Summer tends to slow down a little when it comes to releasing beers. Spring has come and gone and those releases are still all over the market and the big September slide into winter is only a couple of months away. Add in the hot days of summer and you have a big push for light and refreshing drinks to take the edge off a long, sweaty day.
With all of that in mind, we’ve compiled a shortlist of some of the best beers being released this month. Some of them are easier to find and have larger distribution. Some of them you’ll have to travel for and do a bit of sleuthing to uncover. Happy beer hunting!
CUVÉE D’INDUSTRIAL 2017 — ALLAGASH BREWING COMPANY
Back in 2015, Allagash took a stab at making what could be described as the great American Gueuze. They blended their American Wild Ales which had been aging French and American oak in their cellars for one to five years into a single bottle of pure, sour bliss. That beer had a two-year shelf life. This month, they’re releasing their latest blend in a you-have-to-go-there-for-it release of bottles — or be lucky enough to have a friend who’s willing to trade.
Cuvée d’Industrial is a blend of 24 different beers that have been aged for one to five years. Expect a nose of varying oak, grapes, apples, caramel, and spices like cloves and star anise. The taste is a smooth-sweet biscuit, mocha, and cinnamon spice followed by a clean tartness derived from the yeast strains. It’s a crisp and acidic delight in each sip.
SAISON #1 — CENTRAL STATE BREWING
Central State Brewing in Indiana is doing some special releases right now with a lot of their beers coming of age in their barrels and bottles. Their Saison #1 is their first stab at the style, done with a little twist — they aged in red wine barrels instead of white.
Expect this beer to be super refreshing and bright, like a summer day on a farm. There’ll be a good barnyard funk and sourness thanks to the various strains of yeast used. The red wine barrel aging allows good hints of grape and strong summer florals to come through. It’s a sour and funky bottle that’s worth the wait … or a trip to Indiana.
BROMBEERE BLACKBERRY GOSE — ODELL BREWING
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This is a great hot summer day beer. Odell starts releasing this one around late May/early June through July. So you should be able to find it in craft beer shops around the country right now.
Odell’s Gose is a sour wheat beer with a nice hit of salt. The sourness isn’t overpowering and has a sweet tartness to it thanks to the blackberries. Overall, this beer is a refreshing treat with a lot of malt, salt, sour, and berry fruit that’ll help cool you down and pucker up with every sip.
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STONE FARKING WHEATON W00TSTOUT — STONE BREWING
Stone Brewing started this beer as a collaboration between actor Wil Wheaton and Fark.com creator Drew Curtis. The stout was a smashing success and Stone is releasing brand new bottles on July 10th nationwide (missing the 4th, still hitting squarely in cookout season).
Farking Wheaton W00tstout is a powerhouse stout has a 13 percent ABV and comes in 22-ounce bottles, so sip intelligently — that much ABV will knock you on your ass. The stout is aged with pecans and rye in bourbon barrels. Expect a fair amount of rye spiciness, smooth vanilla, and a nutty taste that matches the bitterness from the hops. It’s a creamy and smooth stout that has a great piece of art on the label.
TORPEDO PILSNER — SIERRA NEVADA/FIRESTONE WALKER COLLABORATION
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Sierra Nevada’s big collaboration Beer Camp box set is on shelves now. One of the best summer options from the box is a collab between Sierra Nevada and Firestone Walker based in their mutual love for Southern Hemisphere New Zealand hops.
Their Torpedo Pilsner is a refreshing burst of florals, tropical fruits, and hints of pine resin. This is one of those pilsners that starts to lean into pale ale territory without losing the sweet maltiness on the backend. This is an easy beer to drink all July.
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THAI STYLE WHITE IPA — UPSLOPE BREWING
At the end of June, Upslope Brewing released their stellar Belgian IPA. It’s the perfect time for a bold IPA to hit as summer really starts to heat up.
Thai Style White IPA has a strong flavor profile with good doses of coriander, star anise, orange peel, allspice, black pepper, and hints of ginger all accented with a sweet and sour funkiness from the Belgian yeasts. It’s a complex beer with a smooth and refreshing taste.
TWO HEARTED ALE — BELL’S BREWERY
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This one is a bit of a cheat. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is released year round. So seeking it out in July means you’ll be able to find as many fresh of bottles or cans as you would any other time of year. However, this American IPA is a great summer backyard BBQ beer and we wanted to shout it out.
Two Hearted Ale hits you with strong orange citrus and pine resin right out of the gate. The seven percent ABV delivers an excellent balance of pine and citrus fruit on the taste that levels up to a slight sweetness from the malt with nice echoes of wildflowers. This is a well-crafted IPA that deserves a spot in your cooler all summer long.
TÊTE DE CUVÉE VINTAGE 2015 — SIDE PROJECT BREWING
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Side Project got our pick for brewing the best beer in Missouri in our national beer roundup last month. And they just announced the release of their second Tête de Cuvée, which became available July 1st. The beer is a blend of the brewery’s amazing Saisons which are aged in oak and then bottle conditioned before release. These are the best of the best, blended into one great bottle of beer.
Tête de Cuvée Vinatge 2015 gets its vintage from the youngest beer blended into the bottle. This beer has a strong straw and barnyard funk right away. That’s followed by a good hit of lemon citrus, overripe stone fruit, white wine, and oak notes that add the slightest hints of vanilla and coriander. This is a beer deserving of the grandiose title of Tête de Cuvée.
SUBLIME MEXICAN LAGER — ALESMITH BREWING CO.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sublime’s 40oz. To Freedom album, San Diego’s AleSmith is releasing some 40s, yo.
The 40s are being described as having “a craft beer flare with a true Mexican lager taste.” Mexican lagers are light and very easy to quaff on a hot summer day. This one is worth checking out, even if just for the novelty of getting some craft beer in a 40-ounce bottle.
NOTE: This releases on the 15th. So it won’t be ready for the 4th, but it is perfect for the classic SoCal cookout.
FLORENCE — HILL FARMSTEAD BREWERY
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Hill Farmstead is arguably one of the best brewers in Vermont, if not the whole United States. Their Belgian Saison named Florence is a classic example of the style and a perfect July beer to sip while under the shade of a billowing willow tree.
Florence uses organic Vermont wheat and creates a tart masterpiece. The beer exudes lemongrass and orange rinds. That’s followed by a funky and almost sweet sourness. This a perfectly crafted beer from great brewers.
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