Few holidays encourage, and demand, beer drinking quite like Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. With temperatures pushing the mercury and backyard grills blazing bright, Memorial Day beers combat humidity and sunshine, while perfectly contrasting juicy burgers and hot dogs.
Sure, we could recite the virtues of session IPAs and pilsners, but on this flag-waving, fireworks-blasting weekend, you should really pledge allegiance to the most patriotic of beers. From an IPA brewed to celebrate Paul Revere’s ride to a porter formulated by George Washington and an amber ale literally packed with apple pie, here are the most proudly American brews to stock in your cooler.
Word to the wise: Stock up on these craft beers because the Fourth of July will be here before you know it.
Best Memorial Day Beers
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1. Homefront IPA
Brewer: Left Hand Brewing
Style: American IPA
Back in 2011, to support folks in the armed forces, several craft breweries banded together to start the Hops for Heroes charity. Each year, participating breweries make an IPA that’s aged on untreated Louisville Slugger baseball bats (the wood is maple, if you’re curious), with all proceeds earmarked for a different organization. (The beneficiary for 2015 is Soldiers’ Angels.) As for the beer, Left Hand’s coppery Homefront IPA is a hit, smacking you with pine, grapefruit, and orange peel — zest is added right before the beer finishes fermenting.