Today’s topic for the Friday Five linkup with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia is “Five Ways to Beat the Heat”. It’s been stupid hot here this week and I’ve been running with the Mizuno Baton, so this topic is perfect. Since I already wrote a post with tips on how to survive running in the heat, I thought I’d go for a different angle today. ;o)
I’m the kind of girl that can drink a stout or a porter on the hottest day, but there are times when you want a lighter, more refreshing beer when it’s hot out. I’m not a fan of pilsners and I feel “meh” about most lighter lagers. ( I can guarantee you, I’d rather drink nothing than drink budmilloor beer. Snob? Yes.)
So, what’s a dark beer loving beer snob to drink in the summer? Here’s your answer…
5 Beers to Drink to Beat the Summer Heat
1. Citra Blonde Summer Brew from Widmer – I’ll admit, I only bought this because I have a bit of a love affair going with the Citra Hops and that definitely colors my opinion of this beer. I don’t usually drink beers that are this light in color or flavor, but the added citrusy flavor from the Citra hops makes it one of my favorite summer beers. It’s low in alcohol (4.3% ABV) and just light and refreshing!
2. Little White Rye from Sam Adams – I’m a little obsessed with finding this beer again. I had one at a Memorial Day party and haven’t been able to find it again. It has a unique zing to it (I think it’s the sage) and I totally want another one. This beer is a witbier (Belgian White) with an interesting combination of citrus, coriander, sage, and rye, which makes it a wonderfully drinkable summer beer with a totally unique flavor.
3. Tangerine Wheat Ale from Lost Coast Brewing – This is another one that I had no intention of trying, but a friend gave it to me. This beer adds an interesting twist to a typical wheat beer. It has a relatively strong tangerine smell, but the first taste you get is the wheat flavor. The flavor on the backend is the tangerine, which builds as you drink the beer. If you don’t like the flavor of tangerine, I’d recommend trying Port City’s Optimal Wit or Williamsburg Alewerk’s Wheat beer. All are very drinkable on a hot summer day with a relatively low alcohol content. I make a really good vinaigrette dressing with wheat beer and I’m definitely going to have to make a batch with the Tangerine Wheat Ale.
4. Brown Ale from Legend Brewing – This is one of my favorite brown ales EVER (Leffe Brune is a close second). It’s got a bit of the dark beer flavor that I like in stouts and porters, but with a much lighter mouth feel than those styles. It’s a bit higher alcohol and definitely more malty than the other beers I’ve mentioned. Shockingly, I don’t have one of these in the fridge, so I had to settle for a picture of their logo.
5. Lambics – this is not a specific beer, but rather a type of beer. True lambics are beers fermented in Belgian using open fermentation. This allows for wild yeast to create the beer. After the fermentation, most lambics are blended with fruit before bottling. The most common fruits are cherries (kriek), raspberries (framboise), and peaches (peche). There is a non-fruit version, guize, but it’s super sour and is an acquired taste. Beer Geek’s friend in Belgium always comments that it’s the high school girls’ beer (or as Beer Geek translates it, lambics are “Belgian wine coolers”.) Whatever, I love them.
Bonus: If you are local, Mad Fox Brewery makes a number of “summer” beers and they are all quite good. My favorite of all of them is the Orange Whip, which is an IPA made with Citra hops. As I’ve told the owner, Orange Whip is the only IPA that I enjoy drinking! I’d drink it all summer long if I had the chance!
Can you tell which beer I drank last night in the interest of “research”? What’s your favorite summer drink?
Thanks for the recommendations! I’m a dark beer. Girl, too, but I’ve been craving something lighter this summer.
It always surprises me when I like a lighter beer, since I much prefer dark and sweet.
I love your take on this Friday Five theme 😉 I really liked the Sam Adams and haven’t been able to find it again either! I’m on a mission! LOL
Me too. Can’t find it anywhere.
you and your beer!! LOL I’m clearly missing something.
We need to do a beer tasting. There are so many options that I’m sure there’s one out there you’d like.
I am absolutely not a fan of hoppy beers, so IPAs are right out for me. I love Extra Special Bitters. Fuller’s and Yard’s are my go-tos for that style beer. It is malty, instead of hoppy, but light and smooth. Devil’s Backbone, a brewery in Lexington, VA, has been rocking my world lately. Their “Azrael,” is a Belgian Golden Ale. It is fast becoming a warm weather favorite. And you can’t go wrong with a traditional German hefeweizen, like Weihenstephaner or Franziskaner. Delish.
I much prefer malt to hops, but I LOVE my citra hops. So different from the other hop bitterness. I’ve been to Devil’s Backbone and I like their beers, but I don’t love any of them.
not much of a beer drinker, but those actually sound really good and refreshing in this heat!
The tangerine was super refreshing. I really liked it.
I love lambics! They’re so tasty and refreshing!
The framboise and cherry are really good with chocolate too.
i don’t drink beer (except if i’m playing drinking games or watching a football game) but i love this post. i have enjoyed a lambic or two in my day. 🙂
I pretty much only drink beer, with the very occasional glass of wine…
You are making me want a nice cold summer beer and it’s 10am! Maybe later tonight, I have been interested in mixing it up from wine to beer more often!
Wine messes with my sleep, especially the hearty reds that I prefer, so beer is my go to.
I now also want a beer!! I need to find a good gluten free variety here!!
I am not a big beer drinker but some of those do look good! if i have to drink beer, i stick to a Corona or Angry Orchard!
Now we’re talking – great choice for the theme! I love lambics! I also enjoy ciders, sours, or saisons in the summer 🙂 Some beers with a hint of fruit can be refreshing as well (such as Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA or belgian blonde mixed aged with fruit).
I usually go for porters and stouts but in the summer I’m all about corona light (must be in the bottle with a lime slice).
The only way to drink corona is with lime – it’s necessary to hide the slightly skunked flavor (the clear glass allows the beer to degrade very quickly.) You should try some of the ones I mentioned – light and refreshing with good flavor.
My husband loves Belgium beer!!
I think you had the Tangerine Ale last night!!
Yes, yes, I did.
There is something just too good about a cold beer to be passed up – especially in the summer! I’m a Schlafly Kolsch kind of girl. It’s reminiscent of a German brew!
Kolsch is a good summer beer. Our local brewpub has a really good one that has won a ton of awards. I tend to like a bit heavier than that though.
I drink sparkling water. It has no calories and it’s nice and frizzy!
I drink a ton of sparking water. My sodastream is my best friend.
I like sangria! Too funny I just bought Lambics (Peach and Raspberry) this week – can’t wait to give it a try. I also love 21st Amendment’s Watermelon beer.
Lambics are lovely. I’ve seen teh 21st amendment’s watermelon beer, but i don’t think I’ve tried it.
It has just become my mission to locate Little White Rye. Thanks for the recommendations!
Good luck! I can’t find them anywhere.
I recently got to try the Lost Coast Tangerine and LOVED it. Great summer beer. And check out Shiner’s Ruby Red for another great citrusy sit by the pool kind of beer. It is my summer go to (when this Pennsylvania girl can get her hands on some Texas beer anyway.) Thanks for the other recommendations!
Funny you should mention it – I just had a Shiner Ruby Red today and was thinking “oh, I forgot about this one – it’s so good!”
I’m from Chico Ca – Home of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. They are famous for their Pale Ale. They have lots of specialty beers that are always changing in their taproom, but my favorite bottled beer for summer is their Summerfest – it’s a pilsner style lager. Their Old Chico Wheat is good too. I do like Sam Adams – I’m going to look for this one! The Tangerine looks interesting too.
Favorite summer drink Summer Shandy or a fresh mojito.
Great list! Definitely checking all of these out!
I love lambics in the summer! Teh banana one is really good 🙂
Having spend a few years in Germany, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Lambic!!! thanks for posting one of those!!! People don’t usually know about them, but they are DELICIOUS!!! Great post!! 🙂