Here Are the Only Beers You Should Be Drinking This Summer

The Kona Big Wave Golden Ale is perfect for drinking on the beach. It’s brewed with Citra and Galaxy hops, giving it a fruity and juicy taste and aroma, while remaining light and easy to drink.

Montauk Summer Ale is a seasonal beer we wish were available year-round. It’s well-balanced with caramel malt and wheat, and has the flavor and body to stand on its own with a 5.6% ABV.

From its birth in Mexico City in 1925 to its 1979 release in the U.S. to now, there might not be any other beer more internationally associated with warm weather, the beach, and a general good time. The Mexican lager is light and crisp, with notes of citrus and honey and can be found in 120 countries across the globe. Drink it with or without a lime—it’s pure summer.

While lagers and pilsners are more associated with summer, IPAs can have a place at the picnic table too. Unlike many IPAs that have a rich taste and high ABV, Founders All Day IPA was designed to keep you going through your summer activities—just look at its name. It has a 4.7% ABV and maintains a clean finish that’s not overly hoppy.

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is probably one of the best IPAs you can find nationally. Even IPA haters love it. But at 7%, it’s not exactly what you might be pounding under the sun (hats off to you, if you do). Enter: Light Hearted Ale, a session IPA that’s flavorful, easy, and only 3.7% ABV and 100 calories.

Nothing says summer like juicy watermelon, so what better way to quench your thirst than with a watermelon beer? Many fruit-flavored beers are just too much—too sweet, too sticky—but the seasonal Montauk Watermelon Session Ale is the exact opposite. This 4.9% ABV beer has very subtle watermelon notes and will absolutely quench your thirst on a hot summer day by the pool.

The Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale is very refreshing. It’s a mix of Gose, Kölsch, and Berliner Weiss beers, with a touch of lime juice and sea salt, which makes for a crisp and tart libation. It has a similar flavor to a margarita, but not as sweet and without the tequila.

This balanced American Pale Ale is a go-to for summer. It’s smooth with a touch of citrus and is perfect for quenching your thirst on a hot day.

The award-winning Vliet Pilsner is so crisp and smooth. It’s brewed with Saaz and Spalter Select hops and German Pilsner Malt, and is so complex in taste and body. It’s difficult to do a pilsner right, and Vliet gets it done.

When you think summer, you might not think of Alaska, but you should definitely be thinking of a kölsch. A mix between an ale and lager, the German-style beer is crisp, smooth, and refreshing. It’s made with glacier-fed water from the Juneau Ice Field and a combination of hops and malts.

What could be more refreshing than lemonade and beer? German for “cyclist,” the radler, a mix of beer and lemon-flavored soda, is said to have originated in Germany as a drink for cyclists. The Samuel Adams Porch Rocker is a blend of Helles lager and lemons for a tangy, refreshing drink that’s low in ABV.

Shandy is another name for a radler, and Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy has been a popular citrusy drink for years. It’s a weiss beer with natural lemon flavor that’s ideal for drinking by the lake (or anywhere).

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