Adult drinks in can is by no mean a novel thing , or a standout thing , or even a debatable calibre thing at this point , but it is decidedly a great affair . And what better time of year than summertime to take advantage of them . As the more portable , more eco - friendly first cousin to the bottle , packing a cooler full of cans before manoeuvre alfresco is as fundamental to the time of year as sunburn and overpriced beach parking .
We ’re here to help with what we consider to be the " beach reads " of beverages : unclouded - weight , portable , and obligate enough to not be able-bodied to put one down , but not so over the top that you ca n’t appreciate them as your body temperature spikes . So put down that feeding bottle opener , dust off that Igloo that ’s been hold off patiently in your garage , and get ready to hit the trail with the expert give the sack beers for your cooler right now .
Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose
Gose , 4.2%Boonville , CAPutting salt on watermelon has always been a thing . But what about putting salt , on your watermelon , in your beer ? Anderson Valley has long been known to put forward a solid yield - base gose , but this is next level . Do n’t be afraid of the ingredients : it ’s a surprisingly perfect combination of fruitiness , acidity , and brine that ’s way less Jolly Rancher and more factual melon vine rind with this feel . Even as an confessedly divisive trend , goses are absolutely stark for most cooler - well-disposed outcome and outings , and tend to be a gateway beer for those friend or fellowship penis who do n’t usually extend to for brews . I defy you to find a more thirst - quenching beer out there .
Bunker Machine Czech Pilz
Pilsner , 5.2%Portland , MEChances are if you close your eyes and picture yourself on a beach drinking a beer , the can in your phantasy handwriting will likely be a Pilsner : the light body , curt finish , and tonic flavors make it a go - to trend for warm - weather condition outdoor drinking . Some of the best news out of the craft beer world is that it’sfinallyeasy to find a well - done version of this style , and Bunker ’s Machine Pilz is one of the well on the market . It has the grassy Saaz hoppiness , light - medium organic structure , and water - cracker malt liquor flavors that are linchpin of Pilsners , all while avoiding the blah - ness that so many subpar rendering of this style put forth . If you ever have a uncertainty about what non - beer - drinking masses are go to finger comfy diving into , this is your answer .
Burnside Brewing IPA
IPA , 6.5%Portland , ORUntil Portland ’s challenging , somewhat underrated Burnside Brewing commence displace its really perfect summertime offer , Lime Kolsch , we ’ll have to make due with its flagship IPA . Luckily , it ’s a beer that stands out in a crowded champaign , balancing four types of hop without crossing into the too - bitter zone . It ’s not a seance IPA . But it drinks mighty easy . And , hell , if you require to put a lime in it in prevision , nobody ’s going to blame you .
Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler
Radler , 4.1%Kansas City , MOAnyone who has spent clock time with Europeans has probably see them order a " radler " ( or " shandy " if you ’re with a Brit ) , which is a glorious combination of fruit pop and beer that is built to refreshen . Boulevard has one of the best American takes of this on the market that perfectly combines two summertime - friendly flavor . Do n’t let the spicy smell scare you off : this tastes more like lemonade than ginger beer , with undimmed , beautiful , refreshing lemon and just a pernicious mite of a peppiness burn on the culture to balance out the sour . If it sounds like a stupid - soft - drinking beverage , it ’s because it is . It also happens to cultivate wonders in an impromptu cocktail , if you ’re having that kind of a cooler party .
Maui Doppelshot
Coffee doppelbock , 8.2%Kihei , HIIt ’s a holdover from winter , but if you ’re in the market for a delicious former - in - the - day beer for an other - season camping trip or , you do it , a Tuesday , this meaty bock definitely split the difference between iced java and beer in a wonderful way , and offers up a nice option for folk who bask their dismal beer frappe cold .
Swamp Head Stump Knocker
Pale ale , 5.6%Gainesville , FLIf you ’re lugging your cool outdoors to take reward of the novel air , chances are you ’re going to appreciate a beer as redolent as Swamp Head ’s Stump Knocker . How does it get that piney , floral bouquet ? By wry hopping , of course of study ! But instead of overwhelming your roof of the mouth with rosin ( or underwhelming with a thin , watered - down dead body ) , this has beautiful citrus tree flavors and a medium body with a solid malt spinal column that takes it all home with a laconic polish . It ’s an promiscuous - drinking beer that never set out to just be easy crapulence , and will work as well on a golf game class as it will at a poolside BBQ .
Fremont 77 Select
Session IPA , 4%Seattle , WAThis limited lite IPA may have disappear from the taps , but you’re able to still find this bounce beer from one of the Pacific Northwest ’s finest breweries on some shelves . And if you do , well , you ’re unlikely to find a more full-bodied seance IPA in the Pacific Northwest , a lawnmower beer with a nice hops blow that evaporate as before long as you take back it . If you see it , stock up .
Rhinegeist Peach Dodo
Gose , 4.4%Cincinnati , OHPeach has a special position on the look spectrum , where it can be perfumy , sweet , acidulous , and insanely refreshing all at once . mayhap that ’s why when you include it as an ingredient in a style of beer that goes down like lemonade , it comes off as unforgettably as Dodo . Like any practiced gose , it ’s well balanced between sour and salty , with sporting fruit flavors rather of canned - syrup flavoring . For non - beer drinker , it perfectly replaces a margarita or rum cocktail in the beverage rotation , economise you from having to mob all of those ingredients into a cooler . For beer lover , it ’s a sensational standout for a stylus you ’ve probably become all too used to seeing these daylight .
Hopworks Totally Radler
Radler , 2.6%Portland , ORGenerally , we ’re against punny name in beer , but we ’re uncoerced to forgive Portland ’s bicycle - obsessed brewery for this refreshful take on the radler , which perfectly mates the hops and maltiness of Hopworks ' already - killer organic laager with its maize washing soda , creating a sweet-scented take on the fruit - forward custom without losing sight of the fact that a good radler should still sample like beer , and not like a spiked glass of Country Time ( not that we ’re against that … ) .
Two Roads No Limits
Hefeweizen , 5%Stratford , CTMaybe I ’ve said this too many times , but I believe it ’s worth repeating : warm weather makes me crave hefeweizen like no other . And if you ’re packing a cooler with tooshie to specifically get out into that warm weather , No Limits is one of your best options . It has all the caparison of traditional Bavarian - stylus wheat beers , sport the clove , banana , and slight bubblegum flavors with a clear culture that somehow feel right at home when the beer tally your tongue in sunny weather . This one happens to be a combination of sessionability and complexity , which rarely go together this well .
Mikkeller Keeper
American Pilsner , 5%Copenhagen , DenmarkThe traditional Pilsner , Americanized … by an unbelievable Danish brewery . That ’s someInception - style brewing . But where so many hoppy " American - style " Pilsners basically taste like light IPAs , Mikkeller has find the equalizer , offer up a crisp , refreshing beer that does n’t sting too severely when it come to rancour , which is primal when the sun starts beat down .
Castle Island Candlepin
Session IPA , 4.4%Norwood , MAYou ca n’t put together a summer can list without include at least one Jehovah IPA . But in the aftermath of the great academic session IPA windfall of the past two years , there are only a select few example of the style that are worth the coveted space in your tank . To put it bluntly , the crew at Castle Island has nailed it with Candlepin . It ’s everything you ’d want a school term beer to be : light - bodied with slightly clammy , resinous aromas and citrusy flavors like grapefruit with a clean , teetotal finish that makes each sip easy than the last . It has plenty going for it , whether you ’re a hophead or not .
Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils
Pilsner , 5.3%Lyons , COOskar Blues is a brewery have it off for displace enceinte flavor in the form of record hop - crushers like Gubna . This is not that form of can . No , this is Oskar Blues ' take on lawnmower beer , nipping and light and novel in the same means that its other offering are bold and complex . It ’s a year - round of drinks beer , but every time you drink it , it reminds you of what a perfect summer beer tastes like .
Stiegl Grapefruit Radler
Radler , 2.5%Salzburg , AustriaSimply put , this is the quintessential radler . Low ABV . Fruity , but not too fruity , thanks to all - natural fruit succus . Somehow , it ’s even better when it ’s sweltering outside . No beer tank is complete without it this summer . Or any summertime . Such is Stiegl .
Bonus:Union Wine Co. Underwood Rosé
Rosé , 13%Sherwood , ORLook , it ’s just full business sector to offer up something to the non - beer imbiber . Or to yourself after you ’ve wind up all your beer and are like , " damn , I could really go for a nice cold-blooded rosé right now , ” because you know damn well you love pinkish wine . The just part about Underwood ? It ’s yummy and it fits in a koozie . Plus , that can ’s about a half a bottle ’s Charles Frederick Worth of pink , and room more thick than a mammoth bottleful . And easier to open up with your teeth , too .
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Thrillist senior editorAndy Kryzacontributed suggestions for your amazing hypothetical cooler .
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