International Beer Day falls on August 4th, and no matter where you are in the world, you can celebrate with this list of beer from countries all over the world to wet your whistle.
Note that while all these countries have some great beer, we’re going with options that you’d be able to reasonably find at your local liquor store, sorry no limited bottle releases this time.
Canada
Steamworks Flagship IPA
Look, there are a lot of different styles in Canada, and having to pick just one is tough. But for a great example of an Canadian IPA, that is also widely available, you can’t go wrong with the Flagship IPA. There’s a bold hops flavour that isn’t so bitter that it’ll turn off non-hop lovers.
USA
Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin
Unquestionably, the United States is the land of hops. It’s fitting that this San Diego brew is one of the best widely available representation of that category. While sculpin is great on its own, the tart freshness of grapefruit perfectly complements this IPA’s citrusy hop character.
Mexico
Modelo
Oddly enough, Mexican lagers have fierce brand loyalty. Whether it’s the Corona beach life, or the Dos Equis most interesting man, people love their specific Mexican beer. For our money it’s Modelo with its crisp and clean mouth feel. Modelo Negro is also a solid choice for something with a little more character.
UK
Newcastle Nut Brown
There are entire categories dedicated to the English way of drinking beer. So we just had to go with something in the English Brown realm. This brown has a strong fruity and nut characteristic.
Germany
Weihenstephan Hefe Weissbier
While Germany has a lot of great beer options, hefeweizen was for sure the easy choice here. A light, yeasty sweetness makes it an extremely refreshing beer to drink any time of day. As the oldest brewery in the world, Weihenstephan has been producing phenomenal hefeweizens since 1040.
Belgium
Rodenbach
As with Germany, Belgium has some of the best beer in the world. However, since we’re trying to find beer widely available, then we’ve got to turn to Rodenbach. Rodenbach (5%) is a tangy brown ale with a hint of sourness. The much fuller, sourer and frankly better, Rodenbach Grand Cru is far more difficult to get hold of, but is particularly delicious.
France
Kronenbourgh 1664
The French don’t necessarily spend a lot of time on beer, and with the quality of wine they produce, I don’t blame them. But Kronenbourg is a crisp and clean option, and one that is fairly easily to find and won’t offend anyone who isn’t a big beer drinker.
Spain
Estrella Damm Inedit
Estrella is one of the best known brands from Spain, and the Inedit is the best of the bunch. The blend offers uniquely fruity and floral aromas with a slightly cloudy appearance. Its creamy and fresh texture paired with a delicate carbonation give it a refreshing, light taste and a long aftertaste.
China
Tsingtao
China is undergoing a bit of a craft beer renaissance at the moment. Unfortunately, that hasn’t yet meant a lot of exported craft beer. So, that leaves us with Tsingtao, with subtle flavours of apple, biscuit and a lightly bitter finish.
Japan
Sapporo Yebisu
Yebisu beer is a little expensive compared to the other Japanese beer brands. This is because Yebisu beer is produced in the most traditional way with only ingredients of high quality. They even have their own farm to produce barley only for the Yebisu brand.
Ale/Sessions 