By Evan Crouch
The mercury is starting to rise in the Triangle, and as we start to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine, nothing quenches a parched palate like an ice-cold beer. Whether at the local ballpark, cookouts with friends and family or on the porch watching the sunset, a refreshing brew seems to punctuate and enhance our favorite summer pastimes. Many beer drinkers lean towards lighter styles in the summertime, not wanting to get too weighed down by some of the darker, maltier beers. Other beer fans opt for styles that incorporate fruit, reminding us of the summer harvests. What’s more, the surge in the canning of craft beers offers portability and convenience for those enjoying the warm weather outdoors. Whatever your summer plans may be, here are a few beers to keep an eye out for this summer.
Replenishing that which is lost through perspiration can be a lot more fun when it’s with beer. A post-lawn-mowing beer in particular can be an extra-special treat. The following are a few “lawnmower beers†that are consistent summer favorites. Don’t let the lightness fool you – these brews are well crafted and might surprise you with their drinkability. One such style is kölsch. Hailing originally from Cologne, Germany, the name “kölsch†literally means “Cologne-beer.†A kölsch is very similar to a lager in that it is light gold or straw in color, with a relatively thin and effervescent body. They are typically drier than lagers but have that same cracker-like malt presence. What is different about the Cologne way of brewing and indeed the kölsch style is that brewers ferment this beer at a higher temperature than a lager. This causes the brewing yeast to produce more esters during fermentation, which translate into more pronounced fruity and floral aromas. This also dries out the finish, giving a kölsch that refreshing snap of crispness. Two great examples of the style hail from the city of Cologne itself: Reissdorf and Gaffel. On this side of the pond, Harpoon’s Summer Beer is year-in and year-out one of the best domestic kölsch-style beers, and comes in at a very reasonable price point.
Some breweries like to get inventive with their lighter styles, introducing fruit to their beers to give a new twist to an old favorite. Belgian brewers have added fruit to their lambic-style beers for centuries; however, these beers are usually quite tart and lack the “quench†factor many beer drinkers seek in the warmer months. The phenomenon of American brewers utilizing fruit in beer has become much more widespread in the last several years. Brewing with fruit can be tricky though. Introducing fruit adds sugars, which must be fermented out to arrive at a balanced beer. If the brewing yeast does not ferment enough of the sugars to completion, what remains is often a cloyingly sweet beer that may taste more like soda pop. Ferment out too much of fruit’s sugars and the beer ceases to give the suggestion of any fruit at all. The following brews strike a nice balance. One of the most anticipated fruit beers every spring is the Abita Strawberry Lager. Brewed with fresh Louisiana strawberries, this beer tastes fresh from the strawberry patch. More locally, Winston-Salem’s Foothills Brewery makes the Carolina Strawberry Blonde, a cream ale style brewed with strawberries.
From the German brewing tradition, the Stiegl brewery of Salzburg, Austria, makes a style called Radler – essentially a shandy made from a light lager and lemon soda. If you’ve never tried a fruit beer, give it a shot – you might discover a new favorite summertime drink.
Perhaps the most important recent summertime trend in brewing is canning. The pool, lake or beach – all these places typically share one thing in common: no glass allowed. Up until the last few years, this meant beer drinkers were often restricted to American mega-breweries when they wanted to take beer to outdoor hotspots. With so many breweries canning, one can now bring craft beer almost anywhere with added convenience. Not only will canned beer not shatter like glass, you also needn’t worry about your beer getting skunked. Beer in glass bottles that is exposed to direct sunlight becomes susceptible to chemical reactions that produce sulfur-like aromas and tastes. Cans offer total protection from the sun’s rays, which can shine through glass and ruin beer in a matter of minutes. In addition, they cool down a lot quicker in an iced cooler, not to mention their easier recyclability. The Oskar Blues and Ska breweries of Colorado helped to lead the charge in craft beer canning. Their hoppy offerings, such as Dale›s Pale Ale and Modus Hoperandi IPA, are summertime standards. Local brewers are getting into the game too. Carolina Brewery, Triangle Brewing and Mother Earth Brewing are a few great North Carolina breweries offering their products in cans. Triangle’s Golden Ale is a personal favorite – an 8 percent alcohol-by-volume Belgian golden-style in a can! Consider these if portability becomes a factor for you this summer.
While these lighter styles might be more appropriate for the warmer months, what to do with all those stouts left over from the winter? How about chocolate-stout brownies! Here’s a recipe (adapted from Bon Appétit magazine, February 2012):
Chocolate-Stout Brownies
Ingredients
1 cup stout
(I would recommend New Holland’s Poet oatmeal stout)
16 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Bring stout to a boil in a medium saucepan; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes. Let cool. Reserve 1/4 cup stout.
Stir 12 ounces chocolate and 1 cup butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Whisk sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture, then 1/4 cup stout from pan. Fold in flour and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake brownies until surface begins to crack and a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35-40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Stir remaining 4 ounces chocolate in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Add reserved 1/4 cup reduced stout, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt; whisk until well blended.
Pour warm glaze over brownies. Let stand at room temperature until glaze is set, about 40 minutes.
Using foil overhang, lift brownie from pan; cut into squares.