Misfit IPA is a hoppy beer with lemon brewed by Forked River in London in collaboration with long-distance runner Lanni Marchant. The previous collaboration between the athlete and brewer was a black IPA. (Forked River photo)

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You’ve been invited to a friend’s cottage. No pressure. Just pack up your own bedding, ask your hosts what groceries to bring and delight them with conversation-starting beers from your hometown craft breweries.

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And while a six-pack won’t do — it’s time to pony up for a case — space doesn’t allow me to list 24 craft beers. Here are six worthy choices to pick up four at a time for a London-centric 2-4 to take to the lake.

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The beer: Hoppy with lemon, 6 per cent alcohol. The conversation starter: Misfit IPA is the newest collaboration between London’s oldest operating craft brewery and Lanni Marchant, the long-distance runner from London (lannimarchant.com). They last collaborated on a black IPA in 2025. Misfit is more cottage-ready.

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The beer: Quaffable with light malt sweetness and 5 per cent alcohol. The talk: Guffaw if you must, whine if you will, but there’s beer and hop yards in France. Sure, it’s not Belgium, Germany or Czechia. Anderson brewed this with French hops (let’s assume Barbe Rouge). You should detect notes of red fruit, Anderson says.

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The beer: Straight-shooting American lighter lager. The confab: Do not mention tariffs, smoke from wildfires or who’s that guy photobombing Spain at FIFA. Just enjoy a beer that tastes like a beer with no bitterness.

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The beer: A double dry-hopped New England IPA is low in hoppy bitterness and pairs with exotic things off the grill … like pineapple slices. The dialogue: Brewed with cyclists in mind. Beer Run saves you from driving to find only ordinary beers at the cottage country convenience store.

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The beer: A Mexican-style lager with hops providing a bit of citrus and lime. The conversation: Hey, did you bring Corona? No, but try this and enjoy the beach.

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The beer: A crisp and refreshing lager built for summer. It’s 4.7 per cent alcohol. The chat: Shake was created as a tribute to Equals Brewing co-founder Rick (Shake) Baker and it serves as a fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research. Around the campfire, throw in some sage words about men-only cancers. Then, lighten it up and have another.

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Home County Music and Art Festival, happening this weekend at Victoria Park in London, has a beer to call its own thanks to London Brewing. Home County 50 Pound Galena Pale Ale’s label features a banjo, a tree, and I’m pretty sure, a face. Galena is an American hop. Batches of Pound Galena have been brewed before. It’s a London Brewing legend back again for a special occasion.

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What hops are in the 2026 Bone Pine? The collaboration between Beertown, Third Moon of Milton and Sawdust City of Gravenhurst has Galaxy, Simcoe, Mosaic, Krush and Idaho 7. I previously quoted from a Bone Pine press release with a different hops list.