Ah, made-up drinking holidays. I have a love/hate relationship with them. On one hand, bars usually have good specials for specific days, entreating imbibers to reap the rewards that Big [Insert style of alcoholic beverage here] have decided to create. On the other hand, there are so many of these holidays that practically every day is dedicated to some sort of drink. Hell, some spirits — whisk(e)y comes to mind — have multiple days (National Whiskey Day, International Whiskey Day, County-wide Drink Whiskey With Your Dog Day, etc). Regardless of how you feel about drinking holidays, they’re here to stay.
And here we are on another of these days, one of the O.G. ones as far as I can tell, National Beer Day. Straight, simple, to the point. We’re here for beer, just like beers been there for us.
(Cue the Friends theme.)
(Now do the clapping part.)
I’m not a huge fan of listicles — this comes from having to write at least one a week for almost five years — but in a case like this, I think it works. If it’s National Beer Day, I want to have a few different beers, not just one. With over 9,000 breweries as of 2021 in the US alone, it’d be a damn shame to only try one beer from one brewery.
But also, moderation, so I picked three beers that I’d be drinking today. I went with an easy drinker, a reinvented classic, and a new beer from a Charlotte brewery.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s 805 Cerveza
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Light lager with lime
This beer is exactly what you think it is. Easy drinking with a little kick of lime, it’s a porch pounder, a tailgate champion, a hiking and fishing companion. It’ll go where you go and keep you refreshed the whole time. It’s a beer you don’t have to think about in the best way. Replace the Bud Lite and Mich Ultra Limes in your pool cooler this summer with these. You won’t be disappointed. There’s not much more I can say. Firestone Walkermade a thirst-quenching, session beer. It’s proof that you don’t have to overcomplicate something to make it good.
Victory Brewing Company’s Berry Monkey
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Fruited Sour Tripel
By now, everyone should be familiar with Victory’s Golden Monkey. The Belgian-style tripel is widely available and has been for at least 14 years (I first found it at the lone craft beer shop in my small college town, when my roommate and I would pick beers based on the label). Golden Monkey is the #1 craft Belgian in the US, while Sour Monkey — another iteration of the beer — is the #1 craft Sour. (This information comes from the market research firm IRI, should you want to learn more.)
Berry Monkey takes what works so well with the other monkeys and makes it fruity. Real raspberries are added to the brew and deliver a sweetness to both the nose and body before the sour pucker kicks in. Sours are not really my thing, but I found Berry Monkey easier to drink than many others I’ve tried. I wouldn’t have more than two in a sitting, but for sour fans — or fans of big, strong beers — it’s worth a shot. If you’re not used to big Belgian beers, though, it’ll definitely catch up with you quick (like when you stand up). Just remember to have a glass of water nearby.
Sycamore Brewing’s Super Lemon Haze
ABV: 8.8%
Style: Double IPA with lemon
I used to spend a good deal of time in Charlotte, where Sycamore is based, and would therefore have access to a variety of the beers they produce. Now, living in South Carolina, I can still get some Sycamore beers on tap, but it’s usually limited to their Mountain Candy IPA (which is not a bad thing at all, I dig the beer).
Super Lemon Haze does everything its name indicates. It’s a big beer, and while you can definitely tell it’s a DIPA and packs a punch, it isn’t a chore to get through. The highlight is just how much lemon they were able to infuse into each and every atom of the beer. You get fresh lemon zest on the nose, bright and sharp lemon on the palate, and the tingle along your tongue of biting into a lemon as a finish. This massive flavor comes from a blend of lemon puree, dried lemon zest, and lemon-flavored hops. The beer reminds me of the sun coming through the windows in the morning and of highlighters on a blank white page. It’s the beer equivalent of the fresh feeling after using a tongue scraper.