What Beer Should You Drink This Summer?

A good friend of mine is getting married this summer. And because I say so much smart shi*t here about drinking and booze and getting hammered here on this blog, he asked me for a little advice about what to have at his bar.

I was happy to let it rain wisdom. I mean… I’m a good friend and humble guy in general, so of course I would help out.

It turned out that I spent a lot of time putting my thoughts together, and my reply to him may help other people too.

He asked me about the beer and liquor selection. He either knows I hate wine or didn’t care about it himself. Or both. I’m hoping this post will be useful for you if you’re in 1 of 2 situations:

1) You’re throwing a party coming up and aren’t sure what to get for the bar
2) You’re feeling frisky and are looking for some ideas for stuff to drink this summer. Mostly beer I guess. This post could also save you from drinking some sh*tty beer.

I guess there’s a #3 here which is both #1 and #2, but whatever…

OK, here’s what he sent me, asking for my (again) almost god-like yet somehow very humble opinion:

This is a pretty standard shopping list for a private event with ~150 people with a modest yet well rounded bar. Here it is {AND IF YOU SEE SQUIGGLY BRACKETS AND TEXT IN ALL CAPS LIKE THIS, THAT MEANS IT’S MY COMMENTARY POST SENDING TO HIM FOR YOU}:

"Hey dude, thanks for asking. Here are my thoughts:

Beer:
1st, Bloodline is a great choice. I can’t wait to drink a ton of it {I’LL BE AT THE WEDDING}. I would actually consider getting more of this one – it tends to be popular.

I’ve found that Sam Adams has gotten a lot worse in the recent years. I think there are way more better (and craftier options) for light summer beers. Kona Big Wave (we had at my wedding) is one of my favs in this category (I heart the sh*t out of Kona). There is also Dead Rise by Flying Dog (you either love or hate this one, If I remember right you hate it).

This list maybe useful for more ideas: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/85/. {FLYING DOG IS A BREWERY OUT OF FREDERICK, MD. IT’S ALL OVER THE DC AREA WHERE I USED TO LIVE AND THEY MAKE GREAT BEER}

Have you had the 21st amendment watermelon beer? I was super disappointed by it, personally. I’d replace it with that pineapple beer you had at the beach that one time {IT WAS REALLY GOOD BUT I DIDN’T REMEMBER THE NAME. THERE CAN’T BE THAT MANY PINEAPPLE WHEAT BEERS OUT THERE IN CASE YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE IT} or if you can find it go with any Schlafly Hefeweizen. Schlafly beers are AMAZING – we wanted their beer at our wedding but they don't distribute in TX. Boooo. OK, last, I found this article that's pretty on point: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/04/59-of-the-best-wheat-beershefeweizens-blind-tasted.html

{IF THERE WAS SOMETHING ON HIS ORIGINAL LIST BUT I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT, I PROBABLY THOUGHT IT WAS JUST FINE}

Liquor:
You may need more vodka and less rum. I pour lots of vodka - more than anything else, and not that much rum. At all. I would ever hazard to say ditch Bacardi – very few people drink it in my experience these days. I mean… what do you use it for? Rum and Coke? Just use the Captain for that because if you're drinking rum and Coke you don't care that much anyway. Mojitos? Do you really want to get all those ingredients and then see if the bartender can actually make a good one? Long Island? I don't think I need to say anything about this one.

Another gin I recommend to people is Amsterdam. It’s cheap and good. If you want to see me drink gin on the rocks, go with Barr Hill. Mmmmm.

Buffalo Trace is the best value bourbon that I know of - great choice.

J Walker is overpriced. I’d go with Dewers. Nobody will care. But I also know that Indians {MY FRIEND IS INDIAN} LOVE J Walker Black sooo… yeah {IMPORTANT NOTE: HE DEF DIDN'T ARGUE WITH THIS}. I've found that people are a lot less prone to drink bourbon/whiskey cocktails in the summer than winter. People may still have bourbon or scotch on the rocks, but again, less so than in the winter.

Vermouth: It’s SWEET vermouth, right? Don't get dry. There is no difference between Dolin and the cheapest one on the shelf. Also, there is no need to get vermouth unless you’re also getting bitters (for a Manhattan) which I didn't see on the list. Make sure to also get bar cherries, oranges and sugar if you want to be able to serve an old fashioned. But don’t expect your bartender to know how to make a good one. I get very angry when bartenders suck at this drink, which is often {TEAR}.

Last, I have this shopping list on my website which may be useful: http://davidthebartender.blogspot.com/p/private-party-shopping-list.html

OK, that's it. It's warm out so go get drunk outside.

David