Pretty nice list from Esquire of their 15 best beers to drink this summer and what eat with them. Some of these have been metioned before in other lists and posts, but there are a couple that I've never tried before.
Drink with: tacos.
Victory Golden Monkey
Belgian-style tripel ales can often be cloyingly sweet or be plagued by strong, spicy esters. But not Philadelphia's Victory Brewing Co., which keeps flavors harmonious in its Golden Monkey. The beer's highly active carbonation also makes it light on the tongue.
Drink with: steamed mussels or grilled shellfish.
Anchor California Lager
Best known for its iconic Steam Beer, Anchor Brewing set out recently on a quest to re-create California's first lager, from a brewery that burned down in the 1890s. Anchor used California-grown barley and Cluster hops, America's oldest variety, to craft California Lager. This easy-drinking, historic brew was only available on draft and in bottles in California until this month. Look for it through September in New York, Maryland, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and about 10 other states.
Drink with: BBQ chicken.
Firestone Walker Pils
Pilsners are like the vanilla cake of the beer world: Tasty, sure, but maybe a little boring. Not so fast, says Firestone Walker Brewing Co. The California brewer adds a crush of German-grown hops to give its Pils a juicy snap. I could and will drink this all summer long.
Drink with: ceviche.
Deschutes River Ale
The newest year-round offering from Oregon's Deschutes Brewery is River Ale. The sessionable golden brew is clean and thirst-quenching, with a pleasant hop jab on the finish. With just 3.8 percent alcohol by volume, River Ale is a perfect brew to enjoy while mowing the lawn afterward, too.
Drink with: scrambled eggs and bacon.
Left Hand Good Juju In a new production technique, Left Hand is now juicing the organic Peruvian ginger it uses to brew Good Juju, a light golden ale with a fresh, spicy kick. The result is a more-pronounced ginger aroma and flavor, making Good Juju closer to Jamaican ginger beer than ginger ale.
Drink with: sesame-crusted tuna
Drink with: grilled steak or hamburgers.
Drink with: watermelon-feta salad
Drink with: beer-battered fish
Drink with: roast pork.
Drink with: hot dogs or brats.
Drink with: raw oysters.
Drink with: crab cakes.
Drink with: beer-can chicken.
Drink with: vanilla ice cream.
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/food-and-drink/best-summer-beers-2013#slide-1
Brooklyn Blast
With nine varieties of British and American hops and an alcohol content approaching 9 percent, this IPA is definitely a blast to the palate. But it's also incredibly balanced no alcohol heat, and all of those hops are bright and citrusy, not astringent and bitter.Drink with: tacos.
Victory Golden Monkey
Belgian-style tripel ales can often be cloyingly sweet or be plagued by strong, spicy esters. But not Philadelphia's Victory Brewing Co., which keeps flavors harmonious in its Golden Monkey. The beer's highly active carbonation also makes it light on the tongue.
Drink with: steamed mussels or grilled shellfish.
Anchor California Lager
Best known for its iconic Steam Beer, Anchor Brewing set out recently on a quest to re-create California's first lager, from a brewery that burned down in the 1890s. Anchor used California-grown barley and Cluster hops, America's oldest variety, to craft California Lager. This easy-drinking, historic brew was only available on draft and in bottles in California until this month. Look for it through September in New York, Maryland, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and about 10 other states.
Drink with: BBQ chicken.
Firestone Walker Pils
Pilsners are like the vanilla cake of the beer world: Tasty, sure, but maybe a little boring. Not so fast, says Firestone Walker Brewing Co. The California brewer adds a crush of German-grown hops to give its Pils a juicy snap. I could and will drink this all summer long.
Drink with: ceviche.
Deschutes River Ale
The newest year-round offering from Oregon's Deschutes Brewery is River Ale. The sessionable golden brew is clean and thirst-quenching, with a pleasant hop jab on the finish. With just 3.8 percent alcohol by volume, River Ale is a perfect brew to enjoy while mowing the lawn afterward, too.
Drink with: scrambled eggs and bacon.
Left Hand Good Juju In a new production technique, Left Hand is now juicing the organic Peruvian ginger it uses to brew Good Juju, a light golden ale with a fresh, spicy kick. The result is a more-pronounced ginger aroma and flavor, making Good Juju closer to Jamaican ginger beer than ginger ale.
Drink with: sesame-crusted tuna
Golden Road Point the Way
Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles has a newly tweaked recipe for Point the Way, its flagship IPA, and it's a winner. Brewmaster Jesse Houck upped the alcohol content slightly, to 5.9 from 5.2 percent, and added more hops. The result is a balanced, hop-forward beer that's not overwhelming on the palate.Drink with: grilled steak or hamburgers.
Cigar City Guava Grove
This Florida interpretation of a French-style saison has a tropical twist, being fermented with fresh guava puree. The sweet-tart flavor of the guava juice serves as a nice contrast to the spicy yeast presence. What a terrific summer beer.Drink with: watermelon-feta salad
SweetWater 420
SweetWater Brewing in Atlanta knew it had a hit on its hands soon after it debuted 420 Extra Pale Ale on April 20, 1997 (4/20, get it?). It's hoppy, but not scrape-your-tongue hoppy. It's malty, but not eating-a-loaf-of-bread malty. 420 hits that sweet spot that earns it a place in your fridge this summer.Drink with: beer-battered fish
New Belgium Rolle Bolle
I like when a beer's ingredient list leads me to Wikipedia, and that's where I headed after seeing that New Belgium's new Rolle Bolle is brewed with monk fruit and soursop. The former is a Chinese plant with a bitter rind and flesh 300 times sweeter than white sugar. The latter is a spiky fruit from Mexico with a sweet-sour citrus flavor. New Belgium has rolled the two into a light summer ale with intriguing notes of white wine, pineapple and lemon.Drink with: roast pork.
Avery Joe's Premium American Pilsner
A union of German and American hops creates a clean, dry, grassy flavor in this pilsner from Colorado. One of the best parts of Joe's Pils is its vessel: It comes in a can, which is perfect for a day on the links, at the pool or any number of places where glass bottles are shunned.Drink with: hot dogs or brats.
Cisco Summer of Lager
Among their many differences, lagers take longer to brew and ferment than ales do. In Nantucket, the making of Summer of Lager is a labor of love and time. The brewery starts each year's batch in October so it'll be ready for release in June. You can taste the care that goes into this beer. It smells of freshly baled hay and tastes crisp like a summer sunrise.Drink with: raw oysters.
Bell's Oberon
Wheat ales beers brewed with a good amount of malted wheat are summer favorites for their light flavor and smooth mouthfeel. They have a tendency to be boring, too, which is why I prefer wheat beers with a little something extra, like assertive hops or interesting spices. Bell's Oberon is an elite wheat beer that exudes a bright-orange hue and tastes like someone took summer and bottled it.Drink with: crab cakes.
Stone Enjoy By IPA
Right now, liquor stores across California, Missouri, Texas and Washington are stocking their shelves with the latest release in Stone's Enjoy By IPA series. Released this week, Enjoy By 07.04.13 gives drinkers a clear message: This beer is meant to be consumed now, while fresh. That's when its plethora of hops will be at their peak of dank aroma and flavor. The California brewery is democratic about its Enjoy By releases; if you want the next batch in your state, vote on the website.Drink with: beer-can chicken.
Kona Wailua Ale
Another wheat beer with a twist, Wailua Ale from Hawaii is brewed with a burst of passion fruit that lends a pleasant and subtle touch of island sweetness. The beer has gone through some cosmetic changes over the years, including three different names (it used to be Liliko'i Wheat, then Wailua Wheat) and new, slimmer bottles that will help reduce the brewery's carbon footprint. But the recipe has remained the same. And that's worth toasting this summer.Drink with: vanilla ice cream.
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/food-and-drink/best-summer-beers-2013#slide-1
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