Cheers To Nautically Inspired Beers

To those of us who are so inclined, is there anything better than kicking back at the dock after a long, hot day on the water and savoring that first swallow of a cold brew? This month, we've collected beers that have nautical inspiration behind them. It was a hardship assignment, let me tell you — all that research and testing. But our editors were willing to make the sacrifice for you, our dear readers. Let's toast to fair winds and following seas. Enjoy!

Amber/Red Ales

Imperial Red Ale
Alaskan Brewing Company, Alaska
Red ale (8.5% alcohol by volume)
Hoppy, floral, fruity, caramel, medium-bodied

Amber Alt Style Ale
Alaskan Brewing Company, Alaska
Altbier (5.3%)
Malty, caramel, toasty, earthy, medium-bodied

Pale Ales

Third Coast Beer
Bell's Brewery, Michigan
Pale ale (4.8%)
Smooth, crisp, hoppy, bitter, malty, light-to-medium bodied

Whale's Tale
Cisco Brewers, Massachusetts
Pale ale (5.6%)
Balanced, caramel, earthy, medium-bodied

Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale
Flying Dog, Maryland
Herbed/spiced beer (Old Bay seasoning added; 5.6%)
Hoppy, citrusy, spicy, medium-bodied
Available May through September in Mid-Atlantic
Fun fact: Proceeds benefit True Blue, a program that advocates on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay's approximately 5,500 watermen

Blonde Ales

Sea Salt Ale
Fire Island Beer Co., New York
American blonde ale (5.2%)
Crisp, balanced, slight salty flavor, toasty, light-bodied
Fun fact: Made with Atlantic sea salt

Lightkeeper
Great Lakes Brewing Company, Ohio
Blonde ale (6.6%)
Crisp, bready, malty, caramel, floral, citrusy, medium-bodied
Fun fact: Inspired by Marblehead Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes. It once employed the first female lightkeeper on the Great Lakes. The label artwork hides the lighthouse's historic Fresnel lens and glacial grooves marking the surrounding terrain.

Export
Shipyard Brewing Company, Maine
American blonde ale (5.1%)
Balanced, bready, herbal, citrusy, medium-bodied

India Pale Ales

Kicker
Alaskan Brewing Company, Alaska
Session IPA (4.5%)
Hoppy, citrusy, tangerine, piney, medium-bodied

Two Hearted Ale
Bell's Brewery, Michigan
American IPA (7.1%)
Hoppy, citrusy, piney, spicy, medium-bodied

90 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head, Delaware
American double IPA (9%)
Complex, hoppy, malty, dark fruit, medium-bodied

Commodore Perry India Pale Ale
Great Lakes Brewing, Ohio
English-style IPA (7.7%)
Balanced, floral, earthy, caramel, medium-bodied
Fun fact: The artwork contains the words "Don't give up the sip," a cheeky take on Perry's legendary battle flag.

Loose Cannon
Heavy Seas, Maryland
American IPA (7.25%)
Hoppy, citrusy, piney, spicy, medium-bodied

Shipwreck IPA
Lighthouse Brewing Company, British Columbia
West Coast style IPA (6.5%)
Balanced, floral, citrusy, piney, fruity, light-to-medium-bodied

Gale Force IPA
Scuttlebutt Brewing Company, Washington
American IPA (5.6%)
Balanced, hoppy, citrusy, malty, medium-bodied

Screamin' Reels IPA
Saltwater Brewery, Florida
IPA (7%)
Hoppy, citrusy, piney, spicy, medium-bodied
Fun Fact: Saltwater brewery packages its cans with an ocean-friendly biodegradable, compostable six-pack ring made from leftover barley and wheat from the brewing process. Sea animals can safely eat it!

Reeds Bay IPA
Tuckahoe Brewing Company, New Jersey
IPA (6.6%)
Balanced, fruity, citrusy, medium-bodied

Porters

Black Marlin Porter
Ballast Point Brewing Company, California
American porter (6%)
Malty, complex, roasty, chocolaty, medium-bodied

Victory at Sea
Ballast Point Brewing Company, California
Imperial porter (10%)
Smooth, vanilla, coffee, roasty, caramel, full-bodied

Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Great Lakes Brewing Company, Ohio
Porter (6%)
Malty, complex, roasty, chocolaty, medium-bodied
Fun fact: Hidden in the label artwork, you'll find the fated freighter's name handwritten by the ship's first mate and the number 29 to represent the crew who lost their lives.

Stouts

Seaport Vanilla Stout
Lighthouse Brewing Company, British Columbia
Sweet stout (5.5%)
Balanced, vanilla, malty, roasty, chocolaty, coffee, medium-bodied

Blue Fin Stout
Shipyard Brewing Company, Maine
Classic Irish stout (4.7%)
Malty, dry roast, burnt, coffee, medium-bodied

Narwhal Imperial Stout
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., California
American imperial stout (10.2%)
Smooth, roasty, chocolaty, coffee, sweet, medium-to-full bodied

Wheat Beers

Oarsman Ale
Bell's Brewery, Michigan
Wheat ale (Berliner Weissbier, pronounced "vice-beer"; 4%)
Crisp, tart, fruity, light-bodied

Spinnaker
Rising Tide, Maine
Hefewizen (4.5%)
Balanced, spicy, citrusy, fruity, light-to-medium bodied (Available April through September)

Blue
SweetWater Brewing Company, Georgia
Wheat ale/fruit beer (4.9%)
Fruity, grainy, light-bodied

Lagers/Pilsners

Anchor Steam Beer
Anchor Brewing Company, California
California steam beer (4.9%)
Malty, earthy, caramel, light-bodied

Lager of the Lakes
Bell's Brewery, Michigan
Bohemian pilsner (5%)
Malty, toasty, bready, herbal, citrusy, medium-bodied

Sankaty Light Lager
Cisco Brewers, Massachusetts
Light lager (3.8%)
Crisp, bready, citrusy, light-bodied

Cascade Pilsner
Full Sail Brewing Company, Oregon
American-style lager (6.0%)
Crisp, clean, balanced, light-bodied

America's Cup
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Bermuda-style pilsner (5%)
Crisp, clean, slightly sweet, spicy, light-bodied
Available only through July 2017
Fun fact: This has been named the official beer of the 2017 America's Cup

Scrimshaw
North Coast Brewing, California
German pilsner (4.7%)
Crisp, clean, balanced, light-bodied

Barleywine
New Crustacean Barleywineish Imperial IPA Sorta
Rogue Ales, Oregon
American barleywine (11.3%)
Balanced, citrusy, piney, fruity, hoppy, malty, medium-to-full bodied

Not into beer? Try a hard apple cider

Hard Cider

Rumrunner
Sea Cider, British Columbia
Hard apple cider (12.5%)
Balanced, semi-dry, molasses, apple butter, rum