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Summer Beers with Brains
Who said heat calls for swill?
By Lessley Anderson and Roxanne Webber
1. Sierra Nevada Kellerweis. The latest release from craft beer leader Sierra is a Bavarian-style hefeweizen (a German wheat beer) that’s light-bodied but bright and satisfying, with hints of clove and citrus. It would be perfect with hot dogs. (Another beer we liked that’s similar but harder to find is Royal Weisse from Pennsylvania brewery Sly Fox. It’s good for camping because it’s sold in cans.)
2. Bell’s Oberon. A favorite among Midwestern Chowhounds, this wheat beer from Kalamazoo, Michigan, is effervescent, golden, and crisp, but with a little hoppy bitterness that gives it an invigorating finish.
3. Dogfish Head Festina Pêche. The summer release from experimental Delaware craft brewer Dogfish Head is fashioned after a somewhat obscure style of German wheat beer called a Berliner Weisse. Dogfish Head’s version is brewed with peach juice, in a nod to how Germans traditionally serve it (they sometimes add fruit syrup to counteract the beer’s aggressive tartness). Yet it’s not at all sweet; it’s like classy, sour spiked lemonade. Dave thinks its acidity is begging to cut through the fat of a bacon burger.
4. Russian River Brewing Company Blind Pig IPA. Beers containing massive amounts of grapefruity-tasting, West Coast–grown hops have become wildly popular. Once you acquire the taste, it becomes difficult not to want more—a condition Russian River Brewing Company’s Vinnie Cilurzo calls the “lupulin threshold shift.” Contrary to what you might think, extra-bitter IPAs like Blind Pig are great for summer, the same way plunging into a very cold stream is good for summer: clears out your senses.
5. Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils. This is the type of light, crisp pilsner you’re used to from Budweiser and Tecate, but classed up with a malty backbone and low-key spice from the hops. Dave calls this Colorado offering: “What Americans think of as ‘lawn mower beer,’ only good.” In other words, serve this to random in-laws and they will not think you’re weird. Bonus points for the fact that it comes in a can!
6. The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel Ale. Pounding Belgian tripels on a hot summer day might sound all wrong because of their high alcohol content, full body, and often very intense and sweet flavors. However, Orange County’s Bruery makes the style work for the season by keeping the sweetness and heavy body in check. The resulting beer is refreshing, crisp, and light, with lots of carbonation. But don’t worry, summer partyers, the Bruery retained the 8 percent alcohol by volume.
7. Nøgne ∅ Saison. Norwegian microbrewer Nøgne ∅ makes its saison with wheat and lager malt and two types of hops. The beer pours light and frothy, with a hazy golden color and a good amount of carbonation. No surprises here: It tastes wheaty with a good kick of hops, but also has spice, citrus, and fruit flavors hanging out, which gives it a fresh smell. A taster said she really wanted to drink some with grilled corn on the cob.
8. Brouwerij Kerkom Bink Blond. Overall an easy, light-bodied drinker, but still flavorful and interesting enough to bring as a hostess gift for your beer nerd friends. Bink is considered one of the hoppiest Belgian beers, but it still maintains some of the malty fruitiness of a golden ale. If you were picking up one beer for a summer bash, this would be a safe bet.
9. Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca. Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin brews this witbier year-round, but we think it’s particularly good in the summer because it falls on the tart end of the witbier spectrum, as opposed to the baking-spice-flavored versions that abound. It’s very light-bodied, dry, and refreshing.
10. Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus. If you’re scared to try a raspberry beer because you think it’s going to taste like candy or resemble last summer’s horrific raspberry-pomegranate-flavored Michelob Ultra, it’s time to face your fears and pick up this beer by the venerable Belgian lambic brewery Cantillon. It’s made by fermenting lambic in wooden casks with fresh raspberries (no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners are added), which results in a beer with an incredibly true raspberry smell, a mouth-puckering tartness, a superdry finish, and a beautiful reddish-coppery color.
Also: Take a look at our picks for 2007 and 2008. They’re still good!
Fantastic list, obviously compiled by someone who knows their beer.
The best Scottish Ale on the planet comes in cans -- Old Chub! It's dynamite... and another Oscar Blues offering.
Don't knock the can until you try it!
Pork slap is great in the summer time. It is an all malt beer here in upstate new york.
I'm still a fan of dark beer in the summer time. Give me a good porter and I'm happy.
Cans are superior to bottles in nearly every way. Cans offer zero light contamination, and zero oxygen contamination. This is why beer kegs are giant cans, not giant bottles.
Cans are also significantly lighter in weight than glass, which makes them cheaper, and much more environmentally friendly to ship. You can also take cans into places that don't allow glass, like the ball park or swimming...+READ
Cans are superior to bottles in nearly every way. Cans offer zero light contamination, and zero oxygen contamination. This is why beer kegs are giant cans, not giant bottles.
Cans are also significantly lighter in weight than glass, which makes them cheaper, and much more environmentally friendly to ship. You can also take cans into places that don't allow glass, like the ball park or swimming pool.
Oskar Blues has a video explaining their reasoning for using a can: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vwBrJ2_Wn8
Chow also has an excellent article on canned beers:
http://www.chow.com/stories/11348
Other breweries using cans are St. James Gate (Guinness), Fuller's, and 21st Amendment, and New Belgium Brewing.-COLLAPSE
BostonCommoner,
I don't think you could be more wrong about Oskar Blue's canned beers.
They absolutely are of high quality and are brewed exactly the same as other microbrews. There's no preservatives (well, excpet for the hops) or additives and the beers taste great!
And they're just as 'local' as any of these other beers - all of Oskar Blue's beers are brewed in Lyons, Co. If you're...+READ
BostonCommoner,
I don't think you could be more wrong about Oskar Blue's canned beers.
They absolutely are of high quality and are brewed exactly the same as other microbrews. There's no preservatives (well, excpet for the hops) or additives and the beers taste great!
And they're just as 'local' as any of these other beers - all of Oskar Blue's beers are brewed in Lyons, Co. If you're from there, its local.
I'm really excited about the growth of canned micros - New Blegium, Surly, and Four Peaks have all recently started canning some of their beers, and I can guarantee you that taste is not being compromised...-COLLAPSE
I completely appreciate the new aluminium can, but as I said before, beer should be made of simply ingredients, and preferably local, or as fresh as possible, and in a brown bottle.
I also agree that bottles sitting on shelves in the heat can go off too. I always check the freshness date on the side.
And yes, I always drink my beer out of a glass, to appreciate the entire experience.
Glass can...+READ
I completely appreciate the new aluminium can, but as I said before, beer should be made of simply ingredients, and preferably local, or as fresh as possible, and in a brown bottle.
I also agree that bottles sitting on shelves in the heat can go off too. I always check the freshness date on the side.
And yes, I always drink my beer out of a glass, to appreciate the entire experience.
Glass can be recycled ,just like cans. And those glass bottles are not reused--as is. Most bottles are crushed down into sand and re-made over again, into glass.
Many breweries are using this new can because a lot of the public likes the convenience of a can. Still don't think it's better. Still would love a blind taste test. And yes, I would never drink a Guiness here in the States. Not made the same and certainly not local.
cheers,-COLLAPSE
Oooohhh....now I get it. I was all set to protest that beer is inappropriate with brains regardless of season. An Alsatian Reisling is best with brains. Offally bad of me. Sorry.
I see nothing wrong with cans. In fact, I see more "good" beers being packaged in cans now than ever before. While not reusable like bottles, cans use less raw material, cost less to ship, are recyclable, and are totally opaque. Light through glass is one of the main causes of the "skunking" phenomena, where a normally delicious beer acquires a nasty off taste.
So long as you pour your beer...+READ
I see nothing wrong with cans. In fact, I see more "good" beers being packaged in cans now than ever before. While not reusable like bottles, cans use less raw material, cost less to ship, are recyclable, and are totally opaque. Light through glass is one of the main causes of the "skunking" phenomena, where a normally delicious beer acquires a nasty off taste.
So long as you pour your beer into a glass before consuming I would be very shocked if you could tell the difference between a canned and a bottled beer in a blind taste test. And regardless of the packaging, if you are drinking a nice beer you care about you'd probably want to pour it in a glass anyway so you can smell as well as taste each sip. Drinking straight from a bottle or can is a lesser experience because your nose is isolated from the beer.
The one exception I can think of to this scenario are the imported British stouts and bitters with the "widget" in the bottom to replicate the process of beer drawn from a draught tap. I love Guinness, but the one time I tried it from a bottle I almost spit it out, it tasted so flat. No contest, these particular beers are better from a can (assuming a keg or cask is not nearby!).-COLLAPSE
@bostoncommoner
It used to be that the usual crappy macro swill were the only beer sold in cans and the beer would touch the can directly affecting taste, well what little taste there was in those types of beers.
Nowadays, beer cans have a special coating inside so the beer doesn't touch the metal. No taste is imparted to the beer. Since there is absolutely no light getting into the can...+READ
@bostoncommoner
It used to be that the usual crappy macro swill were the only beer sold in cans and the beer would touch the can directly affecting taste, well what little taste there was in those types of beers.
Nowadays, beer cans have a special coating inside so the beer doesn't touch the metal. No taste is imparted to the beer. Since there is absolutely no light getting into the can skunking can't happen. I suggest you try some good beer in can form. You'll be surprised. Do a blind taste test between a bottle and a can sitting on a shelf for a while.-COLLAPSE
I am a woman who really appreciates beer---and I am so happy that we are finally creating a true beer culture here in the States & seeing that beer should be made from simple ingredients & fresh, just like bread.
So, sorry here , but I could NOT agree with your choice of Oskar Blues Mamas Little Yella Pill IN A CAN!@#>?
I am really surprised by this choice of yours.
Fresh good beer should be...+READ
I am a woman who really appreciates beer---and I am so happy that we are finally creating a true beer culture here in the States & seeing that beer should be made from simple ingredients & fresh, just like bread.
So, sorry here , but I could NOT agree with your choice of Oskar Blues Mamas Little Yella Pill IN A CAN!@#>?
I am really surprised by this choice of yours.
Fresh good beer should be local and in a brown bottle.
That convenient little can you think is so great just destroyed a beautiful thing -- it's like taking a lovely fresh loaf of bread right out of the oven, wrapping it in a smelly fish and then sitting the concoction in the sun.
Love you to do a blind tasting on beers from cans. But, again, Americans are lucky to have so many good beers brewed locally and packaged appropriately, in brown bottles
The rest of your choices, especially Dogfish Head, Bells & Sierra Nevada put out wonderful, honest products NOT in cans!
Cheers,-COLLAPSE
Bells! Bells! Bells!
But it isn't true that I don't want to drink a thick chewy porter in the heat. I use water for refreshing. I use beer for tasting. I know, I'm probably the only one. I also like sushi for breakfast.
no one rocks the inline images like CHOW