Today is finally the first day of Spring, and the perfect way to celebrate the end of winter is with a seasonal beer. Spring seasonals cover a wide variety, from hoppy IPAs to fruitier Saisons and Hefeweizens, but all are perfect for warmer weather. Here are some good ones to keep an eye out for this season:
The Bruery Saison De Lente: This crisp Belgian style saison is unfiltered and bottle conditioned. The flavors are pretty complex, with the slightly tart and funky Belgian yeast probably being the most obvious, but balanced by citrus, apple, clove, and light hops flavors.
Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest: Harvest ales are typically released only in the Fall, but this one uses hops freshly harvested from New Zealand (where it’s Fall now). This one will be appreciated by hopheads only, with a heavy hoppy bitterness, and citrus and floral flavors.
Dogfish Head Aprihop: This is basically a fruit beer for IPA-lovers. It has the distinct hoppy flavor of an IPA, combined with the sweetness of apricot and malt. At 7.0% ABV, it’s a little bit weaker than most most of the Dogfish head IPAs, which makes it a refreshing choice for Spring.
DC Brau El Hefe Speaks: This beer is a classic German-style hefeweizen, with light hops and a slight banana flavor. It’s a good session ale, at only 5.3% ABV, it goes well with warm weather, lighter food, and will be great to enjoy all summer.
Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout: This imperial stout is brewed with coffee and chocolate, and then aged for a year in oak bourbon barrels. It’s extremely rare and popular, so if you see it, buy some and then hoard it. Although it is released in the Spring, this isn’t really a warm weather style of brew, but it does age well so you can savor it any time of year.
