Summer Beers that don't suck.

Alrighty, I know it's not summer quite YET, but the weather is getting nicer, and outdoor activities will only increase in the coming weeks and months. For that you need to make sure you prepare yourselves accordingly. That means you need to get your hands on the best summer-brews possible. I got a handful here that I'm going to recommend that I think fit the "summer beer" mold quite well. Now remember, some of you guys think you are drinking "light" beer because of the color of these brews, or because it's a crisper, fruitier taste on your tongue........which is only half true. I guess you could call the taste of these beers "light", but in terms of calories or filling you up, these beers are no lighter than the the "darker" beers that you believe to be heavier. But that shouldn't be a problem, as if you are reading this you probably abhor shitty light beer and realize that all good beer is going to be "heavy" and high in calories. It's just a fact of life.

If I'm getting a beer for an outdoor event on a nice day, BBQ, whatever......I'm looking for the following characteristics:

Crispness - the flavor doesn't sit and linger for a while, it makes you want to drink more and doesn't feel like it's bogging you down.

Citrus - I like a touch of citrus, where possible. This is usually refreshing and citrus isn't something that will linger for too long (see above).

Decent price - Summer brews are meant to be enjoyed outside, with friends, and most likely consumed more frequently than a really chewy, complex ale. I want to get my summer brews in six-packs (at least) as I plan on having more than 1-2 at a time.

Simplicity - Kind of like crispness, these aren't beers I want to drink while sitting inside while agonizing over every little detail of the brew. I'm not looking (as hard) for hidden flavors, or things to open up as they get warmer. I want a good, clean flavor, but nothing that's going to require a ton of thought.

Drinkability - This goes with all the other characteristics from above, but I want something I can have 4-5 of and not be (a) shitfaced and (b) so overwhelmed with the flavor where I need to start drinking water or have to switch up styles. ABV under 6% is a must here.

So now that we have THAT out of the way, here's a list of stuff I think are "musts" for the summer.

BELL'S-OBERON ALE

Absolutely fabulous beer, and one of the, if not THE best spring/summer beer around. It's a wheat beer, but I believe it's brewed with some more traditional "ale" characteristics as well, and you get just a hint more hop bitterness in the finish than you would in a normal wheat. It has a touch of citrus notes to it and all the characteristics you look for in a good summer wheat such as the aforementioned citrus, as well as a nice refreshing crispness in every sip. There's not too much flavor that's going to overpower you, but they do a nice job of keeping it really drinkable while keeping a great, full taste. Remember, a lot of these beers are meant to be had 3-4 at a time, so they aren't made to be overwhelming. This isn't a ridiculously hard to find beer, but it's not going to be at too many grocery stores, either. I'd say if a place has a "good" beer selection, they'd have this available. It's usually around 10 bucks a six pack, give or take a dollar. There's a touch more alcohol in this as it's 5.8% abv, but you're not going to notice it unless you polish off a whole six pack by yourself, which is entirely possible at a barbecue/picnic.


HOEGAARDEN - ORIGINAL WHITE

The original Belgian Wit. Stop drinking Blue Moon, and drink the beer that Blue Moon tried to emulate. This beer is a quintessential Belgian White (wheat beer). Citrusy, refreshing with hints of lemon and orange, smooth but with enough carbonation to keep it crisp. If you think about it, you can also pick up a bit of peppery bitterness to it as well which gives it a touch of unique character. It's certainly on the sweet and possibly, at times, "sour" side of things, but it's not all that over-powering. Very drinkable with a ton of flavor, and one of the beers that I would actually recommend serving a bit colder than most top notch brews. This is becoming easier and easier to find and it's even becoming pretty fairly priced. I picked my last sixer up from a grocery store for only 8 bucks, which is about what Blue Moon is being priced at. This is what a real Belgian White tastes like and you'll realize that after nearly 600 years of brewing, that Hoegaarden probably has their recipe pretty much locked in by now. You can put a lemon in this, if you want, but I have absolutely no clue why you'd need this any sweeter/lemony, unless you don't actually like the taste of beer and/or you suck at life.

SIERRA NEVADA-SUMMERFEST LAGER

This is listed on beeradvocate.com as a "Czech Pilsner" but I think they have their heads up their ass, and I'd call this a "Kolsch", instead. (Kolsch is essentially the German version of a "summer beer") This beer is all about being refreshing, crisp, and extremely drinkable. This is an extremely simple style, and they don't try to blow anything up your ass with any sort of weird characteristics. This style was essentially made for Germans to have something easy to drink in warmer weather, and drink a lot of it. There may be some citrus notes in there, not all that much fruitiness/sweetness, and the occasional fair amount of hop-bitterness that acts more as a refreshing bite than some sort of lingering notion. This particular take on a Kolsch is my personal favorite version of the style, and the most refreshing "beer" I've ever had. It's far far too easy to drink. If you ever want to get a macro-brew drinking friend to switch over from their usual swill, this may be the first beer I would recommend you to give them. If someone can't stomach this very simple, very refreshing beer, then they can just go to hell as it doesn't get any easier drinking than this.


SCHLAFLY-KOLSCH (you might see it some places as "Summer Kolsch"...same thing)

Yes, I know I already listed a Kolsch, but I think this is a pretty solid beer as well. This is very similar to the Sierra Nevada, but I think this one has just a touch more "going on". It's still very crisp, with some background notes of citrus, but I think this one maybe offers a little more maltiness which gives you a touch of deeper sweetness. I will be honest in that I think that this version is just a tiny, eensy-weensy step below the Sierra Nevada Summerfest but this is much easier to find as it's (a) produced not just in the summer and (b) carried by quite a few places in the Missour area. It's also fairly cheap as well, you can get it for the same price as pretty much any other Schlafly product......8 bucks or so per sixer. At the end of the day this is a great summer beer as it meets the criteria I listed above. I recommend.


Last but not least, I know I didn't get into HUGE beer nerd with this post as summer brews focus more on volume, but that doesn't mean that you have to be barbaric while drinking them. I'd still recommend the basic serving tips as in ALWAYS pour your beer into a glass whenever possible, and while these beers are going to be served a touch colder than your top-notch ales, by no means do you want to put them in a frosted glass. Once again, there is not one reputable brewer that will ever, in any circumstances, recommend that you drink their beer out of a bottle when there is glassware available.


Cheers, bitchez.