In reality, the best summer beer is the coldest one you can find at the bottom of the cooler. But, ideally, it also tastes great. The best way to assure that is to stock your cooler with the best summer beers we found in a taste test. Then, no matter what you grab, you can be assured that you’re getting the best beer for summer, in terms of both temperature and taste.
While I would have loved to spend a month tasting any beer that remotely qualified as a summer beer (pretty much anything that isn’t a stout, Oktoberfest, Christmas beer, or pumpkin ale), neither my family nor my employer would have approved that use of my time. Instead, I narrowed down my search to tropical beers, limey beers, summer fruit beers, and beers that specifically called out summer on the label. I also tried to look for beers that weren’t necessarily available year-round, though some of these summer beers can be found in the fall and beyond. Summer is a state of mind, man. And I also looked for summer beers that were available at grocery stores. Because, while your local brewery might make the best mango double hazy IPA, that doesn’t really help out the majority of the people in the country. But, hey, enjoy that MDHIPA.
- 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon
I remember when this beer first came out. It was a huge deal when I found it on tap at a dive bar in NYC’s East Village. We were all amazed by the concept of a watermelon beer that wasn’t super sweet. It was incredible on a sweaty, sticky NYC summer day. And it’s still good now. It’s even more subtly watermelon flavored than I remember—it almost has a cucumbery vibe. It’s refreshing and restrained. A lovely summer beer and certainly worth trying.
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- Ballast Point Brewing Aloha Sculpin Hazy
This tropical take on Ballast Point’s celebrated Sculpin IPA is the best summer beer for an IPA diehard looking to introduce some fruity flavors to their palate without actually ingesting any fruit. A blend of hops creates the illusion of pineapple and guava flavor, just enough to give it that summery bit of bling.
Credit: Liv Averett / Drizly
- Lagunitas Island Beats
Here’s another beer that channels tropical flavors like hibiscus, guava, and passionfruit—all with the power of hops! It’s like a magic trick for your mouth! Lagunitas Island Beats is much more overtly tropical than Ballast Point’s offering. And this one comes in at 5% (versus Ballast Point’s 7%), so you can cart a few to the beach and kick back during the day.
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- Dogfish Head SeaQuench
I hold a special place in my heart for this beyond limey beer. It’s a gose (pronounced goes-uh), which means it’s a sour beer made with salt. If that doesn’t sound good to you, you will not like this beer. That’s okay, there are plenty of other good summer beers for you to try. But if it does sound like something you’d like, you must try it. It’s so limey (it’s made with black limes, so cool) and so salty—like drinking lime-infused sea water. I find it to be so refreshing on a summer day. But you really have to be into the flavors.
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- Dos Equis Lime & Salt N/A
I can’t believe one of the best summer beers is a non-alcoholic beer, but here we are. “It’s one of my favorite drinks ever,” said managing editor Gwynedd Stuart. It’s so light and limey with just a touch of salt, which makes the slightly sweet lime flavor absolutely sing. It tastes like if a beer met a grown-up, dry soda. It’s gulpable. It’s so good.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
While most of the other summer beers on this list tap into beach summer, this one is summer in a valley. It’s coming out onto a front porch, watching the sunset over a field of wheat, fireflies just starting to wake up. It’s wheaty with notes of vanilla and coffee. Rather than trying to taste like summer produce, it tastes like summer warmth itself.
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- Sierra Nevada Summerfest
Sierra Nevada rarely disappoints. Their summer beer is a super solid pick and abundantly available. It’s incredibly bright with wonderfully fruity flavors—I get a lot of blueberry—even though, once again, no fruit was harmed in the making of this ale. It’s totally crushable. Do not ignore this beer just because it’s been around since 1991. That year also gave us Nirvana’s “Come as You Are,” Jesus Jones’ “Right Here, Right Now,” and, my personal pick, Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “All I Want.” Make yourself a 1991 mix and crack open a Summerfest. Don’t forget to include “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Deschutes Tropical Fresh IPA
This was the best of the tropical beers we tried and the best summer beer over all. It smells like guava (let’s hear it for those magic hops!), but the fruit is very subtle, as is the bitterness from the hops. It’s very, very easy to drink as the best summer beers should be. It’s a perfect IPA for a hammock or a ragin’ party. It’ll take you through the summer, right up until you start feeling that pumpkin beer itch.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
Best Fruity
Best for IPA Lovers
Best Session
Best Limey
Best Non-Alcoholic
Best Wheat
Best Classic
Best of the Best
Other summer beers we tried: Stone Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager, Modelo Chelada Limon y Sal, Modelo Chelada Pina Picante, Modelo Chelada Naranja Picosa, Modelo Chelada Mango, 21st Amendment Watermelon Funk, Sam Adams Summer
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I’m shocked the Stone Lime didn’t make it. It’s easily my favorite lake beer.