Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink
  3. Features

The Best Canned Beer from Craft Breweries for Summer Sipping

Summer is here. It’s time to get outside and spend some lazy days on the water. If you’re lucky enough to live near the coast, that means soaking up the sun at the beach. For folks living in the flyover states, grab an inner tube and hit the lakes and streams. Or, you can never go wrong by simply mooching off a friend with a pool. No matter where you go, be sure to bring some cold canned beer along to quench your summer thirst.

Nothing pairs better with relaxation and a sea of blue than beer in cans. It’s easy to pack, lightweight, and guaranteed to keep your beer fresh and delicious. More craft breweries are canning than ever before and that means plenty of options to keep your thirst sated with new varieties being released all the time. On your next trip to the water, check out these craft beer cans, hitting shelves during July 2017.

Recommended Videos

Boulder Beer Bump ‘n’ Rind Watermelon Kolsch

Bump n Rind Watermelon Kolsch
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are numerous watermelon beers on the market this year, but the light, sweet fruit flavors blend perfectly with a Kolsch-style base. Bump ‘n’ Rind goes down easy and at only 5.6 percent alcohol by volume you get to safely enjoy more than one.

Bronx Brewery Summer Pale Ale with Lemon Peel

New York City BX Bronx Brewery Summer Pale Ale with Lemon Peel
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What’s in a name? Everything. Inspired by the Radler style, this pale ale from Bronx is buoyed by citrus hops (Hopsteiner’s Experimental No. 04190 to be exact) and dried lemon peel. It’s designed to be refreshing, but with a bit of lemon tartness to keep you coming back for more.

Destihl Synchopathic Apricot

Destihl Brewery Wild Sour Series Synchopathic Apricot
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A dry-hopped sour ale in a can. We truly have hit beer nerd nirvana. No longer solely the purvey of corked and caged wine bottles, you can now get a complex, acidic, fruity and yes, sour ale in a convenient, small format.

Madtree Brewing Co. Shade

Shade Madtree Brewing
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Goses are a perfect style for summer. They have a relatively small amount of alcohol, are spiced with salt and coriander, and have that little bit of a sour twang that keeps us reaching for another. Madtree’s take on the Gose style incorporates blackberry puree for a welcome diversion from the typical lemon slant.

If it’s the ocean, a lake or a pool, beer in cans are the perfect companions. Look for one of these cans in a store near you for a light, fruity and refreshing day on the water.

Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
The best beers from California you can buy anywhere
California is more than just IPAs
Sierra Nevada

Currently, more than 9,000 breweries of all sizes operate in the US. That’s an awful lot of IPAs, stouts, and lagers to choose from. Some states are more saturated with breweries (per capita) than others. This includes places like Vermont, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, and, of course, California. While I could take a deep dive into all the biggest beer-producing states, today is all about The Golden State.

I have a special affinity for California beer, and it’s because of one style in particular. Sure, you can find a beer style to fit every palate in the state, but in California, the IPA reigns supreme. In fact, if you look at almost any list ranking the best beers in the state, it will be littered with IPA options. While I often imbibe pilsners and other lagers (as well as wheat beers and other lighter beers) in the summer as well as stouts and porters (and other dark beers) in the winter, I always go back to the classic West Coast IPA.

Read more
Blue Bottle just proved California can grow world-class coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee just dropped a super rare California-grown coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee

Coffee has always had its origins story – Ethiopia, Colombia, Panama. But California was never part of that conversation, until now. Coffee leader, Blue Bottle, has just launched the California Frinj San Diego Gesha, a washed Gesha grown in San Diego and Santa Barbara counties in partnership with Frinj Coffee, the pioneering network behind California's emerging coffee movement. Gesha is widely regarded as one of the most prized varietals in specialty coffee, known for its delicate floral complexity and fruit-forward character –  and this one delivers jasmine, peach, and strawberry in a cup.

Up until now, many coffee brands would shy away from growing specialty-grade coffee in California, as it requires years of experimentation and innovation. For the past two decades, Jay Ruskey, founder of Frinj Coffee, has helped pioneer California coffee product through continual experimentation with innovative growing practices, coffee varieties, and post-harvest processing. Now, this exciting new launch finally reflects that work. Cherries from two California farms were processed at Frinj's wet mill in Ventura, using carefully controlled fermentation to result in an exceptionally clean cup of coffee. This new variety showcases the signature floral aromatics and bright fruit character of the Gesha variety.

Read more
Dark rums for whiskey fans
These rums are a great choice for whiskey drinkers
rum bottles

There’s no disputing the appeal of whisk(e)y. Whether it's single malt Scotch whisky, bourbon, rye whiskey, Irish whiskey, or others. There’s something special about this barrel-aged spirit. But it’s not the only aged spirit, and if you’re limiting your sipping to this style, you’re missing out on some other special, flavorful spirit. Especially dark rum.

I’ve spent years imbibing the various forms of whiskey. But every now and then, I branch out and pour myself a glass of dark rum instead. Unsurprisingly, the two spirits have some of the same aromas and flavors. Since both are matured in wood barrels, they impart flavors like caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, and oak (among others). If you don’t already, you should branch out and add dark rum to your aged spirits rotation.

Read more