This week Ellen Lovelidge joins us for hard researched selection of beers perfect for spring. Enjoy!
Words by: Ellen Lovelidge (@DJLilElle)
The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, weather's getting warm and it's time to enjoy some brews that make you feel like it's spring, with summer just around the corner! Sure, there's always PBR but get out of your comfort zone and class it up a bit; give your taste buds and livers a real treat. In the winter we tend to drink heavier ales and stouts but that just doesn't cut it anymore when you want a taste of springtime. I put together a 6-pack of beers from different breweries that are perfectly enjoyable as we break into outdoor drinking season.
While it's easy to go for the cheap 6-pack of cans, these beers I've picked run under $10. I like to subscribe to the thought of quality over quantity. Happy drinking!
Wailua Wheat Ale w/ Passion Fruit – Kona Brewing Co. in Kona, HI (5.4% apv)
Wheat ales paired with fruits are a favorite of mine since they are usually smooth with a slight bit of sweetness. I had never seen a passion fruit wheat and knew this beer had to be amazing. I was absolutely right. My favorite of the six beers, this went down so easy and the little bit of passion fruit flavor was great since it's not something we eat regularly, at least in our area. I could easily down a six pack of these without pairing with a meal because of the light taste.
Whirlwind Witbier - Victory Brewing Co. in Downingtown, PA (5% apv)
Belgian-style wheats are popular for the spring and summer seasons because of their clean, sweet taste. Victory's Whirlwind had an interesting sweetness, sort of like drinking a bouquet of flowers but was also heavy in it's taste. This wasn't a beer I'd drink alone because of the strength of the flavors but it would be great with a grilled meal. Victory Brewing Co. is a great brewery to visit, only about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, and essentially a gigantic beer hall complete with a 30+ ft. bar and communal tables. The food is great but the beer is what you come for.
Original Sin Pear Cider – Bottled in CA (4.5% apv)
You thought Johnny Appleseed was planting apple trees all over America to make pies? No, he was bringing the only form of natural sugar to the settlers so they could make alcohol. I'm a huge fan of ciders and always recommend friends try them, especially since they aren't something we commonly drink any more. Putting a twist on the traditional, this pear cider from Original Sin has a fresh, crisp taste that makes it seem like they just plucked the pears from the tree. It goes down almost too easy like a tingly juice but packing that extra punch.
Jockamo India Pale Ale – Abita Brewery in Abita Springs, LA (6.5% apv)
Abita makes a lot of great beers and the only reason I didn't choose my favorite of theirs, Purple Haze, is because I didn't want to have all wheats. If you know IPAs, they tend to have a taste some might describe as rough with a noticeable aftertaste which provides a higher alcohol content. Jockamo provides that hoppiness paired with a sweet smell and is a bit easier to handle than the popular Sierra Nevada IPA. Not for beginners, the love for IPAs is a taste you develop and is best while enjoying a meal unless you're a true hop head.
Shock Top Belgian White – Michelob in St. Louis, MI (5.2% apv)
The only beer not coming from an independent brewery, Michelob's Shock Top still provides an amazing, unique flavor. Often served with an orange slice to bring out the strong citrus taste even more, you really can't go wrong with this warm weather staple. Think Blue Moon but even more orange taste, Shock Top seems to have grown in popularity over the last year or so and is definitely going to be a favorite at the bars this summer.
Circus Boy Hefeweizen – Magic Hat in S. Burlington, VT (4.4% apv)
Magic Hat makes it even easier to discover beers fit for the current season by selling 12 beer mixpacks with four different types of beer specifically geared to whatever time of year it is. Typically known for their #9, Circus Boy has a lighter taste with a bit of citrus mixed with lemongrass. It goes down very smooth and can taste like a regular pilsner with some fruity flavor added in. Of course it tastes wonderful and better than any American pilsner ever could.
God loves a cheerful giver.
nice write up. I grew up not far from the Magic Hat Brewery so I hold a special place in my heart for anything from that brewery. If you do a summertime beer list please include a list of a few bars that carry them. Kind of like the Beerspotter.
While I'm all for Abita getting recognition wherever and whenver, Jockamo is NOT the Abita you should've picked for a "spring beer" round-up (and you're right, neither is purple haze)-- their seasonal Strawberry lager is! this beer is probably my favorite beer of all time, and i rejoice when its spring and this is in stores. Only brewed in bottle batches between abt. march and ending in maybe july, you can find this at a few places i know of in dc. Sherry's on Connecticut and Calvert usually has it, and I'm sure this dude on connecticut south of dupont circle has it too (he's a big abita supporter. I've even seen him carry abita party packs, which is the only place i've seen them outside of LA.)
I HIGHLY suggest you go find a six pack of this beer and report back.
Fruit beer is for women and children.
women, children and beer cocktail lovers. i had one of those cherry things combined with cherry vodka at commonwealth yesterday and it was amazing
I think the one thing you're overlooking is the complete lack of stores in DC/the DC metro area that have good beer selections. Unfortunately the only stores we seem to have are liqour stores that sell some Beers. Calvert and Woodley is ok, but not really a true beer store. There is a store out in Vienna, VA but who wants to go out there.
If you can find a Straffe Hendrik Triple around then that's a beer you can drink nice and slow in the summer time
Also the Brooklyn Pils is absolutely worth it too, good drinking on a summer afternoon, so is the Brooklyn Blast for that matter
DeVinos actually has a really decent beer selection (and locations in Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights)
yeah i find that if you want a certain beer you CAN get it it in the DC area and a lot of corner or liquor stores at least have a decent selection and you can find something you'd enjoy drinking.
In addition to what Svetlana mentioned, the Logan Circle Whole Foods stocks a decent variety. If you really want to hit the jackpot, you need to go out to the burbs, yes (Village Pump in College Park, for example), but there's plenty of variety in the city proper.
This was disappointing. Seems to me she doesn't actually like beer. Her picks are practically spritzers.
Anyhow, there are plenty of places to find good beer in DC, just not in one place - besides those mentioned: Cairo Liquor off Dupont has a surprisingly good selection.
Ditto Martha...
Barmy Wine and Liquor (L St NW) is another decently well-stocked store for your Farragut Sq-ish folks.
Ok.... Just got back from the Abita Brew Pub, and Abita has several great beers! Not among them is the Strawberry Lager! Don't like it at all. The Golden Lager is better, but currently they have a Red Ale that is outstanding. I know we are referring to Spring beer here, but much like red wine drinkers who will drink Reds all the time, I drink ambers, pale ales, and IPAs all the time. My vote is for JOCKAMO! A fantastic IPA, or their Red Ale for the non-wheat beer in your list.
just hit up A-1 Liquor near my work at 14th and K NW. they have a great selection and I picked up a pear cider i've never heard of and a raspberry wheat for our work's earth day celebration. they also carry all of dogfish head's limited edition beers. had an oak casked IPA 4 pack i'm gonna have to cop tomorrow.
this is the worst fucking list of spring beers ever. i mean, seriously? christ. the Wailau is one of the few beers I'd tell people is honestly undrinkable (as well as all of Magic Hat's seasonals)
the correct answer:
1) Flying Dog Biere De Garde/WoodyCreekWhite (should be hitting shelves, nowish yes?). Though i prefer to age Garde Dogs (Seriously, buy a 6pack and dont crack them open til september, its a revelation). Woody Creek is a steal, seriously, a balanced Wit at 6.99/6pk? Amazing.
2) Whichever February-released Hop beer you can find or your beernerd friends have kept coveted til it was actually spring. Hopslam, Nugget Nectar, 120minute, etc.
3) Victory's Helios. A RE-INTRODUCED SAISON? From a local company?! YES PERFECT PLEASE.
4) Brooklyn Summer Ale. F' a Sam Adams.
5) I feel like some company I can't remember makes a mean spring pilsner.... ? can anyone remmeber? I suggest THAT.
6) man.... fuck if i know... I guess the one half-decent choice from the above would be the... wait, no. none of those are good choices. as much as i like Abita, Jockamo is a middling IPA at best...
Troeg's and Flying Dog make PERFECTLY COMPATIBLE spring/summer seasonals. If you're buying beer other than their Nugget Nectar/Garde Dog, SummerPils/WoodyCreekWit for the next 2 months, you're kind of failing at living the happy simple regional life.
oh shit, I didn't realize til well after i wrote the above that ellen wrote this. oops!
Wow, I'm a little late to this but had to chime in. I bought the Wailau on a whim the other day before reading this and yes, honestly undrinkable is right. I had 2 other people taste test it, one verified it was awful, the other was so turned off by the smell he couldn't even bring himself to try it. Oh, and I pretty much only drink fruity wheat beer. I threw the rest of the 6 pack away. If someone had told me it was rancid yak piss I would have believed them. And this is not me dramatic or exaggerating on the internet. Maybe I got a bad batch or something cause their coffee beer is not that bad. God I'm nauseated just thinking about it now.
passion fruit tends to always make things stinky