Summer is the season for backyard barbeques, beach days, and refreshing drinks. When it comes to beer, certain styles tend to be more popular during the warmer months. So what drink is truly considered a quintessential summer beer?
Light Lagers and Pilsners
One of the most defining features of a summer beer is being light and crisp. When the temperature rises, heavy, darker brews can feel too filling and warming. That’s why the number one style associated with summer is light lagers and pilsners.
Light lagers are pale, fizzy, refreshing beers like Bud Light, Coors Light, and Michelob Ultra. They are some of the most mass-produced and approachable beers, known for being easy to drink. Light lagers have mild malt flavors with low alcohol by volume (ABV), typically 4-5%. This makes them slightly weaker than traditional lagers. The light body and subtle taste make for a clean, drinkable experience.
Pilsners are another golden, lighter-bodied beer. Originating in the Czech Republic, pilsners are bottom-fermented with moderate hop bitterness. The crisp, dry taste pairs perfectly with hot weather. Examples include Pilsner Urquell, Miller Lite, Stella Artois, and Heineken. While they have a bit more flavor than light lagers, pilsners are still low in ABV at 4-5%.
Wheat Beers
Wheat beers are also a top choice for summer. Made with a large proportion of wheat, these brews have a hazy, cloudy appearance. Wheat provides a smooth, creamy mouthfeel and subtle sweetness. The wheat also leaves the beer lighter in body than those made primarily with barley.
German-style wheat beers, or weissbiers, offer notes of banana and clove thanks to their ale yeast. The quintessential weissbier is Hefeweizen, served in towering glasses garnished with lemon. Belgian witbiers like Blue Moon and Hoegaarden offer orange and coriander flavors. American wheat beers tone down the yeast characteristics for a cleaner taste.
Fruit is another common addition to wheat beers in the summer. Citrus like orange, grapefruit, or lemon are most popular. The fruit adds another layer of brightness and refreshment for the season. Examples include Sam Adams Summer Ale, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, and Shock Top Ruby Fresh.
Sours and Gose
For those who enjoy more adventurous flavors, sour and tart beers are a great summer choice. They offer bright, acidic taste profiles that wake up your palate on a hot day. Sour beer styles include Lambic, Gueuze, Fruit Lambic, Berliner Weisse, and Gose.
Lambics from Belgium are aged open-air, allowing wild yeast and bacteria to impart complex sourness. Fruity flavors are then added, like cherry in the Kriek style. Gueuze blends young and old Lambics for a Champagne-like effervescence.
Berliner Weisse is a German wheat beer given a sour kick through Lactobacillus bacteria. Gose originated in Germany as well, adding salty coriander to the sourness. American craft breweries have embraced and innovated on the Gose style in recent years. Keep an eye out for rotating flavored versions like grapefruit, guava, or watermelon Gose for the ultimate summer treat.
Session IPAs
For hop heads, session India Pale Ales (IPAs) bring the hops without the high alcohol. Regular IPAs tend to be 6-7% ABV or above, while session IPAs fall around 4-5%. The lower alcohol allows you to enjoy more than one without getting overwhelmed.
Since less malt is needed to boost the alcohol, session IPAs focus on bright, crisp hops like Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, and Mosaic. Tropical fruit, citrus, pine, and floral flavors abound, while the bitterness is dialed back a notch. It’s still plenty hoppy, just in a summer-friendly format.
Look for session IPAs from breweries like Founders, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Stone, and Dogfish Head. You may also see terms like “daytime IPA” which indicate a lighter take on the style while still bringing the hops.
Radlers and Shandies
Radlers and Shandies are beer mixed with fruit juice or lemonade, basically beer cocktails. They blend the light, fizzy aspect of beer with a fruity flavor boost. While some use grapefruit or other fruits, lemon is one of the most popular for its refreshing tartness.
Radlers were originally created by mixing half beer and half lemon soda in Germany. Shandies stem from England, made with lemonade or ginger beer added to ale. Today Radlers and Shandies are used fairly interchangeably for beer mixes.
Leinenkugel’s makes several shandy flavors perfect for summer like Lemon Haze and Grapefruit. Stiegl Radler has a touch of fresh grapefruit juice added to its pilsner. Other brands like Traveler Beer Company specialize entirely in shandy-style beverages. The possibilities are endless for inventive combinations.
Fruited Seltzers
Hard seltzers exploded in popularity the last few years as a light, fruity alternative to beer. While classic seltzers like White Claw, Truly, and High Noon are refreshing, summer-themed flavors take them to the next level.
Keep an eye out for tropical styles like mango, pineapple, guava, or coconut. Bonus points for seltzers using real fruit juice for authentic flavor. Bud Light Seltzer remixes like Strawberry Lemonade or Watermelon Limeade make perfect poolside sippers. Or go for the nostalgia factor with seltzers like Truly’s frozen ice pop flavors.
While seltzers aren’t technically beer, they share that easy-drinking appeal. Their mixability also allows you to get creative with summer cocktail recipes. Blend in some tequila, vodka, rum, or your favorite liqueur to enjoy the flavors in a whole new way.
Conclusion
When summer’s heat arrives, light and refreshing is the name of the game for beer. Start with popular choices like light lagers, pilsners, wheat beers, and session IPAs. Or explore more adventurous sours, radlers with fruit juice, and the endless options in today’s seltzer space. No matter your preference, let your palate guide you to the bright, crisp profile that just screams summer.
While there’s no single definitive summer beer, these are the most common styles to fit the season. Any beer can be a summer beer if it’s cold and enjoyed with good company in the sunshine. But if you’re in need of the quintessential warm weather brews, look no further than this thirst-quenching list of recommendations. Summer and beer is one of life’s greatest pairings, so get out there and start sipping!