A new season calls for a new wardrobe—and a new brew. Lighter, crisper, and typically lower in alcohol so you can drink 'em all afternoon and stay upright, the best summer beers are custom-tailored for warmer weather. And there are more of them out there than ever. Always willing to sacrifice ourselves to the cause of smart service journalism, we sampled wheats, whites, hefs, Kölsches, and more to find the very best.
And because fresher is better—particularly when it comes to lighter summer beers—where possible we've helped crack the date codes on bottles to help ensure you never pay good money for a beer gone bad. Plus, you'll finally get to figure out the meaning of "8UM." (In Anchor Brewing–ese, it means the beer was bottled on June 13, 2008. Don't worry, we'll explain further in due course.)
In the end, though, we just do the curating—it's up to you to take a sip and cast your vote. And don't be shy about sounding off. Our picks leave a bitter aftertaste? Feel free to work yourself into a froth in the comments section.
And because fresher is better—particularly when it comes to lighter summer beers—where possible we've helped crack the date codes on bottles to help ensure you never pay good money for a beer gone bad. Plus, you'll finally get to figure out the meaning of "8UM." (In Anchor Brewing–ese, it means the beer was bottled on June 13, 2008. Don't worry, we'll explain further in due course.)
In the end, though, we just do the curating—it's up to you to take a sip and cast your vote. And don't be shy about sounding off. Our picks leave a bitter aftertaste? Feel free to work yourself into a froth in the comments section.
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From the state that gave us Chunky Monkey comes Magic Hat's equally tasty (and just as curiously...
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Founded in Portland in 1984, Widmer helped create American-style hefeweizen: Owing to their...
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Flemish milkman turned legendary brewer Pierre Celis founded Hoegaarden in the sixties, though he...
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"During the summer, it's nice to have a beer at 11:30 in the morning, and not be like, oh, wow, what...
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Founded by three Harvard grads—we're sure their parents were thrilled—Harpoon introduced...
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Kiuchi began producing beer in 1996, two years after Japan legalized microbreweries (but 170 years...
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Created by Starbucks cofounder (and wine industry vet) Gordon Bowker in 1981, this...
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Like Champagne, a true Kölsch beer hails from a particular area—in and around Cologne,...
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This thick-headed, full-bodied brew is produced on a working farm in Wallonia, Belgium, in keeping...
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America's original microbrewery has been around since 1896, but Anchor as we know it was created in...
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