Few songs get me thinking about beautiful, summer weather like the 1996 Sublime song that this article is named after. Regardless of what are you doing, if you live somewhere with sunny, warm weather, the living is indeed easy. We have no fear of snowstorms in the northeast during this time of year. This is actually the only time of year where I can laugh in Mother Nature’s face and dare her to snow. It’s just not going to happen. Inevitably, it will rain some days, but we are pretty much guaranteed that the temperature will be between 70-85 degrees at all times. Add a good deal of sun into the mix and the living is most definitely easy.
Here are some great, delicious beers to imbibe on one of these beautiful summer days:
Sierra Nevada Torpedo (7.2% ABV): This American style IPA is my newest beer obsession. A friend of mine has been raving about this bold, hoppy brew. Be careful with this complicated beer. Spend extra time slowly sipping it and enjoying every different flavor involved because the high alcohol content will sneak up on you like a beer ninja.
Harpoon Summer Beer (5.5% ABV): I may mention Harpoon brewery too much, but it’s only because I’m a big fan of all of their brews. One of my good friends used to work for Harpoon and I went to their St. Patrick’s Day celebration last year. Their Summer Beer, a Kolsch, is bright yellow in color and has refreshing malt and citrus flavors.
Troegs Sunshine Pils (5.3% ABV): Troegs Brewing Company of Pennsylvania is still rather new to me. They are not a huge brewery and have only recently extended their reach into upstate New York. Sunshine Pils was worth the wait. This German Pilsner style brew is light, citrus and refreshing, staying true to the German style without being too flashy.
Stone IPA (6.9% ABV): Much like Torpedo, Stone’s IPA should be taken very seriously. The motto for their famous Arrogant Bastard Ale is “You’re not worthy”. Maybe that should be the motto for this strong, incredibly hoppy, floral American IPA.
Dogfish Head 60 (6% ABV)/90 (9% ABV)/120 (18% ABV) minute IPA: Few breweries are pushing the envelope like Dogfish Head of Delaware. For hop heads, their 60, 90 and 120 minute IPA’s are the best of the best. They may be a little pricier than other craft brews, but they are worth it. These are all slow sipping brews and are not to be attempted by those whose palate can not handle the outrageous amount of hops.
Get out there and enjoy the weather. I live in festival city USA, so there are more than enough fun events to attend during the summer months. BBQ festivals, beer festivals, sporting events, even art festivals are fun times to check out what local breweries have to offer. Where I live, we even have an event called “Zoo Brew” where you spend around $10 to get into the local zoo and hear live bands and enjoy delicious local brews. Personally, I always found the combination of loud music, beer and wild animals to be a rather strange combination, but strangely I’m ok with it.
*What are you imbibing this summer? I’d love to hear from you. Throw me an email cosburn@thefatherlife.com or post below. Cheers to summer!
30 year old freelance writer and The Father Life‘s resident beer columnist and sports editor. He also writes about fine beverages for drinkingmadeeasy.com and Chilled Magazine. On top of that, he writes about college and professional lacrosse for insidelacrosse.com. He’s also written for Genesee Valley Parenting Magazine, the Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper and ESPN.com. “Osburn on Tap” appears monthly in THE FATHER LIFE. For questions, comments, or if you have a story idea for Chris, throw him an email cosburn@thefatherlife.com. Also, follow him on twitter http://www.twitter.com/chrisosburn