While sipping a Blue Paw, it’s hard not to be transported, Proust-like, back to the sticky-fingered summer days of berry picking, which were followed by piles of blueberry pancakes the next morning. The beer’s aromas, not color (a respectable amber gold), reveal its intense wild blueberry nature. Though the nose suggests a sweet fruit beer with faint citrus-like notes of wheat, the beer is pleasantly dry and refreshing. Modest in alcohol and highly carbonated, it will surprise with a bracing touch of hop bitterness in the finish. Ahh… Finally a simple summer fruit beer that still tastes like a beer. Give it a try with a simple cheese plate or a salad topped with grilled chicken.

BAVARIAN WHEAT BEER
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Paulaner "Hefe-Weizen," $2/12 oz. and $2.50/16 oz.

In German, hefe means “yeast” and weisse means “wheat,” and Bavarian Hefe-Weizen beers are exactly that—unfiltered, yeasty wheat ales. Brewer’s yeast is the active culture that produces alcohol in beer and wine, and is usually filtered out when spent. Keeping the yeast in the brew gives Hefe-Weizen beers their distinctive cloudy haze and their unmistakable flavor. Paulaner is an internationally recognized icon of this delightful style. This highly refreshing warm-weather beer is so vividly reminiscent of baked goods and tropical fruit that it’s like fresh banana bread in a glass. Briskly carbonated and lacking palpable hop bitterness, this is one of the world’s best beers for tempting wine and cocktail lovers to take a walk on the malt side. Serve this beer with a nutty shrimp pad thai or grilled ham and cheese on rye.

NORTH GERMAN PILSNER
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Bitburger "Premium Pils," $1.50/12 oz.

German "pilsner," modeled after a style first brewed in the Czech town of Plzen, has inspired the world’s pale golden lagers—the globe's most popular beers by a mile. But the German originals, like this classic "Pils" brewed in the city of Bitburg, have a more bracingly bitter finish, ideal for cooling off on sun-drenched days and taming the heat of spicy foods. More substantial than commercial lagers too, Bitburger packs as much nutrition as a bowl of granola. This classic pilsner’s herbal hop aromas and brisk lager finish feel as fresh and clean as a newly starched shirt and can banish even the most persistent cases of the hot and muggies. Buffalo wings and burritos make for terrific pairings.

BELGIAN-INSPIRED FARMHOUSE "SAISON"
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Ommegang "Hennepin," $2.50/12 oz. and $5/25 oz.

Belgian-owned Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY, is a source of remarkable beers; each one is as alive as an illegal unpasteurized European cheese. Hennepin is their interpretation of the classic “Saison” style of farmhouse ale—a potent golden variation brewed for the late summer harvest season. This bottle-conditioned ale is surprising from the first pour, billowing up with pillowy froth as persistent as meringue. Pungent aromas are strangely diverse—nutty, fruity, spicy, funky—yet the overall impression is of cohesion. Even more flavorful layers unfurl on the palate—herbal, floral and cereal grains—all jousting for supremacy in a lingering finish. Here, surely, is proof that beer can be as complex and food-friendly as fine wine. Hennepin deserves to be shared with friends in red wine glasses, as traditional pints won’t do justice to its aromas. Give this remarkable ale a chance to shine with rotisserie chicken or grilled salmon.

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.

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.

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.

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.

GERMAN-INSPIRED SOUR WHEAT BEER
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Dogfish Head "Festina Pêche," $2.50/12 oz.

Dogfish Head is one of the United States’ quirkiest breweries. Flying their freak flag proudly, they are known for their monster brews that frequently top ten percent alcohol. One of their finest achievements, however, is Festina Pêche, an homage to Berliner Weisse, one of the world’s lightest bodied beers. A wheat beer brewed with special lactic cultures, Berliner Weisse is sour and dry. Traditionally, it is spiked with fruit syrup to offset its oddly yogurt-like lemonade tang. Dogfish Head chooses to add the fruit for you—in the form of fresh juicy peaches that add flavor (though not sweetness) to the beer. Festina Pêche manages to combine the dry refreshment of great beer with the tart and fruity tastiness of cider. At only four and a half percent alcohol, this lithe beauty is a terrific partner for al fresco lunches, such as a spinach salad or Chesapeake crabs.

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.

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.