Best Summer Beer

With summer halfway over (don’t shoot the messenger) you may find yourself falling into a beer rut. It can be hard to put down your go-to summer beer and try something new, but we’re here to help. With every single online publication known to man posting the “best” summer beers for 2015, we thought we’d just go ahead and share what we’ve been drinking. While you will find a few of the usual suspects on our list, hopefully something new might catch your eye and inspire some new summer memories. Without further ado- here’s a list of beers that we’re drinking this summer that we think are pretty damn tasty.

Narragansett’s Del’s Shandy: 5% ABV
With plenty of Shandy options to choose from, this is definitely one to look for if you ever wander to the East Coast. This combination of ‘Ganset’s 120 year old lager, and Del’s family-recipe lemonade make for an interesting and refreshing shandy. Drink plenty and often to beat the heat.

Narragansett’s Del’s Shandy - best summer beers
21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat: 4.9% ABV 
According to one of our co-workers, this American Wheat tastes like “Memorial Day weekend in a can”. Its a light and crisp beer, with the right amount of watermelon flavor. It’s uniqueness separates it from the pack, and well worth a try.
21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat - best summer beers
Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin: 7% ABV
Adding grapefruit flavor to an already delicious IPA makes for a great, tart summer brew. If you’re a fan of grapefruit, or the Ballast Point Sculpin, then this should be at the top of your list.
Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin - best summer beers
Bohemia Lager: 5.3% ABV
A fuller bodied (and overall better) alternative to your Coronas and Landsharks. This Mexican Lager fits in perfectly at the beach, at a cookout with your fish tacos, or by the campfire. Just don’t forget to bring the limes.
Bohemia Lager - best summer beers
Cigar City Florida Cracker: 5.5% ABV
Orange peel, coriander and vanilla flavors make this Belgian-style White Ale refreshing enough to break even the hottest Florida weather.
Cigar City Florida Cracker - best summer beers
New Belgium Slow Ride: 4.5% ABV
When you hear session IPA, a few things come to mind. Sometimes it means a hop-overload, and while Slow ride has 8 varieties of hops, its a much more manageable session IPA.
New Belgium Slow Ride - best summer beer
Jackie O’s Razz Wheat: 5.5% ABV
If you’ve been lucky enough to make your way to Athens, Ohio then I’m sure you’ve also been lucky enough to experience Jackie O’s. Their Razz Wheat is a summertime favorite, and its recently been canned and distributed throughout the region. The raspberry smell and subtle undertones make it a light and refreshing beer that’s perfect for any summer activity.
Jackie O’s Razz Wheat - best summer beer
Sweetwater Waterkeeper Hefeweizen: 6% ABV
If you’re a hefe fan this brew will be right up your ally. While it doesn’t really offer anything new to the category, it does have a good cause behind it. They teamed up with Waterkeepers Alliance to help preserve our rivers, stream, and coastlines. A good cause and a good beer, I will be happy to support both. Learn more here.
Sweetwater Waterkeeper Hefeweizen - best summer beer
Small Town Brewery Not Your Father’s Root Beer: 10% ABV
Growing up, one of my favorite drinks during the summer months was root beer floats. As I got older, I substituted ice cream and soda for burritos and beer. But how about an Ale that combines spices to result in a beer that tastes exactly like root beer? Thanks to Small Town Brewery, you now have that option. Strong and spicy, but a nostalgic alternative to your normal beer variations. There is also a toned down 5.9%
ABV version.
Small Town Brewery Not Your Father’s Root Beer - best summer beer
Rhinegeist Hustle: 5.4% ABV
Summertime means one thing to a lot of sports fans: baseball. If you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to be around for Disco, you may remember the song “Charlie Hustle.” Well, without these two classic American cultural accomplishments, we wouldn’t have the delicious Ryle Pale Ale from Rhinegeist, known as Hustle. If you’re in Northern Kentucky, Southwest Ohio, or Columbus, be sure to pick some up before the next ballgame. Also, this video.
Rhinegeist Hustle - best summer beer
Saranac Summer Pils: 5.25% ABV
This beer is appropriately named, fusing florals, citrus, spicy hops and fruity tones to create a refreshingly light and tasty beer. This beer is perfect for drinking on the beach, from experience.
Saranac Summer Pils - best summer beer
Victory Summer Love Ale: 5.2% ABV
Hoppy, citrusy, malty, and sessionable. Drink while playing in your summer league. Pairs with pizza, chicken, and hot dogs. Floats nicely in a cooler. Other American things. It’s called Summer Love, and that’s exactly what it tastes like. Who doesn’t love summer?
Victory Summer Love Ale - best summer beer
What’d you think? Homerun, or did we miss your favorite summer beer? Let us know!