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Ideas for keeping it local when imbibing this Fourth of July

Longmont’s brewers, cider and hard seltzer makers, and distillers are urging residents to choose local when they stock up for their celebrations. 
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Drew Farwell on Unsplash

Although Fourth of July activities are limited this year, as people plan for the holiday weekend one thing probably hasn’t changed: adult beverages are on their shopping lists. And Longmont’s brewers, cider and hard seltzer makers, and distillers are urging residents to choose local when they stock up for their celebrations. 

Here are some of their recommendations for the holiday and beyond:

For outdoor adventures

Longmont’s breweries and cideries provide plenty of canned drink options to take along on hikes, on rides and to the campsite. Among them:

  • Left Hand Brewing 1265 Pilsner. Named for Left Hand’s location on Boston Avenue, this new release is billed as crisp and refreshing with a touch of malt and accelerated lemon zest flavors. 

  • Oskar Blues Can O’ Bliss New England Style Double IPA. This brew is described as light and bold, packed with Citra hops, passionfruit flavor, and plenty of malt to keep things balanced.

  • St. Vrain Cidery Pink Guava. This cider is made when pink guava is fermented in a base of the brewery’s standard dry apple cider. It is described as tropical, refreshing and unusual. 

For the water 

Whether floating the St. Vrain Creek locally, hitting some whitewater, or paddling or motoring a boat around a nearby lake or reservoir, here are a few canned options to take along to enjoy after time on the water.

  • Oskar Blues Rose for Daze. This crisp, rose-styled offering is made with prickly pear and hibiscus and is described as tasking like a wine spritzer. 

  • Bootstrap Brewing Mixed Beer Party Pack. The brewery just released a mixed pack that contains two of Stick’s Pale Ale, Insane Rush IPA, Wreak Havok Imperial Red, and the company’s hard seltzers.

  • Left Hand Brewing Getting’ Tiki with It. Described as a pineapple wheat that’s fruity but still manages to maintain its malt backbone, this brew also includes flavors of coconut and lactose to balance acidity. 

For open-air dining

Grilling in the backyard, cooking at the campsite or packing lunch to take on an adventure? Here are a few cocktail options. 

  • St. Vrain Cidery Balaton Cherry.  For this limited release, cidermakers fermented Colorado apples with tart Balaton cherries for a result that’s described as intense and almost wine-like.   

  • Abbot & Wallace Longtucky Spirits canned cocktails. This Old Town distillery recently started offering three options for canned cocktails: a Mint Julep, a wine-inspired spritzer, and two variations on a rum and ginger beer cocktail with elderflower and lemon juice. 

  • Dry Land Distillers smoky or spiced margarita. Margaritas are a summer staple and the distillery’s mezcal-inspired cactus spirit gives them a lightly smoked flavor. In the tasting room, a variation with jalapenos is offered for possible duplication at home. 

Sip by the fire

A summer fire after dark is one of  the best times to enjoy an adult beverage. Darker beers and complex spirits top the list of late-night choices.   

  • Left Hand Brewing Galactic Cowboy Nitro. This imperial stout is described as having a full mouthfeel with creaminess from the brewery’s nitro treatment and complimentary notes of coffee and dark chocolate.

  • Abbot and Wallace Colorado Bourbon (traditional and cinnamon varieties). This oak barrel-aged spirit isn’t just made in Longmont, it’s made with regionally grown malt from Root Shoot Malting in Loveland. 

  • Dry Land Distillers Antero Wheat Whiskey. A single-grain wheat whiskey with notes of cherry, vanilla and plum that come from charred oak barrel aging.  

Health-conscious options

For those looking to keep their beverages on the lighter side or to stay within dietary requirements, Longmont-made canned seltzers and lighter beers also are available. 

  • Bootstrap Brewing Sparkalicious Hard Seltzer Party Pack. This pack contains three craft seltzers with cocktail flavors that include a greyhound, a cosmopolitan and a sunrise with cherry and orange. Each is gluten-free and low-calorie.  

  • Oskar Blues One-Y 100 Calorie Hazy IPA.  It’s not easy to pair a big, hoppy hazy IPA flavor without a high calorie count to match. This ale was designed to be fruity and crisp but without bitterness.