Soft drinks are fine, but a 4th of July holiday party would not be complete without a nice selection of icy cold beer. There are so many beers out there, and the upcoming holiday weekend calls for something different, something that will keep in mind the spirit of our Independence Day celebration. Here are my 5 top picks for summer beer:
The best beer to serve at your 4th of July Celebrations is none other than the oldest beer in America – Yuengling. What could be more American than drinking a chilled bottle of Yuengling on the day our great country commemorates it independence? Not only is this a wonderful symbolic gesture, Yuengling also tastes great. It is one of my favorite beers.
Yuengling is brewed in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Yuengling brewery was founded in 1829, and continues to be family owned and operated. In fact, you can visit Pottsville and tour the historic brewery. Yuengling has a complete line of beer to appeal to everyone’s taste, but my favorite is Yuengling’s best selling brew – Yuengling lager. This lager is golden and full-bodied, silky without any bite, and just a hint of sweetness. Yuengling is best served icy cold on a hot summer day. It’s my top pick for a 4th of July beer.
Another great beer you can buy to celebrate the 4th is Sea Dog Blue Paw Wheat Ale. This brew was recently awarded a gold medal in the San Diego County Fair Competition. And the award is indeed well-deserved. Sea Dog’s blueberry beer is a refreshing hot summer thirst quencher. It is crisp, sweet and slightly nutty, with a distinct aroma and flavor of ripe blueberries. The Sea Dog Brewing Company is a microbrewery in Bangor, Maine (hence the name!), and they infuse this particular beer with wild Maine blueberries. If you’re serving red, white and blue refreshments on Independence Day, Sea Dog Blue Paw Wheat Ale is perfect.
If blueberries are not to your liking, don’t fret. Sea Dog Brewery also makes a great raspberry beer. So you can serve up Sea Dog Raspberry Wheat Ale, and enjoy a beer that fits your theme and delights your senses. The raspberry aroma in this slightly pink amber-colored beer is stronger than the actual berry flavor. Sea Dog Raspberry Wheat Ale is light and crisp and fresh. It is mildly sweet without being winy. In my opinion, it is not as good as the blueberry beer, but it is will certainly whet your whistle when the temperature is climbing.
What better way to celebrate our great country and its amber waves of grain than with a chilled bottle of Budweiser Light Wheat Beer from Anheuser-Busch. I recently tasted this beer and was pleasantly surprised. It is a light tasting beer with a good aroma of spices and the faint nutty citrus flavor. Because it is so light-bodied, it is very refreshing on a warm day. It’s a Bud Light with a twist, and a perfect addition to your holiday weekend party.
Personally, I enjoy a good cold lager on a hot summer day. My waistline might not agree, but my taste buds sure do. The summer beer I’ll be drinking at least sometime during the holiday weekend is also my choice year round. For my Fourth of July celebration I will be stocking up on my favorite summer brew – JW Dundee’s Honey Brown Beer. I’m not one for bitter beer, and this brew is perfect. Smooth, full-bodied, a hint of sweetness without overpowering the rich beer taste. Don’t just take my word for it. Dundee’s Honey Brown won the Gold Award Winner of the 2004 World Beer Cup: Special Honey Lager or Ale Category.
So choose one of these great 4th of July beers, drink sensibly, and celebrate the season. Cheers!
