Summer Brews 2010

One of the best parts of the summer is discovering what my favorite brewers have dreamed up for summer brews.  While I am a devout IPA drinker, the summer heat leads me to crave a lighter beer.  Last year I whiled away my afternoons sipping cold Hefeweizen in Biergärten in Freiburg.  Having recently returned to American shores, I was anxious to enjoy some of my favorites, and try something new.  Here are my thoughts on a few of the beers I have sipped so far.  Please let me know if I’m missing your favorite.

Skinny Dip – New Belgium Brewing Company
4.2% alcohol by volume

My favorite little bar, the D-Note, has had Skinny Dip on tap the last few summers.  While I respect New Belgium in many ways (for pioneering craft brewing and running an environmentally sustainable business) , I can’t say that I’m a big fan of their beers.  This one is an exception.  I quickly decided that it was the perfect thirst quencher on hot August days.    The beer owes its light and refreshing taste to a unique blend of flavors.  Cascade hops give it a refreshing, but not overpowering aroma.  The flavor is finished off with the flavor of kaffir lime leaves.  The leaves lend it a very subtle citrus flavor.  At 4.2% alcohol I rarely stop at one.

Twilight Summer Ale – Deschutes Brewery
5% alcohol by volume – 35 IBUs

I love the beers from this Oregon brewery.  When I saw they had a summer ale, I grabbed a cold six pack and prepared myself for a relaxing evening in the back yard.  I found the name “Twilight” and odd name for a summer brew (perhaps they were looking to evoke images of long summer evenings).  Oddly, it didn’t quench my thirst on a hot day.  Don’t get me wrong, I really like this beer.  It is wonderfully hoppy, and certainly lighter than the IPAs I swoon for.  But the bitterness, for which it appears to have won an award, and which I so love, is not what will help me recover from a sweltering afternoon.  Perhaps I can think of it as an autumn beer.

Audacious Apricot Ale – Pyramid Breweries
5.1% alcohol by volume

Pyramid brews several seasonal beers which are sold during parts of the summer, but they seem to be hard to find.  That’s fine by me, because in my book, there is no better summer beer than Pyramid’s Apricot Ale (painfully rebranded as “Audacious Apricot” — did somebody get paid to come up with that?!?).   As a Weizen, it is light and refreshing.  The naturally brewed flavor of apricots taste just that, natural.  This is not one of those fruity, gimmick drinks for people who don’t actually like beer.  Yes, even macho men can drink this at the backyard BBQ.

Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema – Anderson Valley Brewing Company
5.6 % Alcohol by Volume – 4 IBUs

Another one of my go-to breweries, I don’t think Anderson Valley has disappointed me yet.  I wasn’t sure about this beer after my first sip.  It is a bit sweeter than I usually drink my beers.  But the taste grew on me.  The blend of mild hops (subtle even), rich malt and some mystery spices create a deliciously complex flavor.  I understand why they call it a “Cerveza Crema”, as it reminds me of the cream sodas I drank as a child.  It’s not over the top, so I don’t think I would tire of it quickly.

Summerfest – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
5.0% Alcohol by Volume

I hadn’t tried Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest before, but since I enjoy their winter Celebration Ale, I thought it should be tasty.  I was wrong.  I’m sorry guys, but if you slapped a Budweiser label on this bottle I wouldn’t know the difference.  If Geoff Bruce were writing this, he’d use some choice explicatives. He would probably say, “it’s like making love in a canoe!” Let’s just say that if you like very light tasting beers, this one is for you. My advice for Sierra Nevada fans is to try their Kellerweiss, which is a wonderful, unfiltered wheat beer.