As South Alabama gets ready to celebrate the Fourth of July, local breweries are offering plenty of homegrown options for anyone looking to toast the holiday with something made close to home. Brewing beer has deep roots in American history, from the Sons of Liberty planning the Boston Tea Party at Boston’s Green Dragon Tavern to George Washington’s own handwritten recipe for “small beer” and James Madison’s proposal for a federal brewery while in office. These days, South Alabama’s own brewers are keeping that tradition alive with a lineup of summer releases.
Serda Brewing keeps the awards coming
Mobile’s Serda Brewing recently picked up a Can Can Award, taking home the gold medal in the German-style pilsner category for its Hook, Line and Lager. The award, one of more than 350 entries judged this year, is reserved specifically for craft beers distributed in cans rather than bottles. Canned craft beer still makes up only about 9 percent of the overall craft beer market, and the Can Can Awards were created to highlight the format’s advantages, including easier opening, better recyclability compared to glass, and better protection from the ultraviolet light that can cause beer to spoil, or “skunk.”
Hook, Line and Lager is a lighter beer with solid flavor, well suited to sipping in Serda’s beer garden on Government Street during Mobile’s warm summer evenings. The brewery recently completed its third canning run of 800 cases each of Hook, Line and Lager and its Tidewater Vienna, both of which are available at the Serda taproom as well as area grocery stores including Rouses and Piggly Wiggly.
Serda is also preparing to can a special summer release, the Homeport Hefeweizen, a wheat beer flavored with lemon and coriander that’s built for hot-weather drinking.
Fairhope Brewing goes big with Hop Hogan
Across Mobile Bay in Fairhope, Fairhope Brewing Co. has its own summer standout: Hop Hogan, a double IPA named in homage to professional wrestler Hulk Hogan. At 9 percent alcohol by volume, it packs considerably more punch than the average summer beer. The recipe follows in the tradition of Fairhope Brewing’s other hoppy offerings, similar to the brewery’s Take the Causeway IPA but lighter in color, with a pronounced, bitter finish.
Hop Hogan is available on tap at Fairhope Brewing’s taproom and in bottles at grocery stores throughout the South Alabama area.
A holiday worth toasting locally
Whether it’s a canned lager from Mobile or a bottled double IPA from Fairhope, South Alabama’s growing craft beer scene gives residents plenty of local options to celebrate Independence Day without reaching for something shipped in from out of state. Both breweries’ summer releases are widely available at taprooms and area grocery stores throughout the Fourth of July weekend.