Spring Beer Season: Refreshing Brews For Warmer Days

Spring is a time of renewal and a return to life, and the beers we drink during this season reflect that. We're moving away from the heavy, dark beers of winter and towards lighter, brighter styles that remind us of the longer, sunnier days ahead. Spring beers are often dry, crisp, and refreshing, with fruity or floral notes. They're the perfect drink to enjoy outside under the light springtime sun.

Some popular spring beer styles include saisons, wheat beers, pale ales, and fruit-infused beers. Saisons, a farmhouse ale with fruity and spicy notes, are particularly well-suited to spring as they are refreshing, dry, and perfect for sunny days outdoors. Wheat beers, which are light and cloudy with a smooth wheat malt profile, are also a great choice for the season. Pale ales, with their balanced and hoppy flavours, offer a burst of springtime aromas. And finally, fruit-infused beers, which add a refreshing twist to your typical beer, are perfect for the warmer weather.

So, as the days get longer and the sun starts to shine, be sure to reach for a crisp and refreshing spring beer to celebrate the season!

Saisons

Some well-known and award-winning saisons include Funkwerks' Saison, which has notes of ginger and citrus, and Blackberry Farm Classic Saison, which is accessible and perfect for drinking outside.

Lagers

Master Gao Baby Jasmine Tea Lager

This Chinese lager is light and crisp, with the delicate addition of jasmine flowers. It is best served icy cold, making it perfect for those warm spring days. The herbal tea, bready malts, light citrus, and floral flavours create a refreshing drinking experience.

Euchre Pils by Arbor Brewing Company

Euchre Pils is an excellent choice to welcome spring. This lager is vibrant and refreshing, with noble German hops, bready malts, light citrus, honey, and floral hops. It is an easy-drinking lager that is ideal for any time of day.

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Captain Jack Pilsner

A golden-hued, sublimely crisp pilsner that is a crowd favourite. It has some bready undertones and is smooth and refreshing, pairing well with the changing weather of spring.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

Peroni Nastro Azzurro is a classic, crisp pilsner with a piney flavour and a subtle skunkiness. It is light, crisp, and refreshing, making it ideal for warmer spring days.

Ommegang Idyll Days

Ommegang Idyll Days is a European pale lager crafted in the Belgian style. It has a light body, floral aromas, notes of malt, and a subtle honey flavour. It is full of flavour yet remains easy to drink, making it a perfect spring beverage.

Augustiner Bräu Lagerbier Hell

This German Helles lager is a traditional choice, known for its light and refreshing qualities while still being flavourful. It features cracker-like malts, citrus zest, and floral and herbal noble hops.

Good Morning Munich Lager

An ode to the everyday beer of Bavaria, the Good Morning Munich Lager is easy to drink and has a creamy white head. It has a sweet cracker-like taste and a fresh, noble hop character, making it a crisp and refreshing choice for spring.

Brooklyn Lager

The Brooklyn Lager is a year-round amber lager with a mix of caramel malts, bright citrus, and floral hops. It has a balanced and highly drinkable flavour profile, making it a great option for spring. It finishes with a nice caramel malt taste and has hints of tangerine and grapefruit.

Spring Marzen or Marzenbier

Marzen or Marzenbier, meaning "March Beer" in German, is a traditional lager style brewed with a smooth caramel sweetness. It is crisp and refreshing, making it a perfect choice to welcome the spring season.

Fruit-infused beers

Tips for Brewing Fruit-Infused Beers:

When brewing fruit-infused beers, it is crucial to use high-quality, ripe fruit to ensure the best flavour. If possible, grow your own fruit or source it from local farms, farmers' markets, or nurseries to get the freshest and most flavourful produce. The type and amount of fruit used will depend on the base beer style, as the flavours need to be well-balanced. For example, a strong stout can handle more fruit than a lighter wheat beer. Preparing the fruit by mashing, blending, or juicing can also enhance the fruit character in the beer.

Recommended Fruit-Infused Beers:

• New Belgium Heavy Melon: A watermelon-lime beer made with real melons, offering an honest and subtle fruit flavour with a tangy lime background and a 5% ABV.
• Deschutes Hop Slice: A session IPA brewed with Meyer lemon, featuring a tart lemon flavour balanced by notes of orange, pine, and grapefruit, and a 4.5% ABV.
• Cambridge Brewing Peaches En Regalia: A 6% ABV wild ale aged with peaches in wine barrels, resulting in a complex, tart, and consistently peachy beer.
• Allagash Farm to Flask: A 9.5% ABV oak-and-strawberry-aged strong ale with notes of bourbon, strawberries, honey, earth, and sunshine.
• Liefmans Fruitesse: A blend of old and young Flemish brown ales with kriek (Belgian cherry beer), produced in Belgium and offering a traditional sour fruit beer experience at an affordable price.
• Starr Hill Sublime Citrus Wit: A 4.7% ABV wheat beer that combines Belgian yeast characteristics with bright lemon and lime, resulting in a complex and highly drinkable brew.
• Samuel Adams Rebel Grapefruit IPA: A 6.3% ABV grapefruit IPA that is well-balanced, grapefruity, and tart, offering a great alternative to other options in this category.

So, get creative with your beer choices this spring and enjoy the refreshing flavours of fruit-infused beers!

Wheat beers

• Edelweiss Hefetrüb: A German Wheat Beer with 5.1% ABV.
• Allagash White: A Belgian-style wheat beer with 5.2% ABV, brewed with oats, malted wheat, and raw wheat, as well as coriander and Curaçao orange peel.
• Bell's Oberon: An American wheat ale with bready wheat notes and a hint of fruitiness.
• Blue Moon Belgian White: A witbier with a hazy, unfiltered appearance, featuring orange peels, coriander, and sweet wheat.
• Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat: An unfiltered, sessionable, hazy beer with orange peel and spice flavours.
• Blackberry Farm Classic Saison: A 6.3% ABV saison in a can, perfect for drinking outdoors.
• Sierra Nevada Sunny Little Thing: A wheat beer variety with bold, bright, refreshing, spring-like citrus vibes.

Pale ales

Spring is a great time for beer lovers, as the season brings a range of refreshing, drinkable brews. While spring beers are not exactly a type of beer, they are characterised by lighter and more vibrant flavours, often featuring floral notes, citrusy hops, or hints of fruit.

Lawson's Little Sip IPA

An approachable and balanced India Pale Ale with grapefruit and pineapple notes, a tropical fruit-forward character, and bright floral aromatics. At 6.2% ABV, it is less aggressive than its 8% Imperial IPA cousin, making it a great choice for a warm spring day.

Firestone XPA

The "next generation" Extra Pale Ale, brewed with Southern Hemisphere hops and California style. This 5% ABV beer is a bronze medal winner at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival in the International Pale Ale category. A perfect choice for those who love the characteristics of a good pale ale but prefer a lower ABV.

Bell's Oberon

An American wheat ale, Bell's Oberon is a refreshing spring beer with bready wheat notes and a hint of fruitiness. Easy to find across the US, this beer is best enjoyed in April when it's at its freshest, making it a great choice for welcoming the warmer summer months ahead.

TailGate Juice Wizard

This medium-light bodied IPA from TailGate Brewery has a firm bitterness and juicy flavours of citrus, mango, and berries, with an earthy resin and pine base. At 6% ABV, it is a great choice for a spring hike or picnic.

So, if you're looking for a spring beer, consider one of these pale ales to enjoy the season's freshest flavours.

Frequently asked questions