More Top Summer Beers

BELGIAN-INSPIRED SPICED WHEAT BEER
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Hitachino Nest "White Ale," $2.50/12 oz.

Don’t let the cartoony label fool you, the Hitachino Nest beers are seriously world class brews. Best known is their "White Ale," a hyper-modern spin on an ancient Belgian recipe, essentially a post-modern interpretation of Hoegaarden. Pale and cloudy in the glass, a pungent blast of orange essence hits you as you pour, like a freshly peeled tangerine. Spicy, creamy and jam-packed with flavor, "White Ale" is trippy—fuzzing the unlikely line between beer and creamsicle. This beer can hook friends who "aren’t into beer" or startle even the most jaded beer geek. Try some with sweet and sour chicken or a spicy crab boil.

AMERICAN BOHEMIAN-STYLE PILSNER
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Sierra Nevada "Summerfest," $1.50/12 oz.

Sierra Nevada may be synonymous with pale ale, but this lesser-known seasonal brew deserves a place on any summer playlist. "Summerfest" models itself on the original Czech pilsners, like Urquell, that inspired a worldwide fascination with crisp, pale lagers. "Summerfest" is true to the Bohemian style: pale, mid-weight and lightly bronzed, showcasing the subtly floral Saaz hop, albeit with a bold California brewer’s hand. Brilliant with everything from raw shellfish to sausages, the deft combination of flavor, refreshment and value of "Summerfest" could convert any macro-drinker to micros for life.

AMERICAN INDIAN PALE ALE (I.P.A.)
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Bell's "Two-Hearted Ale," $2/12 oz.

Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale is an exceptional example of how American brewers have breathed new life into a Colonial-era British beer. I.P.A., standing for India Pale Ale, was originally developed as a stronger version of the famous pub-style “Bitter.” Extra malty and strong, it was designed to survive a harrowing equatorial voyage by sea. Since hops act as a beer preservative, I.P.A.s were dry-hopped, or given an extra hop dose after brewing, boosting both green hop aromas and bracing bitterness. American craft brewers have since pushed the envelope, making succulently rich beers with American hop varieties that scream from the glass with citrusy, resinous hop character. Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale drinks like a dream, and is full of cookie-like malt and peachy ale fruit. Yet its calling card is the sweet grapefruit rush of hop character, whose resonance on the palate takes minutes to fade. Serve this beer with bold dishes like Texas chili dogs or North Carolina pulled pork.

BELGIAN GUEUZE / NON-FRUITED LAMBIC
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Lindemans Gueuze "Cuvée René," $12/25 oz.

Lindemans is famous for its sweet fruity lambic beers, but their "Cuvée René" is on a different plane. It does not disguise its rustic "wild fermented" funkiness with fruit, but rather showcases a wine-like edge of fierce acidity and aromatics reminiscent of bloomy rind cheeses like Brie with pride. Gueuze blends two parts young lively, freshly fermented beer with one part mature beer aged in wooden casks. While some are sweetened, "Cuvée René" is dry. This golden quencher is a complex beer, an acquired taste that seems more like cider on first sip, laden with beguiling buried flavors of saffron and truffles.  But, like great single malt scotch and grand cru Burgundy, its charms will be lost on beginners. It is happiest with other funky foods, like wild mushrooms and epic European cheeses.

BELGIAN WHEAT BEER
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Hoegaarden, $1.75/12 oz.

Belgian ales rank as nobility in the beer world, and with good reason. In this tiny country, an artisanal brewing tradition with medieval roots has survived nearly intact. "Hoegaarden" is the standard bearer for Belgian white beers, a style spiced with coriander and orange peel, and is widely available around the globe. "Witbier" means white beer, a reference to the pale cloudy hue from the addition of raw wheat. Few brews can stand up as well to Asian flavors like ginger or Mexican spicy heat. This beer can also master the challenges of vinegar or citrus found so often in chilled appetizers and salads.

SOUTH GERMAN WHEAT BEER - HEFEWEIZEN
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Weihenstephaner "Hefe Weissbier," $2.50/12 oz.

Further south, another German wheat beer tradition thrives in Bavaria, where Hefeweizen reigns supreme in summer. Literally translated “yeast wheat,” Hefeweizen beers are cloudy gold in color and packed with rich, spiced fruit flavor. These friendly beers have virtually no hop bitterness, and as such are crowd pleasers that appeal to even non-beer drinkers. An unusual yeast strain gives Hefeweizen a distinctive banana bread character, though no fruit or spices are added to German beers by law. Weihenstephaner produces one of the all-time classics, able to both pique and satisfy the appetite at once. Sometimes served with a slice of lemon, Hefeweizen beers pair as well with casual burgers as they do with sesame chicken.

NORTH GERMAN PILSNER
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Jever "Pilsener," $1.50/12 oz.

The Friesland town of Jever, not far from the North Sea, makes one of Germany’s most striking pilsner beers. Paler and more bitter than the softer styles of Bavaria and Bohemia, the fierce bite of Jever puts bland macro-lagers to shame. This pungent, mid-weight lager delivers a blast of refreshment that builds to a whip-crack finish. Sharp piney aromas and lean soda-cracker malt flavors cut through even the fattiest of fried foods, scouring the palate clean. When hot, muggy days are getting you down, a cold Jever is as welcome as a Nordic breeze, a bracing counterpoint to fish and chips or butter-dipped lobster.

AMERICAN WHEAT BEER
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Three Floyds "Gumballhead," $7/22 oz.

"Gumballhead" has an attitude all its own, as one look at its crude, grouchy label will confirm. Wheat beers may traditionally be only mildly hopped, but "Gumballhead" sets tradition on its ear. Like most Three Floyds brews it’s a hophead’s dream, crackling with resinous, citrusy hop aromas. Though it clocks in at a modest 4.8 percent alcohol, this is no wimpy wheat beer. “Gumballhead” is an "in your face" wheat beer, with the piney essence of fresh Amarillo hops screaming out of the glass. Softly sweet on the palate and surprisingly gentle in bitterness, few summer beers are as adept handling complex spices, from dry rub barbecue ribs to shrimp with coconut curry.

CANADIAN FRUIT WHEAT BEER
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Unibroue "Éphémère - Apple," $6/22 oz.

Not far from Montréal, the Canadian brewery Unibroue is crafting authentic interpretations of Belgian brewing recipes. They are also creating a few newsworthy styles of their own, like Éphémère—a line of ales brewed with both fruit and wheat. Éphémère Apple has tremendous finesse, its green apple character understated and almost as aptly ephemeral as the dainty fairy on the label. Snappy and refreshing, this lees aged ale rolls aspects of hard cider, wheat beer and Champagne into one delightful package. Éphémère is a graceful partner with subtle seafood dishes, yet has the sinew to stand up to sweet-tart tropical specialties like Thai tom yum soup.

Lambic beers are neither ales nor lagers, but rather result from “wild yeast” fermentation that yields a rustic wine-like edge of fierce acidity and funky aromas reminiscent of soft-rind cheese. Lambics are generally fruit beers and can range from dry to the fully sweet. Boon (pronounced "bone") is a stronghold of the drier style so rarely exported, and is more appropriate for dinner service than dessert. "Kriek," or cherry, is Boon’s icon brew, combining seductive red-fruit flavor and tartness with the praline aroma of cracked cherry stones. Delicious with mustard-spiked sandwiches and fresh produce, few beers are as delightful with picnic lunches at the lake.

Though it is one of the world’s strangest beers, Berliner Weisse could also qualify as the most refreshing summer brew of all time. With half the alcohol of normal beer and the bracing acidic backbone of fresh lemonade, it can conquer even a blazing noon-day sun. This wheat beer is sheer in texture and has an oddly yogurty sourness, an ideal partner for summer salads or raw oysters. Or try the traditional approach taken in Berlin, where this local specialty is most often served "mit Schuss," or "with a shot," referring to a dash of sweet syrup. The usual options are red or green for raspberry or woodruff, a tender aromatic herb, both of which create tempting sweet-tart drinks far more quenching than any cola.

SOUTH GERMAN WHEAT BEER - HEFEWEIZEN
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Franziskaner "Hefe Weisse," $2/12 oz. and $2.50/16 oz.

In and around the legendary brewing city of Munich, the wheat beer tradition takes on its own form. Bavarian Hefeweizen beers are cloudy gold in color and packed with rich, spiced fruit flavor, thanks to a unique strain of yeast, or hefe in German. These warm-weather beers are unfiltered to emphasize their fruity-yeasty taste, and have exceptionally low hop bitterness. Like "beer with training wheels," they can easily charm even non-beer drinkers. Brewed in accordance with the centuries-old German beer purity law, no fruit or spices are added. The recognizable aromas of caramelized bananas and dessert spices come from the specialized yeasts that give these wheat beers, or weisse, their name. There's no better beer for southeast asian treats, like Pad Thai noodles or Vietnamese spring rolls.

AMERICAN WHEAT BEER
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Bell's "Oberon Ale," $2/12 oz.

Unlike so many American wheat beers, Oberon Ale from Bell’s delivers layers of complex flavor and opulent texture. Who says summer seasonal must be thin and bland? Its hazy, rusty color promises depth, and the first sip delivers. Snappy green apples and pears on the nose give way to malty goodness in the mouth, all rounded out with a tantalizing hint of dessert spices. At a respectable 5.8% alcohol, Oberon hides some muscle behind its refreshment, and can stand up to summer’s richer flavors. Try it with juicy ribs slathered with smoky sauce or a bushel of buttered white corn on the cob.

BELGIAN "SAISON" FARMHOUSE ALE
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"Saison" Dupont, $5/12 oz.

Before the days of temperature control, brewing in summertime was impractical. Brewers could easily lose control of speeding fermentations in conditions favoring spoilage. "Saison," meaning season, is a traditional brass-colored Belgian beer style, brewed in spring to last all summer long. Aged on their lees like Champagne, these farmhouse ales are heavily hopped, malty and strong enough to survive the warm months. Their earthy richness and pungent spicy flavors vary widely, but Dupont is the style's ambassador to the globe. Simple foods, like roasted chicken or firm cheeses, act as marvelous foils for this beer's complexity.

AMERICAN FRUIT INDIAN PALE ALE
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Dogfish Head "Aprihop," $2.50/12 oz.

"Aprihop" will be a revelation for those who think fruit beers aren’t "real" beers. Dogfish is renowned for "India Pale Ales" loaded with malty muscle and jolly, green hop aromatics on a giant scale. The irreverent "Aprihop" delivers both in spades, enough to keep any brew-geek happy, but defies convention by adding fresh apricots to this otherwise "serious" beer. The fruit and pale ale flavors marry seamlessly, creating a fruit beer that isn’t dominated by fruit flavor or sticky sweetness. "Aprihop" is unusually strong for a summer beer, with enough body and bitter bite to take on the strongest, spiciest summer foods.

ERIN GO BREW
Top Irish Beers
St. Paddy's Day shouldn't be the only excuse to drink Irish beer. From ales to lagers to cream ales, Ireland sure knows how to make a solid brew. Try any one of these selections from our top Irish beers list.