Refreshing Summer Beers

No matter how much you love cocktails, it’s undisputed that beer is the official beverage of summer. And for good reason: portable, refreshing and trouble-free, you can take and drink beer pretty much anywhere with a minimum of fuss. It’s hard to think of a reason not to like beer. As the temperatures are warming up all over the northern hemisphere, we here at the Mixoloseum thought we’d recommend some refreshing summer beers to enjoy during barbeques, picnics, al fresco dinners or chilling by the pool.

Central and South American Beer
Everyone loves a light, crisp Mexican lager on a hot summer day but your options are not limited only to Corona!

• Carta Blanca – The ubiquitous light lager south of the border, Carta Blanca is great on its own, with a squeeze of lime or mixed in a michelada.
• Model Especial – Another hugely popular light lager, Modelo Especial is a bit lighter than Carta Blanca and thus tastes better on its own or with lime than it does in a michelada.
• Negra Modelo – A nutty, dark brown Vienna lager, this is the best Modelo out there. If you like a bit more bite to your beer or just want something with some oomph, grab one of these.
• Quilmes – Very light but very, very refreshing, Quilmes is an Argentine lager that has been brewed in the country since the late 1800s. It’s getting easier to find and I highly recommend it, particularly if you are having a barbeque.

Fruit Beers
There are a ton of fruited beers out there these days, but something about the crisp-tart of apple in a beer really says summer.

• Éphémère – A white ale brewed with apple must (cider), this is the lightest of the three and definitely well-suited for people who aren’t usually big beer drinkers. The taste is light, tart and pleasant while the body of the beer is very refreshing.
• Floris Apple – An Belgian apple lambic, Floris is sweeter than a cider though it still maintains a pleasantly dry, refreshing character with a strong apple flavor.
• Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider – Being something of a cider fiend, it is no small thing to say that this is my favorite cider. Dry and tart without being too much of either, it has a lovely body and nice, smooth finish.

Witbier / Wheat Beer / White Beer / Bière Blanche
A beer of many names, witbier is a Belgian white ale brewed from wheat and frequently flavored with coriander and orange peel.

• Allagash White – Belgian-style but brewed in Maine, Allagash White is one of my favorite American white beers. Though delicious, they can be a bit heavy on occasion due to the wheat component but Allagash is clean, crisp and wonderful on a hot day.
• Blanche de Chambly – From Unibroue, the Quebec-based producers of Éphémère, Blanche de Chambly is a classic light witbier. The spice component is rather subdued but very pleasant and it shows well next to Éphémère.
• Mothership Wit – From New Belgium, the Colorado-based brewery known for Fat Tire, Mothership Wit is an organic, sustainable and flavorful white beer. Heavy on the spice and orange, it rocks with or without food and perks up brilliantly with the addition of a slice of orange or lemon.
• Shiner Hefeweizen – Oh yes! Hefeweizen is also a wheat beer. Though there are many amazing German hefs out there, my favorite domestic is the one out of Shiner, TX. It has just the right amount of crispness to balance the weight of the beer—wouldn’t want anyone to think they were drinking a light beer—it’s stupendous ice cold straight out of the cooler. Orange slice optional.
• Wittekerke – A German white beer, Wittekerke has the coriander and orange flavors common to witbier with a nice light body, and it is easy to find in excursion-friendly cans.