Top 10 Summer Craft Beers that You Should Be Drinking

On July 17th at the “Cantina” in Las Vegas, the “I Love Beer Show” dedicated a LIVE Craft Beer show featuring the Top 10 craft beers you should be drinking this summer. Although it probably was to be expected when many people bring many beers to a beer tasting event, the craft beers flowed on the show for over 2 hours – in fact, we didn’t stop at just 10 different craft beers. Watch the entire video series of this event below to learn about some great craft beer selections for your summer drinking enjoyment (and maybe even non-summer drinking enjoyment too!):

Summer Love by Victory Brewing – Nothing like starting a show off strong with a big-time winner! It’s very possible we began with the best selection of the night! Check out Victory Brewing online and get this beer if you find it!

Summer Honey Blonde Ale by Big Sky Brewing Company – This was the first craft beer from Big Sky Brewing that we’ve featured on the show and must say we found a winner, as all were in agreement that if you’re looking for a smooth easy to drink beer this summer, this is it.

Maiden the Shade IPA by Ninkasi Brewing Company – This was a fantastic 6.8% alcohol IPA  that we found to be outstanding! We’ve showcased craftbeer from Eugene, Oregon’s Ninkasi Brewing on the show before, and have to say this brewery is quickly rising in our list of top Craft Beer Brewers nationwide.

Hive Five Honey Hopped Ale by Pike Brewing Company – This is a must-taste 5.6% alcohol blonde ale from Pike Brewing Company in Seattle, Washington. Pike Brewing is one of our favorite craft beer breweries, and as such, when we were looking to feature unique craft beers for summer, they were right there on top of the list! The honey taste of this beer did not disappoint! You gotta add this craft beer to your list of summer beers as everyone on the panel were blown away by the taste.

“Sir Orange A Lot” by Hop Valley Brewing – “Sir Orange a Lot” is a 5.5% American Pale Ale from Hop Valley Brewing in Eugene, Oregon. This was the first craft beer from Hop Valley featured on the show and we probably didn’t do it justice because we sampled strong tasting beers just before. While the orange taste wasn’t overwhelming, it certainly qualified as a good summer drinking brew, similar to a craft beer version of the familiar Shocktop, only better.

“Loser” by Elysian Brewing in Seattle, Washington – “Loser”, is a 7.0% alcohol American Pale Ale from Elysian Brewing in Seattle, Washington. This craft beer was a major winner on the show – and we love the concept behind it: take bad commercially brewed beer and turn it into a great craft beer. It even says clearly on the bottle: “Corporate beer still sucks!” Talk about a great summer drinking beer. If you see this at your local craft beer store, get it! You won’t be disappointed.

Evil Twin Mosaic Single Hop Imperial India Pale American Wheat Lager – This was an 8.0% alcohol American Double / Imperial Pilsner from one of our favorite brewers, Evil Twin Brewing. Perhaps the show favorite, Evil Twin has done it again with this craft beer, perfect for summer enjoyment – or really at anytime. If you’re looking for a truly unique and interesting craft beer to try, this one is it. We originally featured Evil Twin brewing on the “I Love Beer Show” Christmas show, and we’ve been on the lookout for beers from this brewer ever since. You should be too – whether it’s summertime or not. Drink this craft beer!

Wit Belgian Ale with Spices by Mikkeller – This beer is a 7% alcohol Wit Belgian Ale from Mikkeller in Denmark. Besides everyone liking the label design, it wasn’t the greatest we featured on the show, but it certainly wasn’t bad either. The original pour was inviting, but other than learning the French can’t pour beer, we determined if you pair this craft beer with seafood, you probably have a winner.

Festiva Peche by Dogfish Head Brewing – This 4.5% Berliner Weissbier style craft beer is from one of our favorite brewers, Dogfish Head Brewing in Milton, Delaware. Dogfish is one of the nation’s leading craft beer brewers in the craft beer industry, and when you taste this particular beer, you’ll understand why. Light pour, tarty, sour, champagne-like, so if you like to experiment with different craft beer styles, you have to try this unique beer this summer! But warning: not everyone on the show enjoyed it as expected.

Bumper Crop Honey Ale by Squatters Brewing – “Bumper Crop Honey Ale”, a 5.5% alcohol from one of our “up and coming” favorite brewers, Squatters Brewing in Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ve been drinking a lot of craft beer selections from Squatters lately, and not surprisingly, their Bumper Crop came highly recommended. Utah’s brewing some great craft beer, and this one was no exception. This beer went down so nicely and delicious, you taste honey and lavender that’ll last. This beer was another fantastic delicious winner! Namaste!

So there you have it: 10 craft beers you really need to be drinking this summer. But wait, there’s more! In fact, we sampled a few unexpected bonus craft beer selections over the course of the show as well. Check out these videos below:

BONUS #!: Blood Orange Tangerine by Common Cider – “Blood Orange Tangerine” by Common Cider in Reno/Sparks, Nevada is an outstanding 6.5% alcohol hard cider that proved to be a great summertime favorite! What’s a summer craft beer show without mixing things up a bit? You can definitely beat the heat with this hard cider, but you better drink it cold, which is why we featured this selection so late in the show. As hard ciders go, this one was a major winner!

BONUS #2: Estrella White and Lager Beer Blend by Ferran Adria – This 4.8% alcohol Witbier was brewed by Damm S. A. in Barcelona, Spain and created by Ferran Adria, the world’s most award winning chef, and we can certainly see why. If you like Belgians and if you like hefes, you’ll love this one! So good, it got us speaking in tongues. We loved the packaging, the light pour, and the overall mouthfeel. Give it a shot, especially with sushi!

BONUS #3: Duvel Belgian Strong Pale Ale from Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV – This  8.5% alcohol Belgian Strong Pale Ale (tripel) from Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV in Belgium may not be considered “summer time drinking”, but whenever you get a chance at tasting a world class craft beer, you gotta take it! Obviously, it’s a tremendous tasting belgian and has a reputation as such – we just needed to confirm it – and we did! If you want to introduce someone to the belgian tripel taste profile, give them this beer.

BONUS #4: Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel from Brewery Achouffe – “Houblon Chouffe” is a 9.0% alcohol Belgian Dobbelen IPA Tripel from Brewery Achouffe in Belgium. We couldn’t have ended the show on a better note. Simply put: Chouffe puts out world-class craft beers that are really hard to beat. Everything we’ve ever tried from Chouffe has been outstanding. You may not be able to find it, but if you do, it’s a “must drink”!

Many thanks to all who attended the show taping and participated in the beer tasting that made it such a fun time! Special thanks to Key and Mat from the “Open Bottle Society” for guest starring on the show. You can see their quick segment here and learn why it’s never too late to get into craft beer! “Like” them on Facebook!

So,… What did we miss? Do you have a favorite craft beer that you think makes for great summer drinking? Let us know either by sending us an email, or become a fan at our Facebook Fanpage and post away!