British Columbia Beer Guide - Breweries in B.C. and Their Beers

On Tap Features

All Features  Comments

Beers of Summer

Cool Beers for the Hot Days

26/07/2007

no image

For most beer drinkers, summer brings on a thirst for something a little lighter and snappier than what they might reach for in the cooler months.  Beer styles such as lager, pilsner, wheat beers, and maybe even IPA, come to mind.  Naturally, BC brewers rise to the occasion and have a number of offerings that fit the bill. 

One of the best things about lagers in the summer is that they are best served nice and cold.  On the other hand, there tends to be less scope for creativity in producing lagers, compared to ales, lending a lot of similarity from one brand to the next.   One that stands out is the super-clean, nicely balanced Premium Lager from Central City Brewing, a Surrey brewpub that has just started selling beer in cans.  It’s not yet widely available, so a reliable substitute is Okanagan Spring’s 1516 Bavarian Lager .

Pilsner is arguably the ‘cadillac of lagers’ and is superbly refreshing in the summer - when it’s done right.  There are not a lot of BC microbreweries producing pilsners, but Tree Brewing launched their Kelowna Pilsner  this year and it is nice and smooth with a light body and clean, crisp bitterness to it.  And it comes in convenient 8-pack boxes.

Wheat beers can offer a nice change of pace from the standard barley fare, while still being relatively light and refreshing.  A decent offering in this category is Nelson Brewing’s Liplock Summer Wheat Ale.  Certified organic, unfiltered, and 4.5% alcohol, it has a nice wheaty flavour and bubbly carbonation.

For those who like a bracing smack of hops on a sunny day, the cream of the crop among widely available brands is Phillips Brewing’s IPA and Tree Brewing’s Hophead . Phillips IPA has some nice malt balance to back up the generous hoppiness, where Hophead is a more straight-up hopfest.  Either one is bound to further brighten up even the
sunniest of days!

But that’s just our opinion: what BC beers do you like to drink in the summer?

More info:


Comments

  

Add Your Comment

Name  
Location  
Comment  
 

All Features

So Much Beer! So Little Time!: Keeping the BC Beer Guide up to date...or not (24/10/2015)
BC Beer Awards!: 2014 Winners Announced (01/11/2014)
BC Craft Beer Month: Month-long Celebration of BC Craft Beer in October (04/10/2013)
New Book on BC Craft Beer: Craft Beer Revolution - The Insider's Guide to B.C. Breweries (12/08/2013)
Vancouver Craft Beer Week!: 9 Days of Beer: May 31 - Jun 8, 2013 (16/05/2013)
Christmas Beers!: Winter Festive Beers Abound in BC (21/12/2012)
Visitor Comment: Barley Station Brew Pub (01/10/2012)
17th Annual Okanagan Fest-of-Ale!: Okanagan's Biggest Beer Festival in Penticton (April 13-14, 2012) (06/04/2012)
New Breweries!: B.C. Craft Brewing Scene Continues to Expand with 4 New Breweries on the Way (10/10/2011)
The Beers of Summer: BC Lagers for the Hot Days Ahead (03/07/2011)
New BC Breweries for 2011!: New Breweries Moon Under Water (Victoria) and Firehall Brewery (Oliver) (02/07/2011)
16th Annual Okanagan Fest-of-Ale!: Get Your Thirst On...Okanagan Fest-of-Ale in Penticton (April 8-9, 2011) (01/04/2011)
Christmas Beers: 'Tis the Season: BC Breweries Have Again Produced a Bounty of Flavourful Seasonal Beers (11/12/2010)
Okanagan Fest-of-Ale!: Gettin' Thirsty for the Big Show in Penticton (03/04/2010)
Fuller's at Granville Island: GIB Participates in International Beer Exchange (23/01/2010)
The Art of Beer Marketing: Label of the Year: Bombshell Blonde Ale (30/08/2009)
New Looks for Spring: BC Breweries Unveil New Labels (09/05/2009)
Beer Season Begins: Spring is Here: Okanagan Fest of Ale! (30/03/2009)
Ales for the Winter: Christmas Beers are Coming to Town (06/12/2008)
Kelowna Beer Festival: Kelowna Beer Festival May 30/31 a Noisy Affair (12/06/2008)
Let's Drink to the Environment: Bottles or Cans: Which is the Environmental Choice? (17/03/2008)
Beer of the Year 2007!: Phillips Brewing - Black Toque (21/01/2008)
'Tis the Season for Fine Drink: Bring on the Heartier Beers for the Cooler Months (17/12/2007)
A Beer Champion Passes On: Beer Hunter Michael Jackson Dies at 65 (20/09/2007)
Beers of Summer: Cool Beers for the Hot Days (26/07/2007)
Upcoming Features: Summertime is Beer Time! (21/05/2007)
Beer Season Kick-off!: 12th Annual Okanagan Fest-of-Ale in Penticton (April 13-14, 2007) (28/03/2007)
Barley Wine Revelation: Tall Ship: Legacy Lives on Through No. 1 Barley Wine Ale (16/12/2006)
Website by: Figure 4 Enterprises Inc.
Google Analytics Alternative