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With Labor Day weekend upon us, many view the holiday as the unofficial end of summer, one last long weekend of leisure before school starts back up and the leaves begin to change color. It might mean cookouts and coolers of beer, camping at the lake, or just a quiet weekend at home.

But consider the labor on Labor Day. The holiday was created to celebrate the achievements and contributions of American workers to the development of the United States. It was born out of the Industrial Revolution and the dismal working conditions of the late 19th century. Labor unions grew more prominent during this period, agitating for change, and the idea of a workingmen’s holiday to celebrate labor sprung from the labor movement.

Oregon became the first state in the union to make Labor Day an official public holiday in 1887, ahead of it becoming a federal holiday in 1894.

What does this have to do with beer? Everything! Brewing beer is hard, sweaty, mostly unglamorous work, often occupying long hours. Countless hours are spent hauling bags of grain, cleaning, scrubbing, moving kegs, shoveling spent grain, and cleaning some more. It’s often said that the job of brewing is 90 percent cleaning.

At larger breweries, this work is split across a number of roles, while smaller breweries and brewpubs often have a handful of brewers taking on some or all of them.

All in all, this is labor that goes largely unreported and underappreciated, even by beer writers. When you read about beer, the focus is on the glamorous part of the process — the exciting and sometimes exotic recipes, the new trends, the special releases and events. Rarely do we as writers focus on the hard work behind the scenes.

Yet if it weren’t for these workers, we wouldn’t have beers to write about or to drink. So this Labor Day, let’s raise a glass to the folks behind the scenes that make it all happen. I suggest choosing a brewery’s flagship or core lineup beer as a toast; these beers may not be flashy, or buzzworthy, or ones you think about often. But they are the beers that keep the lights on for the brewery, because of the workers who put in the time and effort to brew them, day in and day out.

Start with Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter. Brewed and on tap since Deschutes opened its doors in 1988, it’s the unlikely style that helped grow the brewery to the 11th largest craft brewer in the United States last year.

Three Creeks Brewing Company and Wild Ride Brewing Company both have popular flagship porters to offer as well. Three Creek’s FivePine Chocolate Porter is brewed with 5 pounds per barrel of Belgian chocolate, while Nut Crusher Peanut Butter Porter from Wild Ride incorporates roasted peanut flavors.

You might enjoy lighter offerings to balance the darker porters with Blonde Bombshell from Cascade Lakes Brewing Company or Metolius Golden Ale from Bend Brewing Company. Fuzztail Hefeweizen from Sunriver Brewing Company is another great option, a classic American-style wheat ale, and don’t overlook Oblivious Blonde from Oblivion Brewing Company.

Quite a number of breweries lead with IPAs, not the least of which is Silver Moon Brewing Company with IPA 97, Boneyard Beer Company with RPM IPA, 10 Barrel Brewing Company with Apocalypse IPA, and Worthy Brewing Company with its eponymous IPA. Crux Fermentation Project goes bigger with Half Hitch Imperial IPA, a 9.5 percent alcohol by volume powerhouse that highlights Mosaic hops.

On the paler side, seek out Sweet As Pacific Ale from GoodLife Brewing Company or Prinetucky Pale Ale from Ochoco Brewing Company. These beers balance the malt and hops for easy-drinking sessions great for the weekend. Bridge 99 Brewery’s Rock Crawler Red offers the same drinkability in a slightly maltier, darker-hued pour.

McMenamins Ruby Ale is a perennial favorite of many, a raspberry-infused ale that’s been on tap at the pub chain for over 30 years. And while these beers don’t yet have that longevity, Sahalie from The Ale Apothecary and Meet Your Maker from Monkless Belgian Ales have devoted followings of their own.

Whatever beer you’re drinking this Labor Day, be it one of the above or something from the many other regional breweries, raise your glass to the brewery workers that helped get the beer into your hands—the shift brewers, the cellarmen, the packaging operators, the assistants and the keg cleaners and everyone who helps make it happen. Cheers!

1. Bohemian Pilsner — Kobold Brewing

2. Pert Near Fresh Hop IPA — Crux Fermentation Project

3. Updrift IPA — Pelican Brewing

4. Grazing Goat IPA — Spider City Brewing

5. Amber Ale — Full Sail Brewing