Three for the Fourth

- By Marsha Bryant

From the mountains and prairies, to ocean’s white foam:
Hail the beers of America. Let your tastes roam!
‘Twixt Atlantic, Pacific
Come brewers prolific
With tributes for toasting this spacious-skied home.

So gallantly streaming, beers pour
Into glasses and cups for the Fourth.
From the crisp, from the tart,
to the hoppy—the heart
Of the country pumps out brews galore!

Here are three for the Fourth just for you—
A wide-ranging assortment of brew.
One’s classic, one’s play-
ful. Nostalgia holds sway
In the last one I choose to review.

1
Ragged Glory—O long may it wave
With a fresh-hop approach and a fla-
vor that pairs with the beach.
Keep this pilsner in reach,
For its crisp, zingy sweetness you’ll crave.

2
Nelson-hopped is this ‘Merica Y’all,
Eschewing what’s conventional.
Though it says ‘IPA,’Expectations don’t sway
The grape-bitter, with tart above all.

3
With lip-puckering tartness, this beer
Goes beyond fruited plain to adhere
To your tongue with its tang,
While some sweetness o’erhangs
In this Sour Me popsicle. Cheers.

Tasting Notes

Ragged Glory American Pilsner, Fresh Hop. Antigua Brewing, San Luis Obispo, CA. 5.3% ABV.
A true hop-forward pilsner, pouring translucent straw-colored with a bright, white head resembling sea foam. This beer has a crisp approach, and fresh hops from the family farm bring a zing to your tongue-tip. There’s also a faint sweetness that’s kissing cousin to kölsch. Crushable, but well worth taking the time to savor its flavor. You’ll want more.

‘Merica Y’all Nelson Hopped India Pale Ale. Prairie Artisan Ales. Oklahoma City, OK. 6% ABV.
The brewer’s website tags this a hazy IPA, and it pours that way with a clouded lemon hue and soft, foamy white head. The tartness of the white grapefruit flavor borders on lemony, and tastes refreshing on a hot summer day. Single-hopping this beer with Nelson Sauvin brings faint notes of white grape, mingling with the bitterness as you sip. Would pair well with chorizo or spicy beef. A different take on IPAs and their hazy siblings.

Sour Me America Rocket Pop Sour Ale. DuClaw Brewing Co., Ewing, NJ. 5.5% ABV.
Remember those red, white & blue popsicles from childhood days? Whether yours were Bomb Pops, Rocket Pops, or Firecrackers, that’s what this ale aims for—with a twist. Rather than cherry, lemon and blue raspberry, it brings sour cherry that’s akin to kriek, raspberry, and lime flavors. Pours a tawny-ruby color with light carbonation. This is not a beery sour ale, so prepare to pucker up!

MARSHA BRYANT writes about literature, culture, and craft beer. Her recent essays appear in The Bloomsbury Handbook to Sylvia Plath, the online journal Humanities, and the textbook Impact of Materials on Society. Marsha teaches at the University of Florida. Her Untappd handle is LimerickLady.