The Labor Day holiday gives us one final summery pause before we launch full force into fall. The bubbly sweetness of late-summer sipping will soon turn crisp and autumnal with all things apple, maple and pumpkin-spice. But, for now, it’s time to relax and enjoy some final hazy, lazy moments in the sun.
As you gather to relax and and kiss summer goodbye, we’ve got 10 easy drinking sips for you to enjoy. Each one is Pennsylvania-made and under 5% ABV, so you can cruise through daytime gatherings, afternoon BBQs and all-day hangs like a champ.
Empty Calories
Voodoo Brewing Company offers a slew of tasty, precocious brews with names like Lacto-Kooler, Schnitzengiggle and Names Are Hard and zany label art to match. It offers a few great low-ABV and NA options for super-chill drinking, including Empty Calories, an American light lager clocking in at 4.7%. It’s crisp, clean and “crushable,” and only 107 calories. You can find it at 25 Voodoo locations throughout the country, including Erie, Meadville, Seven Fields, Pittsburgh, Houston and State College, Pennsylvania. Various locations.
Dry Fly – Little Yellow Stone Fly
Stick City Brewing Company in Mars, Western Pennsylvania, has a naturalist ethos evident in its beers’ names, packaging and ingredients. The brewery is the state’s first to join 1% for the Planet, to which it donates at least 1% of its gross sales. Among the thoughtful, simple brews are nods to flora, fauna and fly fishing. Its Dry Fly – Little Yellow Stone Fly is a 3.8% ABV micro-session IPA named for a fly used along small Pennsylvania creeks. The beer’s made with American grown hops and grist of barley and rye. Grab a draft pint on premise in the taproom or cans to-go, Wednesday through Sunday. 109 Irvine St., Mars; (724) 687-7849.
Iron City Turner’s IC’d Tea
Sunshine Pilsner
PA powerhouse Tröegs Independent Brewing produces some of the state’s most beloved beers, including the legendary Perpetual IPA. It pumps the ABV brakes a bit with its 4.5% Sunshine Pilsner, while still coming up big on flavor. This golden American pils made with Hersbrucker and Saaz hops has citrus flavor and notes of fresh-cut straw and flowering herbs for a bright, clean sip of summer. Use the Tröegs Brew Finder tool to find it at retailers, bars or restaurants in your neck of the woods, or grab it right from the source in a singles, packs and cases. 200 Hersheypark Dr., Hershey; (717) 534-1297.
Shady Spot Lemon Shandy
Susquehanna Brewing Co.’s Shady Spot Lemon Shandy is the cool, mellow answer to its tart, punchy sibling, the Sunny Spot Grapefruit Shandy. Shady Spot is a 4.2% ABV refresher in the classic shandy style, combining easy-drinking lemonade with a dose of beer. You can grab it in bottle or can, six pack, twelve pack, case, or on draft, seasonally. 635 South Main St., Pittston; (570) 654-3557.
Rosenberger’s Iced Tea & Vodka
While Pittsburgh has Turner’s, Philly has Rosenberger’s, and you can find the spirited version in Rosenberger’s Iced Tea & Vodka, produced through a collaboration between Rosenberger’s 21 and Boardroom Spirits. You can order a case of this 4.5% ABV canned cocktail online for delivery or pickup at the Boardroom Spirits Distillery, 595 W. 3rd St., Lansdale; (267) 642-9961. Try other Boardroom Spirits delights at its bottle shop and tasting room, also in Lansdale, at 595 W. 3rd St., Lansdale, or at its partner locations in Phoenixville and Souderton. Various locations.
Tangy Notes
Bright Path Brewing in Jim Thorpe focuses on flavorful lagers and low ABV session beers, so it has a lot to offer in the way of high quality, low key sipping. Among the great options, we’re excited about its new Berliner weisse, Tangy Notes, a chill 3.5% ABV and a funky, refreshing brew. It’s available via draft only, so enjoy it there (it’s a dog friendly spot), or ask to fill 32 ounce crowler cans to take away. For a pre-canned to-go option, check out Bright Path’s East Side Lager; 10 degree Czech Pilsner. It’s crisp and clean with lemon and Czech hop herbal notes and comes in at 4% ABV for a perfect anytime refreshment. Bright Path is open Thursday through Monday. 1215 North St., Jim Thorpe; (570) 732-9990.
Paupack Cream Ale
While Wallenpaupack Brewing Company has an astounding offering of great brews, you need look no further than its flagship, the Paupack Cream Ale. This 4.5% ABV ale is crisp, smooth and super drinkable and available year-round. Hop heads will appreciate Talus, the dry-hopped version with the same ABV and infused with Talus hop notes of grapefruit, mango and rose. Enjoy Paupack Cream Ale at either of the company’s two locations: a pub in Hawley and an indoor golf center and taproom in Tafton, take it to-go, or order either beer online for shipping across Pennsylvania. 73 Welwood Ave., Hawley; (570) 390-7933; 274 Route 507, Tafton; (570) 390-8230.
Big Skipper
Second District Brewing Company has created another tasty, thoughtful brew with the Big Skipper, a table IPA at 2.6% ABV. Table beers hail from a medieval European tradition of serving low-alcohol beer at dinner that everyone could enjoy with their food. It might be small on alcohol, but it’s huge on nuance and flavor, fermented with house yeast and hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Mosiac. It’s funky, a little fruity and highly refreshing. You can grab Big Skipper on draft or in 32 ounce crowlers to-go at Second District in Philadelphia at 1939 S. Bancroft St., Philadelphia; (215) 575-5900.
Surfside
Stateside Vodka‘s epic spinoff, Surfside, has exploded on the ready-to-drink scene with no signs of slowing. These vodka drinks are non-carbonated alternatives to the hard seltzer trend, so you get the portable sweetness with none of the bubbly bloat. Surfsides are particularly light at only 100 calories with two grams of sugar. Surfsides combine vodka with tea and lemonade for simple, smooth flavors at 4.5% ABV. We’d suggest a mix pack to try a few flavors, or go classic Arnold Palmer-style with the Iced Tea & Lemonade + Vodka. These are shippable to PA, DC and NH, or use the online store finder to find Surfside near you.
- Iron City Turner's IC'd Tea photo: Evan Custer
- All other photos : Courtesy of the respective business
