Twelve Craft Beer 12-Packs For Toasting Summer

Some people bring bottles of wine to parties for hostess gifts. I bring beer.

I proudly contributed to the significant growth of craft beer variety pack sales last year— these mix packs, booty boxes, pleasure chests, you-name-its are guaranteed crowd-pleasers, not to mention they tend to be cheaper than that bottle of wine.

If you’re shopping for a summer variety pack (or two), here are my recommendations.

Saranac Brewery 12 Beers of Summer

Beyond this year’s easy-drinking summer 12-pack, (which includes Legacy IPA, Summer Pils, Gen IV session IPA, and Cloud Splitter Belgian-style white ale) Saranac Brewery makes a variety pack for each season, along with three other 12-packs. The Can Do variety packs and the Adirondack Trail Mix all include the brewery’s popular Pale Ale and the Legacy IPA.

Two Roads Beer Bus

Two Roads Brewing Company rolled out the Beer Bus variety pack this year, with Ol’Factory Pils, Honeyspot Road White IPA and Lil Heaven Session IPA, and a rotating seasonal brew: Road Jam Raspberry Wheat Ale with Lemongrass in the summer, Roadsmary’s Baby Rum Barrel-aged Pumpkin Ale in the fall and Route of all Evil Black Ale in the winter.

Deschutes Variety Pack

While most breweries offer variety packs with three or four of their beers, Deschutes Brewery takes makes a 12-pack that includes a whopping six Oregon-brewed favorites: Mirror Pond, Black Butte Porter, Inversion IPA, Deschutes River Ale, Obsidian Stout, and Chainbreaker White IPA.

Ska Brewing Mixed-Up 12-Pack

This Colorado-brewed variety pack features ESB Special Ale, True Blonde Ale, and Modus Hoperandi IPA in a package that combines the offbeat label art from each beer inside.

Sierra Nevada Summer Pack

What beer list would be complete without Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? Add Kellerweis Bavarian-style wheat, Nooner, and Kölsch and you’ve got yourself a party.

Stone Mixed 12-Pack

Stone Brewing makes a variety pack for hop heads, obviously. The current mix features Stone IPA, Ruination IPA, Levitation Ale, and Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale.

Uinta Brewing Summer Mix’R

Meet The Mix’R seasonal 12-pack from Salt Lake City’s Uinta Brewing Company. Each of the four mixers includes bottled Baba Black Lager and Wyld Extra Pale Ale, and a seasonal third brew. This year’s summer mixer includes the appropriately named Sum’R summer ale. Uinta also makes Duo, a canned beer mix pack with Wyld and Sum’R.

Harpoon Brewery Summer Vacation

This Boston brewery believes that you don’t have to go on vacation to go on vacation. All you need is a Harpoon IPA, UFO White, Summer Beer, or UFO Big Squeeze Shandy.

Victory Summer Selections

The famous Prima Pils joins Victory Brewing’s Kuhl Kölsch, Summer Love golden ale, and Whirlwind Witbier in this quintessential patio-sipping pack.

Anchor Brewing Craft Originals

Take the helm of your next backyard party by bringing a pack of Anchor Brewing’s classics: Steam Beer, California Lager, Liberty Ale, and IPA.

Odell Brewing Summer Montage

Bring on the picnic with easy-drinking beers from Odell, including the Perle IPA that can only be purchased in a bottle if it’s in this variety pack alongside Odell IPA, Loose Leaf session ale, and St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale.

Flying Dog Brewery Variety Pack

It’s not every day that you see an oyster stout in a mix 12-pack, or a pack that’s this good-looking. Inside of the colorful packaging of Flying Dog’s 12-pack are Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout, Raging Bitch Belgian-style IPA, Flying Dog Pale Ale, and Snake Dog India Pale Ale.