Let’s be honest, there’s something different about a beer on a gorgeous summer day. That feeling of finding your happy spot outside in the sun and adding a cold beer to the mix is the stuff of a lot of marketing campaigns. Hell, you probably have an experience, or a memory, or a moment tied to a specific beer, in a specific place on that one specific summer day.
But every beer is not created equal, and some are more equipped to handle the mantle of “Perfect Summer Beer” than others. I love a good stout more than just about everything, but if I open one in the middle of a 90-degree day I’m going to regret a lot of decisions (which is totally not something learned from personal experience).
So to try and find that ideal brew as the weather heats up, I turned to the experts: beer industry folks. That’s right, I asked some people who spend their whole day making, talking about, and pouring beer: what’s your local go-to for the summer? (I also started by asking one local idiot):
Owen Gabbey, Local Idiot
The Beer: Brew Gentlemen - 200 Miles
To be honest, there was a very strong chance I could have hated this beer. Milkshake IPAs are a very tricky balance. Find a good one, and it’s like drinking a refreshing shake, bursting with creamy and fruity flavors. Find a bad one, and it’s a mess, overly sweet and cloying with muddied flavors. I trust Brew Gentlemen a great deal, but I had never really seen them try this style.
So I was delighted to find that I absolutely love 200 Miles, a 6% Pineapple Vanilla Milkshake IPA. Everything about it works, the vanilla adding that creamy base, while the pineapple comes through to make you feel like you’re drinking something truly tropical, all balanced out by the excellent hop character that BG is known for. This is one of the local beers of the year so far, and I’m going to seek it out all summer.
Allie Barker, Beverage Manager, Mike’s Beer Bar
The Beer: Abjuration - CDS v1.4
“Abjuration never fails to put out a good beer, and especially a good sour. This one is my summer favorite because it tastes exactly like the candy it's based on (red, orange, and yellow fruit-flavored candy) while still packing a sour punch. 10/10 from me Abjuration, you sour power-producing angels.”
atiya jones, Bartender, Trace Brewing
The Beer: Cinderlands - Lil’ Squish
“I’ve recently fallen in love with Cinderlands’ “Lil” Squish. A lighter version of their Full Squish, this hazy pale ale offers its drinker the rich vibes of an IPA without all the full-belly-feeling aftermath. On Sundays my partner and I like to pair it with Scratch & Co.’s smash burger. A 10/10 weekend experience.”
Dan Rinkus, Operations Manager, Bierport
The Beer: Hop Farm - Mangroberry
“The Mangroberry from Hop Farm in Lawrenceville is fantastic, I always recommend that for the summer. This weekend I’m drinking Even Gayer from Necromancer in Ross and Stillwater Extra Dry from NYC.”
