Five Great Beers For Labor Day Weekend
Labor Day, the third leg of the Summer Holiday Triple Crown, is here! For most kids, Labor Day signals the end of summer vacation and the start of a new school year, but for adults, Labor Day is yet another fantastic reason to gather with family and friends for a bit of warm weather fun. And if your friends and family are anything like ours, then warm weather fun means good food and drink!
With all of that in mind, here are five fantastic beers to make your Labor Day gathering even better. Cheers!
Elysian Brewing Company Bête Blanche Belgian-Style Tripel
Clear golden color with light foam and good lacing. A citrusy hop aroma and a hoppy yet sweet flavor with hints of apricots and grapefruit. This is a very nice beer that is both well-balanced and full of flavor. And for a tripel, this was very easy drinking. I would imagine at 7.5% ABV this could be a very dangerous beer.
Brasserie d’Achouffe La Chouffe Golden Ale
With its cloudy, pale orange color and its thick off white head, this beer is a beautiful pour. On the nose, there’s a medley of lemon and orange zest, honey, coriander, a hint of clove, and just a touch of yeast. The mouthfeel is very creamy with just the right amount of velvety carbonation. The flavors have a subtle bitterness, some citrus, and a touch of honey sweetness. The finish is dry, crisp, and slightly astringent. Brasserie d’Achouffe’s La Chouffe has the lightly spiced quaffability of a Belgian Wit, the dry, champagne-like quality of a Farmhouse Ale, and the sneaky potency of a Belgian Tripel (though you would never know it since it hides its 8.0% ABV really well, i.e. there’s no booziness at all!). This is one seriously delicious beer.
Ruby red color with nice foam, and good lacing. The nose has some subtle malt and hops along with a prominent sour cherry sweetness. The mouthfeel is a bit on the thin side while the taste is quite refreshing. This beer has a lovely balance of sweet and tart flavors. The Rodenbach Original is the beer that showed us how good a sour ale can be.
Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA
This beer has a slightly cloudy, golden yellow color with an off white, fluffy head. It smells like your typical Belgian Wit with a healthy dose of clove, lemon zest, yeast, and coriander, but it also has a good bit of subtle pineapple and grapefruit scented hops
coming through in the background. Light to medium bodied with very light carbonation. Tastes like a classic Belgian Wit, but with a touch of hoppy bitterness. Lots of lemony citrus at the finish with some grapefruity hops showing up a bit in the aftertaste. The Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA is a deliciously crisp and refreshing beer that would be perfect on a warm, late summer afternoon.
Anchor Brewing Porter
Pours a deep, dark mahogany color with thick tan head. The nose is that of a classic Porter with the coffee and chocolate notes front and center, and hints of raisins and dried apricots in the background. Medium bodied with a somewhat creamy mouthfeel. The palate has dried fruit sweetness, a small dose of hoppy bitterness, and of course, oodles of roasted coffee and semi-sweet chocolate. Anchor Porter has everything you look for in a dark beer but without the high octane punch of a Russian Imperial Stout or a Baltic Porter. This beer is a true American classic!