Independence Brews

By John Michael Verive on July 4th, 2012

Happy Independence Day everyone! We hope you have a day full of friends, revelry, great food, and exceptional craft beers!

We’ve some special brews from the stash lined up, plus a stop at The Pub at Golden Road Brewing for some of the increasingly rare Valentin Saison, then grilling at the Beer of Tomorrow HQ before enjoying some fireworks with the neighbors.

It seems like every beer site on the internet has posted a list of craft beer for the 4th of July, but we are just going to point you to our exhaustive Memorial Day Edition of Tapped Out that focused on summer brews.

You still want some suggestions for your BBQ? How about these:

Breakfast/Brunch Brews: Independence Day is the #1 beer drinking day in the country, and you’re going to have to start early to fit everything in. Nothing beats a hefeweizen for breakfast, and we’re big fans of LA’s local Golden Road Hefe. Lots of wheat beers make for a good early-in-the-day pint, and Eagle Rock Brewing’s Manifesto is our choice for a nice sessional wheat beer for your pre-party festivities. Grab a couple of bombers from one of our favorite bottle shops or your local Whole Foods!
Something Sessionable: Once the party is underway you’re going to want to switch-up what’s in your glass, and a pale ale is just the ticket. Sierra Nevada’s ubiquitous Pale Ale often get the short shrift, but it is one of the very best craft beers in America. Plus, now that it is available in cans it is beach, pool, and park friendly! If you’d rather not drink a pale ale there is always Anchor Steam! You’re sure to be popular if you show up to the party with a six-pack the style-defining California Common from San Francisco.
A Big Bold Beer: Burgers, hot dogs, brats, tacos, slaw, guacamole. The foods of the Forth are often grilled and big on flavor, so you are going to want a full flavored brew to stand up to them. Go malty and dark if your grilling; perhaps an Alt Bier like our favorite from Hangar 24 or a robust porter like Stone Brewing’s Smoked Porter (get the chipotle chili version if you see it!).
Rest For Your Palate: Your palate is going to take a beating from sampling beers all day, so after dinner, in addition to quaffing copious quantities of H2O, switch to something lighter to “reset” your taste buds. Our favorite in this situation is a beer that get no respect: Sam Adams Light. Scoff if you’d like but this beer is packed with flavor while staying unchallenging, refreshing, and just barely over 4% ABV. Just the thing to prep your palate for the big finish.
The Explosive Finale: Just like a good fireworks show, a long day of beer drinking needs a big finish to feel complete. Go crazy with this one and break into your cellar for that Imperial Stout or Barleywine that you’ve been saving, or grab a nice fresh Double IPA for the end of the night. Something that will really blow you away. We’ve got a bottle of Stone’s Ruination 10th Anniversary IPA just for this occasion!