After a cold winter—and a cold beginning of spring—it’s finally time to cellar the heavy stouts and thick barleywines in favor of something more appropriate for sitting on the porch or in front of the grill. You need a lighter beer—though not a light beer—that won’t make you feel as though you’ve just pounded a pint of chocolate milk. Here are a few beers we’re looking most forward to over the next few months.
Victory Swing Session Saison
If you can’t wait the few extra weeks for Summer Love, get started on your spring with this newest offering from Victory. More spicy and hoppy than your run-of-the-mill saison, it packs plenty of flavor without overwhelming you in the summer heat due to its cool 4.5% ABV.
Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Deschutes is harder to find in the Philadelphia-area market, but well worth it if you do. The smooth, full-bodied Pale Ale is every bit as easy drinking and refreshing as any light beer you’d buy, but with the added bonus of supporting craft brewers and actually tasting your beer.
Yards Philadelphia Pale Ale
Not to get too wrapped up in the pale ales, but Philly Pale Ale is a standard in our area—and for good reason. Yards has made a name for themselves making low-ABV beers that are easy to drink and yet not lacking for flavor, and this is no different. Philly Pale Ale is brewed with pilsner malts, which give it a refreshing crispness, and American hops, which impart a citrus aroma. It’s like drinking a wonderfully crafted lemonade, only much more satisfying.
Narragansett Lager
A lager that proves brewing with adjunct ingredients can still have plenty of flavor, this is our favorite camping beer by far. It’s light (5% ABV) and flavorful, and a case of 16-oz tallboy cans will only run you slightly over $30. This is the perfect accompaniment to a day that involves sitting in the woods and starting to drink at 11 a.m.
Philadelphia Brewing Commonwealth Cider
And now for something completely different—but not quite. You’ve probably noticed a running theme in the list: crisp, light and refreshing. You won’t find anything but those three in an alcoholic drink made from fruit, and Commonwealth Cider is no different. The added tartness and apple aroma will go even better with your smoking grill.
Nodding Head Brewery and Restaurant Ich Bin Ein Berliner Weisse
The Berliner Weisse is a hard beer to swallow for some—intensely tart and sour, it sometimes takes an acquired taste. But, once that taste is a acquired, the 3.25% ABV beer will be the most refreshing thing you drink all summer. While it is only available at the Center City brewpub, it’s not summer in Philadelphia without a pint.
Dogfish Head Aprihop
Summer means fresh fruit, and Aprihop delivers on that promise by brewing with fresh apricots. This is an IPA and, in true Dogfish Head fashion, is intensely hoppy. Never fear, though, if that’s not in your wheelhouse—the apricots give the beer a balancing fruitiness that will keep you drinking this all summer long. That is, if it lasts on the shelves.
Founders All Day IPA
A new offering from the popular Michigan-based brewery, this is appropriately named as something you could drink all day long. Don’t let the 4.70% ABV fool you—this has all the hop bitterness and flavor of your favorite IPA with a fraction of the alcohol.
Sly Fox Helles Lager
While this is a great summer beer in its own right, the biggest story here is the new cans Sly Fox is using—the entire top comes off to make it more of a cup than a can, which will help you experience the toasty malt and citrus hop aroma before diving in.
Lancaster Rumspringa
This is one of the highest ABV beers on our list—clocking in at a summer-busting 6.60%—but it will be well worth your time for the crisp lager taste tempered with slight honey sweetness. This is the perfect foil for any savory, smoky meat from the grill eaten in the cool confines of your air conditioning.
Photo credits: Narragansett Lager courtesy of Narragansett Beer; Sly Fox Helles credit to Kevin Dragone; remaining photos credited to Nina Lea Photography.
