The Scene: Indy Motor Speedway

No matter where you go, Indianapolis is known for one thing above all others: Racing. This weekend, the 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will be taking place. Whether you are a race fan or not, there is no denying that this is the biggest party in town.

Now you will not be able to buy good beer at the track... You will not be able to buy okay beer at the track... You will only be able to buy boring domestics at the track. Lucky for all of us beergeeks we are allowed to bring in our own beer. There are a few regulations about your cooler and what you can bring:

• Coolers must be no bigger than 18x14x14
• Purses and backpacks must be no bigger than 14x14x14
• Food and beverages are allowed, but no glass containers
• Carts and wagons are allowed everyday BUT race day
• Personal items are your responsibility, the Speedway does not care if they are lost or stolen 

To help you determine what to pack in your cooler, we put together a short list of our favorite canned beers. We were also looking for beers that you can have a few of while you are outside in the hot sun. This meant checking for sessionable brews and what we have no dubbed "American Sessionable" (under 5%abv). There's a lot of beer out there in cans, but some is clearly better than others. If it were up to us, we'd have coolers full of the following selections:

• The Big Guy: Sixpoints, Apollo, Kristalweisen. Damn its good on a hot day, sweet, sour no real hop flavor to it. All around a cool and refreshing brew
• O-Dawg: Two Brothers, Sidekick Extra Pale Ale, American Pale Ale. Just enough hop floral and bitter to keep you interested but not heavy and complex enough to make your head spin under the heat/sun of the track
• El Duque: 21st Amendment, Hell or High Watermelon, watermelon wheat beer,
• Professor Beer: Sun King, Wee Mac, Scottish Ale. Malty but not too heavy. Easy drinking even in the summer

Honorable mentions:

• Sierra Nevada, Torpedo, Extra IPA. A classic in the craft beer community
• Coorse, Third Shift, Amber Ale. Something a little bit different
• Sun King, Sunlight Cream Ale. Crisp and easy drinking. You can drink this thing fast and hard.
• New Belgium, Fat Tire, Amber Ale. Great beer, a little bit heavy but remember always drink in moderation.
• Abita Purple Haze. Crisp American style wheat beer
• Brooklyn Brewery, Summer Ale, Pale Ale that comes in light and refreshing
• Schlafly American Brown Ale is a sessionable light bodied easy drinking brown

I hope everyone has a great time out at the track this weekend. Just make sure you don't sacrifice quality for convenience when it comes to your brews...So, what will you be putting in your cooler this year?