What's on tap this Memorial Day? Brewers pick their favorites
The official start of summer is June 21, but we all know it begins on Monday.
That's right. Memorial Day. Grilling dogs. Wearing jorts. Working on the base layer for your farmer's tan.
What's in your koozie?
I'm still exploring options for the beer that will be in my cooler. And as part of my research, I reached out to some of Western Pennsylvania's newest breweries to find out what they'd be drinking at their Memorial Day barbecues. Some of their responses were surprising. I was expecting pilsners and IPAs, but not so much with the stouts and sours.
They also recommended beers to sample this summer when you visit their breweries. And yes, you should visit them. Their responses are below.
Andy Weigel, brewer
HELLCON BREWING • Oakdale • Opened fall 2016
• Favorite style for summer: German Pilsner. Troeg's Sunshine Pilsner and Victory Prima Pils are my favorites.
• Memorial Day BBQ beer: Penn Weizen is what I'd be taking to a BBQ. Lower ABV, with complex flavors. Very refreshing.
• Brewery's best summer beer: We'll be releasing a collaboration blonde lager with the winner of the 2017 Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers homebrew competition. It's a lower ABV and has a decent amount of late American hop character.
Dawn Kramer, co-owner
COAL TIPPLE BREWERY • Burgettstown • Opened October 2016
• Favorite style for summer: Light, fruity beers are my summertime favorite.
• Memorial Day BBQ beer: I like to find something different every time I'm at another brewery so if it's something orange, lime — found a cucumber beer this week — that's what I'd be trying at a Memorial Day barbecue. But since we're a greenhouse as well as a winery and brewery, we won't be doing any barbecuing: We'll be slinging plants and beer.
• Brewery's best summer beer: This summer we'll be brewing a lime ale to complement our Pit Pony German Wheat ale that we already have one tap. By mid summer we'll be cracking open a peat bourbon cask aged irish pub stout that our brewmaster is staying up at night anticipating.
David Harries, brewer
SOUTHERN TIER BREWING COMPANY • North Shore • Opened Jan. 24
• Favorite style for summer: During the summer, any beer is good beer, but I find myself reaching for pilsners more often than other styles. Something about the balance between bready malts and crisp, sharp bitterness pairs great with a 90-degree day. Not too boozy, not too hoppy – just right.
• Memorial Day BBQ beer: I'd be thrilled to have a glass of East End's Fat Gary in my hand at a Memorial Day barbecue. The nutty, caramel character found in brown ales brings out the best in grilled food and the modest ABV ensures it can be an all-day affair.
• Brewery's best summer beer: I'd welcome guests to STBC Pittsburgh to try our pub-brewed Golden Ale this summer. Clocking in at 5.2% ABV and lightly bittered with Centennial hops, it hits the spot, especially on warm, muggy days. I'm also excited by our Lakewood-produced Nu Skool IPA — 6% ABV with medium bitterness, and dry hopped with Equinox, Mosaic and 07270 (a hop so new it doesn't have a name yet), it's tropical and refreshing (and no fruit was harmed in its manufacture!).
Ian Staab, owner
YELLOW BRIDGE BREWING CO. • Delmont • Opened Nov. 3, 2016
• Favorite style for summer: Crisp and bright pale ales, or a well-balanced IPA.
• Memorial Day BBQ beer: There are too many to list, but a "Fire on the Hill" IPA from Grist House is the first that comes to mind.
• Brewery's best summer beer: "Livin' Easy" — a pale ale brewed with citrus forward hops that'll carry a nose of lemon and orange.
Cary Shaffer, co-owner and brewer
COUCH BREWERY • Larimer • Opened on April 29
• Favorite style for summer: I love a simple wheat-based beer for summer. The variety of flavors and styles is pretty expansive, so it is hard to run out of stuff to try. Add some fruit to it and I'll grab it every time.
• Memorial Day BBQ beer: It all depends on how you're cooking. Smokers and charcoal grills pair well with stouts, big juicy burgers are amazing with a hoppy IPA. Any beer from the local guys will crush it for your picnic. Grab a few growlers and try pairing with different foods.
• Brewery's best summer beer: Our American blonde ale, Blonde Shag, is hands down our all-purpose beer that we absolutely love. Simple and a little different, it's our end of shift, grab a cold one, guzzle it down beer. It gets its unique flavor from Sorachi Ace hops. It's just a really great beer to drink comfortably.
Jared Herman and Erich Walls of Levity Brewing in Indiana
Erich Walls, co-owner
LEVITY BREWING COMPANY • Indiana • Opened Jan. 22, 2016
• Favorite style for summer: Lighter American Sours, Wheat, and Wild style-Brettanomyces beers.
• Memorial Day BBQ beer: Most beers by Draai Laag Brewing Co. All their beers are wild, sour, fruity, and refreshing. Perfect for hot summer days. They use wild, indigenous yeast strains they forage for throughout the year. They are Pittsburgh's best kept secret.
• Brewery's best summer beer: On June 10, 2017, we will be releasing "Underground Lullabies," one of our versions of an American Sour. The base beer is our American Hefeweizen, aged in French oak barrels for approximately one year in addition to using a wild yeast strain. The result is a beer with wonderful fruity aromas, notes of pineapple, and layers of complex flavors. It may be one of the best beers we've ever brewed.
Chris Fleisher on Memorial Day will be starting off with Victory Prima Pils, but is willing to switch up to whatever lucky ballpark swill helps the Pirates get some runs.
