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Summer is here, and it's time to relax, so what beer will you be taking to the pool/lake/road trip? I found the top 9 beers you should try this year, and this won't let you down.
9) 32/50 Kolsch
Hoppy and bright, and often offered in a traditional service with small glasses that bartenders will replace as soon as you near the bottom. That's because it's they go down so fast and you wouldn't want your beer to get warm in a bigger glass.
8) Guinness Stout
Just because a beer is dark doesn't mean it has to be heavy. It can also be delicious
7) Rodenbach Grand Cru
Flanders Red Ale-style beer from Belgium. "It still boggles the mind that you can get this iconic beer in a can. Put a few in your cooler, and see why the jesters in Belgium continue to age sour beer in gigantic oak barrels."
6) Veltins Pilsener
This ancient German pils celebrates two centuries of brewing this year, but Meier brings it into the 21st century with a little hack; he makes it a radler! "Veltins Pils is lovely on its own, but when you cut it with lemonade, knocking the ABV down to 2.4% it's the hot weather beer!
5) Sea Quench Ale
This blend of a crisp kölsch, a salty gose and a tart berliner weiss delights the chef because "it's a little sour with black lime and sea salt that always hits the spot on the boat or the back porch."
4) Sierra Nevada Summerfest
You can't go wrong with a classic, especially with this crisp, lemony session beer that literally has the words "refreshing summer lager" emblazoned right on the front of the can.
3) Citrine Dream
It's a farmhouse-style ale made using delightfully funky Brettanomyces yeasts, paired with bold American hops. Currier wants to give it some love because "hoppy Brett beer deserves attention all year round, but in the summer especially…when we're all looking for light bodied, refreshing, and tropical aromatics that make us feel like we're on vacation even when we're not."
2) Tropicalia
"This beer brings you to a place and demands that you stay a while. Juicy, fruity, and refreshing. What more could you want?"
1) Allagash White
This Portland, Maine brew appeared on our 2023 list and was recommended by two of our experts, so it belongs at the top of the list more than just alphabetically. It's a classic with the blend of fruits and spices from the yeast really accented by the coriander, which brings a lovely citrus note to the beer.
Would you try these for your summer brew?