The Beers of Warmer Weather

It seemed only appropriate that since I started the discussion of cooler weather beers, I should start the discussion of warmer weather beers.

Like last time, let me offer a few I am enjoying as we sit on the deck or plant things in the yard or just think about the sun:

New Holland Golden Cap - This is a new one from them, a Americanized saison. It has all the characteristics I look for in a good saison - citrus and and herbal notes, nice, full mouth feel, wonderful golden hue. I am very happy they put this out, and even happier it can be found in six packs and not just bombers.

Surly Bitter Brewer - A brilliant ESB. One of the best examples out there. Very clean with just the right amount of bitterness. My only complaint is that you cannot get it in cans (Surly just does tall boys, which is kinda neat) here in Chicago, only on tap. That being said, I like having an excuse to go to a bar that knows its beer well enough to have Surly on tap.

Bells Oberon - I can't leave out Bell's Oberon, the ubiquitous Chicago summer beer. We should consider ourselves very lucky that you can find this fine wheat beer almost every where you turn. I am not going to say it is the best wheat out there (I would turn towards New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat if I needed to make that claim), but it is summer in a bottle/glass for me.

What brews would you add to this list?

I don't think you can do much better for a summer beer than to make your own ... say, 50% Weyermann Pale Wheat, 10% Oio Torrified Wheat, and 40% a base grain, like Maris Otter (although I've been leaning more toward Golden Simpson lately). Add some Hallertau or Hersbrucker, and some Wyeast 3068 .... can't do much better than that for a summer beer (might throw a little lemon zest into the secondary, too, if the Rheinheitsgebot police aren't watching).

Last Saturday I sat in two different beer gardens, and had two different wheat beers. #1 was Bowman's Bar & Griill, with a Bells Oberon. # 2 was Resi's Bierstube with a Julius Echter Weiss. #2 won easily in all categories. Love the Julius Echter with a wedge of lemon on a warm, spring day.

schenked wrote:New Holland Golden Cap - This is a new one from them, a Americanized saison. It has all the characteristics I look for in a good saison - citrus and and herbal notes, nice, full mouth feel, wonderful golden hue. I am very happy they put this out, and even happier it can be found in six packs and not just bombers.

I agree. It's quite a delightful summer beer. I'm just about through with my first six pack and I see quite a few more in my future.

For warm weather, I'm a big fan of the new Metropolitan Brewing Company's lagers. They're on tap at a number of Chicago locations, and I just recently saw bottles available at Whole Foods - probably other places have them as well.

I don't like almost any of their other beers - the Honey Weiss and the Sunset Wheat do absolutely nothing for me - but Leinie's Summer Shandy is one of my favorite summer beers.

Oberon is also a winner - had one while devouring some homemade coneys and watching the Sox/Tigers game last night - but this summer might be a real Metropolis summer. What I've had from them has been light, sweet, refreshing and probably a really good session beer.

And don't forget about Gumballhead.

Spring for me is bock season, so I'm enjoying the strong malty beers of my (Grandparents') native Germany.
Schneider Aventinus is undoubtedly the best of the breed here, but now that it's nice enough for them to have
the windows open, I might have to head to Huettenbar to get some of the Kostriker schwartzbier.
I'm a big fan of Anchor's bock as well - can't beat $3 for a 22oz of it at Sam's. Great for brownbagging on the way to the bar.
Any other bock fans?

Last time I was at Goose Island, their Maibock was listed as coming soon (and, actually, it's listed on their website as on-tap now). If it's like last year's batch, this will be very, very tasty. I never really thought of lagers as beers for warmer weather, but considering this bock and the general lager love we're seeing here, I'll have to re-evaluate my position!

I'm a big fan of Anchor's bock as well

I lovre Anchor bock. Is a great spring beer. Capital Brewery out of Wisconsin does a fine job with bocks as well. I need to get to Goose Island to try theirs. I had the smoked bock last month. If you like a smoky beer, it is a mighty fine example.

oh man, I forgot about Capital. Their Autumnal Fire doppelbock (which is, clearly, a few months off) is one of my favorite beers. I had their Maibock last year at Quenchers and it was pretty solid as well.

I really enjoy Goose's Summer Kolsch.

Half Acre Daisy Cutter. Yum.

I am not generally a fan of wheat biers. Then I found Troublette, a Belgian Wit Bier, to be remarkably refreshing on a hot summer day. It is a Wallonian style white beer brewed by Brasserie Caracole. It has a smooth, dry yet fruity citrus flavor and very fine champagne-like carbonation. It has a moderate alcohol content, at least by Belgian standards (5%). Troublette comes in 750ml bottles and 375ml 4-packs with a cool label portraying a snail on a lilly pad. Very nice served cold with a summer picnic lunch.

http://www.specialtybeer.com/beer,index,troublette.html

Tipped off by this post, I've been looking for the new bombers from FFF. I picked up the Apocalypse Cow at Sam's (Clybourn location, last two bottles on the shelf, too) last night. From the current tap-list:
Apocalypse Cow - This complex double India Pale Ale has an intense citrus and floral hop aroma balanced by a velvety malt body which has been augmented with lactose milk sugar. With this different take on an IPA we have brewed an ale that is both pleasing to drink and once again, “not normal.” 100 IBU 9.5% a.b.v.

I don't know that I've ever seen a lactose double IPA. It's really interesting and worth trying. It doesn't have that same bite as Dreadnaught, I think, and the aroma is a little more relaxed. I mean, relative to Dreadnaught -- as with most FFF beers, this one is still a bit of a hop monster. Also, the artwork on the bottle is great.

Also coming out soon is this one:
Jinx Proof- This refreshing continental-style pils has a light body combined with a pronounced noble hop aroma and a crisp dry finish. This is the perfect beer for easy flavorful drinking. Brewed in collaboration with our friends at Jinx Proof tattoo in Washington D.C.

I went to the Two Brothers tasting at Lush's Halsted location. Always enthusiastic about high quality local brews, I hadn't tried any of theirs yet, and it was a good opportunity to drink some of their special offerings.

The Cane and Ebel is definitely the best rye beer that I've ever drank. It's enhanced with Thai palm sugar, but doesn't taste too sweet. It's very full yet balanced, with a fruity bouquet and a much stronger hop presence that other rye beers.

I generally love massively hoppy IPAs, but I found the Hop Juice Double IPA to be a bit too syrupy sweet for my taste. The 2 Bros. rep. there said that large amounts of malts were necessary to balance the hops, but it wasn't my favorite example of the style.

Next was the Avalon Spiced Ale, a cider/ale (blend? brew? not sure how it's put together...) It tasted, well, like cider and ale, a bit sweet, tart, and crisp. I was told that as it warms up, the flavor changes noticeably, so you can serve it for your preferred flavor profile.

Last at the tasting table was the Bare Tree Weiss Wine, a potent Weissbier. At this point, having drank such bold and distinctly different beers in a short time span, I think my taste buds were becoming a bit confused. That being said, the Weiss Wine was a smooth, clove-y sipper, deceptively strong. I've never tried a strong Weissbier, but at 11.5%ABV, this one was dangerously drinkable!

And the reason I went to the tasting was the Imperial Cane and Ebel, which had been in storage at Lush for a year. It tasted like beefed up Cane and Ebel, (as I suppose it should). You could definitely taste the high alcohol content; not necessarily in a bad way, but the "Imperial" part was definitely front and center. It's hard to say how the aging affected the flavor, having not tried it a year ago. While the regular C&E could be a good session beer, this is for sipping at home or after a good meal.

I wish I had shown up before the brats were all gone; It certainly would have enhanced my tasting experience, and enabled (or enEbel'ed) me to enjoy another ImpC&E. That was certainly a special beer, but to get back on topic, the regular C&E makes a great summer session beer.

BTW, Lush is a perfect example of the type of business I like to patronize; high quality products that aren't widely available, friendly staff, engaged with their customers and community, the people there obviously love what they do and enjoy sharing their love. Plus, despite the fact that their beer cooler is a fraction of the size of a typical liquor store, the selection is a step above and beyond, in terms of quality.

Aw, shucks! We DO love what we do, and we love even more that you love what we do! Come again, anytime. And to all: keep those eyes peeled. We've got plenty o' fun beer events up our little sleeves for the whole summer.

Orange Blossom Cream Ale from the Buffalo Bill Brewing Company...



It's not a fruity beer; has just a hit of orange in the aroma, even a little less in the taste. Basically, a wonderfully scented cream ale. A very strong recommendation for a summer beer. I also really like Anchor Steam, but everyone already knows about that.

I need to add to the list the recently released Sierra Nevada Kellerweis. It is a great American-made hefeweizen. Perfect for hot summer days. I got mine at the River Forest Wholefoods, but I assume it is readily available at any Binny's, Sam's, etc.

whiskeybent wrote:I don't like almost any of their other beers - the Honey Weiss and the Sunset Wheat do absolutely nothing for me - but Leinie's Summer Shandy is one of my favorite summer beers.

I have to say, I think Leinie's Honey Weiss is an excellent summer beer. It's not a hyperactive wheat taste, much more subtle than that, perfect for sitting outside in the shade.
Even though Leinie has been around for awhile, it's a recent revelation for me. It wasn't until we moved down to Champaign that began giving it a try (it was everywhere and it was cheap). Overall, I really think the Leinie line of beers is a solid second-tier cheap beer.