Sol y Luna shines bright just in time for summer

Four Corners Brewing has carved out a unique corner in the local brewing culture with its brand built around the founders’ west Dallas cultural heritage.

With beers like El Chingón IPA, Local Buzz Honey-Rye Golden Ale and Heart o’ Texas Red Ale, the Dallas brewery has become a mainstay for local beer fans. Mix in the distinctive “360° Pop Top” can with a fully removable lid, and Four Corners can’t help but stand out.

Local Buzz was its easiest-drinking year-round beer, but even though it carries a low 5.2 percent ABV strength, it has a bit of a bite from the rye that might turn a few of the unadventurous away.

Its newest year-round beer — Sol y Luna Lager — is perhaps its most approachable to be packaged in cans to date. With its brand giving many obvious nods to Mexican culture, the brewery hasn’t really produced any beers that you’d slot in as a replacement for Mexican imports until now. Produced last year as a seasonal, the brewery was able to handle the capacity of bumping it up to full time.

Sol y Luna should open the door up to just about anyone who enjoys beer — and not just craft drinkers. It’s about as pale yellow as a beer can get, and it’s so transparent that you can see the bottom of the inside of the can through the liquid and the can-sized hole after you remove the top.

That said, it is by no means a boring beer. With a bit more hop character than you’d expect from Mexican lagers and a little citrus character that helps give it some depth, it’s remarkably drinkable and perfect for the coming blast-furnace season. At 4.4 percent ABV, this is a session beer meant to be enjoyed a few at a time.

Normally, craft beer isn’t recommended to be served ice cold, but there’s a bit of a magical character to this beer when you pull it out of the bottom of an ice-filled cooler. Let it warm up to recognize its subtleties, but feel no shame about enjoying it at 34 degrees.

The can reads “El tiempo vuela pero tu eres el piloto,” which translates to “Time flies, but you are the pilot.” Four Corners should see Sol y Luna take off this summer.

Quick sips

Independence comes early: With July Fourth falling on a Tuesday this year, several breweries are hosting parties Saturday. Noble Rey (noon-9 p.m., $40, noblereybrewing.com) and Texas Ale Project (noon-6 p.m.) in Dallas (texasaleproject.com), and Shannon Brewing (noon-7 p.m., $25-$30) in Keller (shannongbrewing.com) are hosting parties Saturday at their respective breweries. Monday also will see a few fun pre-Independence Day festivities with Dallas restaurant The Common Table hosting ‘MuricaFest featuring beers from Lakewood Brewing (6 p.m.-midnight, thecommontable.com) and Bitter Sisters Brewing hosting a party at its brewery (4-11 p.m. bittersistersbrewery.com).

This story was originally published June 28, 2017 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Sol y Luna shines bright just in time for summer."