When I was a wee laddie back in Halifax and it was pushing 90F...or 33C...one pal inevitably declared "it's a drinker!" The undergrad group I hung out with - now doctors and lawyers and such as Waylon put it - considered drinking beer an activity in itself like, say, going to the movies, a dance, bowling or heading out in a herd to annihilate an all you can eat Chinese buffet. But on a day like today there was none of that. It was all ice + bucket + beer + porch.
These days, however, I am much more restrained - by choice and circumstance. A BBQ and guests and planning are needed which means a lot more work than the shared rental's porch ever required. I'm also inclined to different tipples that the ever present case of Oland's Ex of a couple of decades back. On a day like this now all I really crave is cold hefeweizen. It's too hot even for a hoppy IPA as far as I am concerned. Other than that, we are talking sweet vermouth and a whack of soda - the drink I would drink on the surface of the sun.
What about you? What is the one thing that really works when it is stinking hot, either beer or that other thing called "not beer"?
Comments
Josh - July 19, 2008 3:42 pm
Pyramid Apricot
Mint Juleps
and Pina Coladas.
In other words,
Things with ice!
Erich - July 19, 2008 4:25 pm
I agree with the Pyramid Apricot Ale. Went to Alefest (http://www.alefest.com/) in Chicago last weekend and that was the perfect summer beer. It scored pretty poorly on BeerAdvocate, but I liked it.
I only wish that I would have had a cool beer t-shirt to wear to Alefest. If only I had won a beer poetry contest and been promised a beer t-shirt. Oh, wait, I did. ;-)
Paul - July 19, 2008 4:36 pm
Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale and India Ale. Either one will quench your thirst and wash the dust of the day, always with a clean finish.
Hunter - July 19, 2008 4:43 pm
So jealous, I wish that was my problem right now - it's 62 degrees and overcast where I am in England right now...
How about an American wheat? FFF Gumballhead or Sierra Nevada Wheat? Light and refreshing, but still delicious!
NorthCounty - July 19, 2008 6:29 pm
My favorite hot weather beer is Sierra Nevada so cold that it is forming ice on the top as you drink it. I am from Southern California, USA so we get plenty of hot summer days.
Alan - July 19, 2008 11:28 pm
CRAP!
I forgot to send the t-shirts!!!
Oops. Me fix that...
Thom - July 20, 2008 8:19 am
It rarley gets stinking hot here in Ireland, but I'm partial to very cold pils of the bitterest kind when things warm up a little.
Ethan - July 20, 2008 2:50 pm
When it's really hot, something light but tart is especially quenching- I think Berliner Weisse fits the bill nicely. Dogfish Head's mutation (shocking, right?) of the style, Festina Peche, is an especially good choice, I think.
Jonathan - July 20, 2008 6:24 pm
While in the 'not beer' category, I've always found solace in a scalding mug of hot cocoa. Try it and let me know what you think. Works best with a scalding cup of egg drop soup.
Amy - July 20, 2008 7:05 pm
I think a shandy or panache is very nice. Both are beer and lemonade. At the Vermont Brewers Festival I had a Long Trail Belgian White which had a nice lemon taste. The key is that the drink be cold. In Europe they generally don't serve drinks over ice or very cold which is a problem. In China they drink hot drinks in the hot weather.
Knut Albert Solem - July 21, 2008 9:01 am
I agree with Thom, a really crisp pilsener is just the thing.
Ian in Cowtown - July 21, 2008 11:48 am
It's been a fairly crap summer here in Alberta so far, but is finally starting to warm up.
I also enjoy a nice bitter pilsener, as well as either a hefeweizen or a wit.
I had a great wit "Zon" from Boulevard Brewing after driving home from Drumheller yesterday. It really hit the spot!
Non-beer: Campari and Soda with plenty of ice.
Bill Boulden - July 21, 2008 6:25 pm
Although you guys will kill me for naming a lowbrow beer on this fancy beer blog, once the temperature gets above 90, I really have to go with simple Mexican or Mexican-styled beers. Corono, Dos Equis, and yes, even Miller Chill. I find it's impossible to really enjoy more subtle or tastier beers in the heat, where the doggone tiredness of the whole exercise obscures the good points of finer beers- not to mention they'll get warm much faster and therefore might be stanky by the last few sips.
Better to go with the unsubtle nature of a Miller Chill or Corona, which basically says in unambiguous terms, "Hi, I'm a beer. Also i have some lime in me. Doesn't that cool you off a little."
:)
Alan - July 22, 2008 10:18 am
That, Bill, is the testimony of an honest man. I quite agree...well, maybe not with Chill but the light Mexican brews are quite right for this time of year.
Aaron - July 23, 2008 12:22 pm
Kolsch! I find this style to satisfy my complex tastes and light and easy summer drinking... my current favorite is Summertime from Goose Island.... and does anyone remember the
crooked river kolsch from cleveland?
Aaron - July 23, 2008 12:24 pm
Oh yeah.... I've also been known to mix Bell's Oberon and iced tea.... mmm tasty
Brian - July 26, 2008 12:43 pm
Any light ale is preferred here in the Deep South (MS). I really just like a simple Sam Adams Pale or Summer if I can find it, but I'll usually just stop on the Sam Adams Light. That's about as high brow as we can get here :).