With 107 reached in my town yesterday and 125 degrees reached south of here, it is clear that much of the country is in the furnace of summer right now. So, with that in mind, I have put together a quick list of beers you can find to help cope with the heat.
- Berliner Weisse (style): while hard to find, this beer is shockingly refreshing when served cold and there is no need to add syrups to this sour beer.
- Lambic: forget the fruited lambic (unless you happen to find Hansen's Oude Kriek, which is a god-send), this heat requires the wonderfully refreshing tart character that comes from the Lambic tradition. Gueze's are generally less offensive to your palate, by the way, so if you find this blended lambic, you'll be set.
- Flanders Red: While harder to find in any sort of quantity, you can usually find the Duchesse de Burgone. It is a bit sweet up front, but quenches your thirst quickly.
- Hefeweizen: And finally, the old stand by for summer heat. With this moderately tart style and chewy texture (all coming from the Bavarian yeast strain), you will find it goes down easy and doesn't leave your mouth coated in sweetness. Leave the lemon for your lemonaide, these beers are great on their own.
- The others... yes, if you must have your pilsner it will work, same with some light bodied American Pale Ales. Also the Deschutes Buzzsaw Brown is a great option if you want more malted goodness in your flavor.
