The Fourth of July as a feasting holiday is known for “cookout food” such as burgers and hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, ice cream — and beer. It’s one of the top holidays for beer sales, but unlike celebrations such as St. Patrick’s or Oktoberfest, with clear associations to specific beer styles, Independence Day has no particular style tied to it.

You could make the case for light, summertime beers — cream ales, crisp lagers, spritzy wheat ales — which of course pair well with a long day of eating and celebrating. Or you could take inspiration from what the Founding Fathers were drinking in 1776: cider, ale and rum, much of which was produced at home. As a homebrewer myself, there’s an appeal in the idea of celebrating Independence Day as a homebrew holiday.

Alternatively, I thought I would take inspiration from the holiday colors and suggest three local beers based on the red, white and blue — or if you prefer, red, white and “brew.”

For that first color, the obvious choice is an American red ale. Many breweries offer a red or an amber ale in their lineup, designed to be sessionable, balanced beers that bridge the gap between pale ales and darker ales such as browns or porters. There is a range of variety within the style, from malty and sweet to dry and hoppy. And of course, they are red to amber in color.

Worthy Brewing Company’s Stoker Red Ale is in the hoppy camp, a moderate-strength amber-brown colored beer that is 6.6 percent alcohol by volume and 66 IBUs. Worthy loads this ale with ample amounts of Mandarina Bavaria hops, which give it a lush, juicy aroma of citrus peel and pine.

As hoppy as Stoker is, it has a nutty and chewy malt body and a pleasant fruitiness that develops as it warms. It finishes with a crisp, dry snap and citrusy hop flavor. All in all, an easy-drinking red ale well-suited for this time of year.

In terms of “white,” my first thought always goes to Belgian-style witbiers (or white ales), crisp and refreshing wheat ales spiced with coriander and orange peel. Brewed with a high percentage of unmalted wheat and left unfiltered, witbier is very pale yellow or straw colored and hazy. The palest versions do indeed appear nearly white in color.

When it comes to Belgian beers, the first brewery in Central Oregon to visit is Monkless Belgian Ales. Monkless offers two witbiers to choose from: Shepplekofeggan, a standard witbier with 5.4 percent alcohol and 16 IBUs, and Peppercorn Imperial Wit, a heftier version with 8.2 percent alcohol and 30 IBUs. And as the name implies, peppercorns are added in addition to coriander and fresh orange peels.

Both ales are mellow with bready wheat flavors and rounded, pleasant spiciness from the respective spice additions.

With a dry and effervescent finish, these beers are terrific hot weather quenchers.

Selecting a beer for “blue” is not so clean cut. In both red and white ales, the color is derived from the grains, but unless you are brewing with blue corn, there is no natural blue color to be found in beer. You could, of course, reach for a Pabst Blue Ribbon, which would be a perfectly good choice on a hot summer day. Or look for ingredients that might add a blue note to a beer, such as blueberries.

RiverBend Brewing Company offers a blueberry-infused beer in its hazy milkshake IPA series, Berry the Hopetition, which also incorporates raspberry, blackberry and boysenberry. While the color is more of a pinkish-purple, the aroma is redolent of fresh-picked berries. In addition to the fruit, RiverBend adds lactose (milk sugar) and vanilla to this series of IPAs.

Juicy mixed berries are the up-front flavor, with a slightly sweet and creamy character from the lactose mid-palate. It finishes hoppy with a bit of tea-like astringency. Even though it’s 7 percent alcohol, it drinks lighter, more of a summery, fruity berry beer cocktail than an IPA.

Let these suggestions help fill your red, white and brew needs for the holiday weekend. As a bonus, all of these beers are available in cans — perfect for your backyard cookout or picnic by the lake.

— Jon Abernathy is a Bend beer blogger and brew aficionado. His column runs in GO! every other week.