We all know that the true Seattle summer doesn’t start until the 4th of July comes around, and that alone is reason enough to celebrate this upcoming weekend. On the 4th of July, people will be getting together to grill, visit with family & friends and celebrate our independence from those evil Brits (they really aren’t so bad). For most people reading this website, that likely means enjoying a few beers at whatever party or event you end up attending.
Here are a few simple rules that you should probably stick to when choosing your beers for the 4th:
- Serve beer made by a brewery that is actually American-owned. That immediately excludes anything from MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch, both of which are owned by huge international conglomerates based outside of the U.S. That also excludes any of those “cool” retro brands owned by Pabst Brewing Company, which in addition to PBR include the once-local Rainier and Olympia; all of their brands are contract brewed at MillerCoors facilities. Also, local NW brewery Pyramid is 100% owned by a food & beverage company located in Costa Rica.
- To take it a step further, choose something local. There is great beer being made in every corner of the country these days, but supporting local businesses is a very American thing to. There are plenty of local options when looking for beers for this weekend.
- Choose beers that are not too high in alcohol. Assuming that you’ll be hanging out for a while, you will likely want to have a few beers without getting trashed. If you do just want to get trashed and celebrate America, bourbon is a solid choice.
Again, there are many great local options available for the 4th of July. Stop by your favorite beer retailer this week and I’m sure they can help you find something worthy. Following are 5 beers available in cans that you could stock up on. Why cans? Because they are convenient for picnics/BBQs and with the increasing availability of more brands in cans you have a lot to choose from.
- Fremont Summer Ale – This 5.2% ABV pale ale is one of my favorite things about summer. It’s a simple combo of fruity Amarillo hops and base 2-Row malt. The result is full of hop flavor without being very bitter. Refreshing and full of flavor. I want one right now. Available in six-packs of 12oz cans, 22oz bottles and on draft.
- Silver City Ziggy Zoggy Lager – This balanced, easy drinking, unfiltered 5% ABV German-style lager (officially called a Zwickelbier) is perfect for summer. Available in six-packs of 12oz cans, 22oz bottles and on draft.
- Orlison Lizzy’s Red – Orlison Brewing, located in Airway Heights, WA outside of Spokane, is a small brewery that concentrates on brewing a wide variety of lagers. Lizzy’s Red offers a mix of bready and caramel malts with light hops to balance. Very crisp and clean. 5.5% ABV. Available in 4-packs of 16oz cans in the Seattle area.
- Bale Breaker Field 41 Pale Ale – This pale ale is brewed in the middle of a hop field. Seriously. At 4.5% ABV it might be the lightest beer on this list, but it probably packs in the most hop flavor. Lots of citrus and fruit. Available in six-packs of 12oz cans and on draft.
- 7 Seas Rude Parrot IPA – I’ve already included two hop-forward pale ales on the list, but I know how many of you are biased towards IPAs. Rude Parrot is just 5.85% ABV and packs in a lot of tropical fruit and citrus hop flavors backed with a solid malty base. Available in 4-packs of 16oz cans and on draft.
I’m not sure Fremont counts as local. Sometimes I think the owner is from outer space.
You forgot the Little Sister Session IPA from Everybody’s Brewing out of White Salmon, WA. It’s got all the IPA flavor you want, but very light body, and only 4.3%. What could be better for the summer? And the side of the can has a little picture of a shotgun shell right where you would poke a hole in the can to… uhhhh, you know… shotgun it! Summer fun for sure!!
That’s funny, Pat…I was struggling with whether to include that or the Rude Parrot. Both great choices.
Also would add Two Beers – Trailhead ISA to this list. 4.8% and 60 IBUS
Went down very smoothly with tons of hop flavor and aroma at the river yesterday.
I’ll second that Field 41 from Bale Breaker. If you haven’t had one of their beers yet you owe to yourself to give one a try. They have their Topcutter IPA that is probably my favorite of their beers followed closely by the Field 41.
Pabst is owned by an American based out of Los Angeles and only uses Miller to brew its beers there is nothing wrong with PBR Oly and Rainier they are 100% American Owned and are light beers that are great for picnics and gatherings and are still local favorites We have many great small breweries in Washington that make great beer that I enjoy but there is nothing wrong with having a PBR Rainier or Oly every now and then
I completely agree that there is nothing wrong with having a Rainier or Oly from time-to-time; I certainly do.
You’ll notice I said “Serve beer ‘made’ by a brewery that is actually American-owned”. Pabst is American-owned, but they don’t brew the beer.
I’m admittedly bending the definition to prove a point. That point being that the Rainier and Olympia that many want to think of as “NW Beers” are really owned by what is essentially a marketing corporation that has an internationally-owned macro brewery brew their beer. Again, nothing wrong with that…it’s just a little blurry if you are wanting to celebrate July 4th with an American beer.