, which will come in 16-ounce sizes for the same price, if they’re not feeling too adventurous after eating fried stadium food.

While the exact menu has yet to be finalized, “at least three Maryland breweries are represented as part of the university’s commitment to the economic development of the state,” said Mullineaux, senior associate director. The beer selection will include a combination of drafts and cans or bottles.

Meanwhile, ESPN 980’s Aaron Oster has tweeted a sample menu, which appears to include options such as Blue Moon, Leinenkugel, Coors, Miller, Frederick-based Flying Dog and Baltimore-based Heavy Seas.

Here’s a guide to the beer policy, according to Mullineaux and University Police Chief David Mitchell:

  • Beer will be served at all concession stands except for those near the student sections at Byrd and Xfinity and at supplemental carts.

  • Sales end promptly at the end of the third quarter in football and when there is 10 minutes left in a basketball game. “Even if you’re standing in line, when the buzzer goes off, the sales stop,” Mullineaux said.

  • Vendors will serve only one beer to each person older than 21 at a time — this means a person can pay for two beers, but he or she must have the second drinker with them to present their ID at the time of the transaction.

  • Anyone who appears younger than 40 is required to present his or her ID, which will be checked using equipment including blue-light pens and scanners.

  • Vendors will not sell beer to anyone who appears intoxicated.

  • Vertical IDs will not be accepted.

“ID checks will be very firm,” Mitchell said. 

For those of age who plan to purchase a beer for an underage drinker — don’t, he warned.

Students caught breaking the rules not only face legal action but also will be referred to the university’s Office of Student Conduct.

Said Mitchell: “We feel this will be very tightly controlled, and the plan that Joe has put in place will be the one that brings about the results we want, and that is responsible behavior and no underage sales.”

On top of regular security, there will be eight alcoholic beverage control officers, four extra University Police officers and “what we call ‘mystery fans,’ and these are officers who are in plain clothes who look like students or young alumni,” Mitchell said.

During the trial year, after every game, University Police will report the number of alcohol-related ejections, injuries and arrests, he added.

In the meantime, the university is also working with athletic department sponsors for a designated drivers program that could involve Uber, Mullineaux said. Plans have not been released.

Mullineaux said the university and the county liquor board will reconvene in March or April to discuss whether to extend sales beyond this trial year.