Drink this Now (Because You Have to): Reject Beers

Photo by April Fleming

There are always those enticing, promising beers out there that once you get the six-pack home and actually try it, they immediately go to the back of the fridge. Or porch. Or garage. And the beers’ relative distance from the kitchen or your favorite drinking spot tells you everything about your likelihood of actually drinking them. Then they sit, and sit, and sit, yearning to be imbibed. But no. They’re the no-goods, the bads, the rejects.

But now, thanks to a whole lot of time at home and our resulting booming appetites for booze, the too-sweet, too-dark, so-hoppy-they’re-itchy beers are now suddenly returning to the kitchen and are getting top billing along with literally anything else boozy you can manage to get into your house. Alongside the any-port-in-a-storm home cocktails, we’re all apparently downing like high schoolers, funky, skunky yard beers and overly precious (and gross) beers from fancy labels are a means to an end. It’s your time now, reject beers.

Yet there is another way—as you’re able, pull up curbside at local breweries, and they’ll fix all of your weird beer problems. Torn Label is canning varieties formerly only available on tap; Boulevard is offering exciting test beers in its web store (available for pickup); Crane has its thoughtful seasonal selections available to go in the taproom. Find your favorite brewery and see what they’re up to. Maintain that home beer game.