Summer is the time of year when I heavily favor beer as my drink of choice. Is there anything better than being at the beach or at a cookout with a cold beer in hand? I think not. And since I’m all about finding the best seasonal and limited release beers, I rounded up my favorite summer releases. Make sure you grab a six pack before they’re gone!
Oneida
Modern Times Beer
Pale Ale/Session IPA
5.2% ABV
So the labeling calls this a “Hoppy Sessionable Pale Ale”. Is it a pale ale? A session IPA? Some weird hybrid? Who knows, but it hits the spot. It has just enough hop bitterness for the hop heads (shout out to Experimental Hop 05256) but enough citrus to balance it and make it accessible. Plus the low ABV means you can drink it all day during your BBQ and not get schwasted. To get the full experience while drinking your ale in the sun, you can purchase a viking horn, specially made to drink your ale, or whatever alcohol is your preference, out of.
Citrus Saison
Golden Road Brewing
Saison/Farmhouse Ale
5.8% ABV
Upon trying this beer right after it was released, I declared that this was the beer I was going to drink all summer. It’s no secret I might be a little (a lot) obsessed with saisons and farmhouse ales right now, but the combination of that dry funky style with a touch of citrus make this perfect for day drinking by the pool.
Trade Winds
The Bruery
Belgian Tripel
8.2% ABV
If you love Belgian style ales and deceptively boozey beer, you need to try this one. It’s brewed with Thai basil, so it has some really fantastic spice and flavor qualities to it. Plus it comes in a 750ml bottle so you can serve it like wine and be ~extra fancy~. If you like a little more oomph with your summer beer, make sure you grab a bottle of this.
Oberon Ale
Bell’s Brewing
Wheat Ale
5.8% ABV
This is a no muss no fuss summer ale. It has everything you want in a summer ale- spice, a little fruit, and great wheat flavor. Light enough for summer but still full of flavor. Plus it comes in cans so you can pack this bad body up in the cooler and take it camping or to the beach.
Hell or High Watermelon
21st Amendment Brewery
Wheat Beer
4.6% ABV
This beer might be the mother of all summer beers. It finally made its way down to Los Angeles and I just can’t get enough of it. I was honestly a little dubious about this beer- I had this bad feeling it would taste like someone dropped a watermelon Jolly Rancher into a wheat beer. WRONG. This beer has great watermelon flavor, but then this spectacular dry, wheat finish. It’s like summer in a glass. Go buy a six pack right now. You can thank me later.
Honorable Mention:
Blood Orange Wit
Refuge Brewery
Wheat Beer brewed with Blood Orange
5.0% ABV
This one is a little bit of a cheat because it’s a year round offering, but it is definitely best suited for hot summer days. It’s not quite a shandy, but pretty close to one. This beer is infused with blood orange juice that gives it a perfect citrus tartness without being overly sweet. Make sure you swirl the last bit of your can before you pour it out to maximize that citrus flavor!
