Unless you go to a store that allows you to buy one bottle (or can) of beer at a time, you’ll have to settle for purchasing a six-pack of all the same brews even if you only want one or two (at least you can share with your friends). Maybe you enjoy a certain sour ale but only one at a time. What if want to enjoy a stout while you sit around an evening campfire, but you have no need for the style during the hot, humid summer days? Well, luckily, a lot of liquor and grocery stores allow you to create your own six-pack from dozens of cans or bottles they have in stock. If you’re lucky enough to visit one of these stores, you better choose wisely. There’s definitely the right way to craft a sixer as well as a wrong way. The key is creating a good mix of different styles. Here’s our version of the perfect craft beer six-pack.
Photo: franckreporter (Getty Images)
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six-pack
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Beer 1 – Lager
Start your six-pack the right way with a simple lager. You don’t have to settle for the big mass-produced brands, either. The perfect beer for this position is Jack’s Abby House Lager. This light, refreshing lager is so good you might want to fill the rest of the spots with it.
Photo: Jack’s Abby
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Beer 2 – West Coast IPA
The hoppy, slightly bitter West Coast IPA takes our second spot because even as craft beer embraces lager, the IPA is still king. And the king of kings is Stone Brewing. That’s why we picked Stone Enjoy By IPA.
Photo: Stone Brewing
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Beer 3 – New England-Style IPA
If your six-pack has a West Coast IPA, it better have its East Coast sibling, the New England-Style IPA. This hazy, less bitter style is a must have. We picked Two Roads Two Juicy because it’s cloudy, juicy, and satisfying.
Photo: Two Roads
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Beer 4 – Wheat Beer
A wheat beer is definitely a must have, but that’s where it gets tricky. There are a lot of great brands out there. But, if you really want to complete your six-pack, you’ll get a bottle of the best: Allagash White. This subtly yeasty, hazy, summery beer is our go-to wheat beer.
Photo: Allagash
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Beer 5 – Sour Ale
In recent years, sour beers have taken over the craft beer world. That means there are a lot of great ones available. For our sixer, we picked our favorite that you can get pretty much anywhere: Brooklyn Bel Air Sour. It’s tart, refreshing, and perfect on a hot day.
Photo: Brooklyn Brewery
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Beer 6 – Stout
You’d be making a grave error with your six-pack if you didn’t include a darker beer. You can opt for a stout or porter (or both). But, with only six spots, we opted for a stout. We picked Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, a high alcohol (10.5 percent), rich, smooth beer.
Photo: Oskar Blues
