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View Full Version : great summer beers? (was: re: beer club)


warmstorage
03-08-2003, 10:34 AM
Originally posted by kpo
I drink by the same rules, - so what do you find satisfying on muggy summer days, when big IBU counts and heavy malts just won't do?



oooohhhhh... hot summer days and beer. mmmmmm.
well, i haven't lived in a lot of muggy places, but i was just in Thailand for two weeks to get a decade's worth of hot mugginess, and i drank a huge amount of Singha, basically the national beer of Thailand: a 6.0% lager that is slightly spicy, noticably hoppy, and impressively full lager: but i wouldn't guess the IBU count to be above 25 or so, maybe 30: it's got a high enough alcohol content to provide a spiciness that hints that the big beer hops i love so much. and you sweat so constantly, and drink so much water, that despite huge amounts of Thai beer throughout the trip, not once did i feel more than very slightly buzzed. i wrote about Thai beer (and whiskey) in another thread:

http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=184

for regular hot (& dry) summer drinking, i agree that i don't tend to reach for a barleywine (even if i could fine one). some summer favorites:

1) wit bier, preferably bright, crisp and served colder than i normally might (example: New Belgium Sunshine Wheat Ale is a favorite)
2) almost any Belgian white or golden ale (ummm, let's see: Unibroue's Blanche de Chambly comes to mind, as does Don de Dieu)
3) almost any wheat beer, whether German or American style, any any brewpub i happen to be nearby
4) and actually, i like moderate to big IBU counts even in the summer, and i often i just drink, say, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale colder than i otherwise might.

what about others out there? what makes a great summer beer? what specific beers do you find yourself buying summer after summer?

-warmstorage

bsardin
03-21-2003, 01:59 PM
I live in Little Rock, AR so I know all about hot weather, in fact I can remember one day about 2 1/2 years ago when Little Rock was the hottest place on the planet that day. So I have had some experience selecting a beer for a hot summer day.
I am not a lager or wheat beer person so I tend to be drawn more towards light ales and pale ales during the summer. Sierra Nevada is always a favorite on those sweltering summer days. While many of you seem to shun Sam Adams I find Sameul Adams Spring Ale really refreshing after mowing the yard in 100 degree heat. Boddingtons is great to smuggle onto the golf coarse or into any outdoor event that does not allow for glass bottles. And how can you forget John Courge Amber which I think maybe the most refreshing beer made.

Brewdepest
04-15-2003, 01:16 PM
I haven't developed that true "beer snobbery" yet....I'm not above Pabst Blue Ribbon when funds are low, but if and when I can afford it, I'll reach to that top shelf, or at least the 3rd or 4th one down. At any rate, I don't yet have ironclad preferences, though I've been horrendously disappointed by stouts as often as I've fallen in love with them, and obviously if you're at a picnic in 90 degree weather then they aren't going to be good for you.
I've nothing against Sam Adams, and I do enjoy their spring ale...during the summer I drink a lot of mexican beer, like Negra Modelo or Bohemia. Slightly dark but not too heavy.

threecb
04-16-2003, 11:07 AM
I'd have to say my favorite summer drinking beer is Flying Fish (NJ) Farmhouse Summer Ale. Hands down the best summer in the Mid-Atlantic! From the FF website:
Farmhouse Summer Ale
A tribute to the highly drinkable "every day" beers from French-speaking Belgium. Contains Belgian two-row pale malt and 7% wheat. This beer is lightly filtered with an earthy, spicy hop character from imported Styrian Goldings hops and a beautiful rich creamy head from the wheat. Dry quenching finish achieved by use of the traditional sour mash process.

Malts: Two-row pale, white wheat
Hops: Magnum, Styrian Goldings
Yeast: English
Original Gravity: 1.041
Alcohol by volume: 4.6%
Formats: 12 oz. bottles,1/2 kegs, 1/6 kegs, cask-conditioned
Availability: April 15 to September 1
___
It was actually available a little early this year and i've picked up a six. 2 Years ago it was sold out by mid-July so last season a bought a couple of cases as soon as I saw them!

Other than this, though, I tend to drink lagers more in the summer, served colder than normal!

S.F.B.
04-17-2003, 12:19 PM
You didn't include my favorite summer style on the list. IPA. A close second is pilsner so that gets my vote.