Summer Beer Showdown
Recently I decided to try some summer beer. What makes a beer summer-y? There's no specific definition, but generally it's a beer with lighter flavor that's meant to go well being quaffed outside on a warm day. We're having plenty of warm days this summer, so I figured I'd branch out and try something different from the stronger, darker beers I generally prefer.
So off to Total Wine I went, intending to buy a particular brew I read good things about... and they were sold out. (Yes, I checked their app before going. The app said they had some left. The app was wrong.) Not to be deterred, I found two other summer beers to try instead. Why two? Why not! TW had a sale of $2 off on up to four 4- or 6-packs, so I bought two summer 6-packs along with two other beers I've been curious two try.
The first of the summer brews I tried is Anderson Valley Brewing Company Summer Solstice. Yes, just the name is a mouthful. And the beer is a mouthful, too. AVBC is best known for richly flavored beers such as its Boont Amber Ale. Total Wine describes Summer Solstice as a cream ale. It comes in a darker color (as you can see in the photo above) that doesn't exactly scream "light beer!" but the taste is relatively light... for an ale. Because it's an ale it's got what wine drinkers would call "structure". Meaning a stronger basic flavor. And it's got gentle flavors of baking spices, a bit like a hefeweizen... or even a winter ale. On the whole this beer isn't so much a "Sip it outside on a warm summer day" beer as it is a "Sip it inside on a cold winter night while thinking about summer" beer. 🤣
Next up was Maui Brewing Company's Bikini Blonde Lager.
MBC Bikini Blonde at least looks like what you'd expect of a summer beer. It fills the glass with a pale gold, almost straw color. (It looks darker in the photo above because of what you can see through the glass.) It also tastes much lighter, with gentler lager hops and pleasant, mild malt sweetness. Curiously TotalWine calls it an ale. I mean, it says lager right in its name! And it's also described as a Helles, which is a type of lager. And it's got a relatively light taste, right in line with what one would expect from a lager.
That said, this is not a "light" beer. It's no sex-in-a-canoe beer. It's got a mid-range ABV of 4.8% and definite flavor. While it's mild enough to enjoy sipping outdoors on a warm afternoon it also stands up well to enjoy with summer-y foods like a freshly grilled cheeseburger.
Between these two beers, I wouldn't pour either out in the sink, but Maui Brewing's Bikini Blonde is the clear winner. I'll buy more of it next time I go beer shopping... and I'll match it against another summer beer I've been wanting to try!
So off to Total Wine I went, intending to buy a particular brew I read good things about... and they were sold out. (Yes, I checked their app before going. The app said they had some left. The app was wrong.) Not to be deterred, I found two other summer beers to try instead. Why two? Why not! TW had a sale of $2 off on up to four 4- or 6-packs, so I bought two summer 6-packs along with two other beers I've been curious two try.
The first of the summer brews I tried is Anderson Valley Brewing Company Summer Solstice. Yes, just the name is a mouthful. And the beer is a mouthful, too. AVBC is best known for richly flavored beers such as its Boont Amber Ale. Total Wine describes Summer Solstice as a cream ale. It comes in a darker color (as you can see in the photo above) that doesn't exactly scream "light beer!" but the taste is relatively light... for an ale. Because it's an ale it's got what wine drinkers would call "structure". Meaning a stronger basic flavor. And it's got gentle flavors of baking spices, a bit like a hefeweizen... or even a winter ale. On the whole this beer isn't so much a "Sip it outside on a warm summer day" beer as it is a "Sip it inside on a cold winter night while thinking about summer" beer. 🤣
Next up was Maui Brewing Company's Bikini Blonde Lager.
MBC Bikini Blonde at least looks like what you'd expect of a summer beer. It fills the glass with a pale gold, almost straw color. (It looks darker in the photo above because of what you can see through the glass.) It also tastes much lighter, with gentler lager hops and pleasant, mild malt sweetness. Curiously TotalWine calls it an ale. I mean, it says lager right in its name! And it's also described as a Helles, which is a type of lager. And it's got a relatively light taste, right in line with what one would expect from a lager.
That said, this is not a "light" beer. It's no sex-in-a-canoe beer. It's got a mid-range ABV of 4.8% and definite flavor. While it's mild enough to enjoy sipping outdoors on a warm afternoon it also stands up well to enjoy with summer-y foods like a freshly grilled cheeseburger.
Between these two beers, I wouldn't pour either out in the sink, but Maui Brewing's Bikini Blonde is the clear winner. I'll buy more of it next time I go beer shopping... and I'll match it against another summer beer I've been wanting to try!