By: Lauren Wineman

This summer let’s take a break and tailgate. Whether it’s a Pilsner, a Lager or another style, kick back and relax with your favorite craft beer. The flavor of the beers you choose should be able to stand up, but not overwhelm the foods you pair with them. When tailgating, there’s usually plenty of food to come by, so making sure you’re getting that refreshing beer to enjoy with your food is important. BOB has a few recommendations below for your next tailgate.

O’Fallon Brewery’s Bramble Wildberry is a soft, rounded berry flavor without all the sugar. It’s also a low-calorie beer that is light and crisp with a dry, refreshing finish and an ABV of 4.1%. However, Wildberry isn’t the only flavor that Bramble comes in, this year they launched three more flavors: Pineapple Mango, Blood Orange Pomegranate and Passion Fruit Guava. All of these flavors are now being sold in sample packs. Start your summer off with a Bramble. As O’Fallon put it, “it could be described as the spritzer of beers!”

A classic, German-style Kölsch, Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower, is also a beer that is crisp and refreshing yet has a sweet malty body that is balanced by a complex, citrus, hop character. German Hallertauer hops are used to achieve this delicate flavor. With a moderate ABV of 4.9%, this beer is perfect for getting that refreshing feeling with your friends. As a winner of four Great American Beer Festival awards, Lawnmower is sure to be a crowd pleaser when you are tailgating.

Another beer to enjoy at your tailgates this summer is Schafly’s Raspberry Hefeweizen. This is a true fruit beer – not a fruit-flavored beer – that uses real raspberries during primary fermentation, which naturally yields a pink, hazy-colored brew with citrus aromas from the wheat and a desirable flavor that is near and tart. The best part is that it is low in bitterness and not overwhelmingly sweet and has a moderate ABV of 4.1%. This is Schafly’s summer water.

So, when you are tailgating this summer, BOB hopes you’ll enjoy one of these great craft beers in glass bottles, of course!