Gateway

Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Arts & Leisure

Zon [Click to enlarge]

Honeymoon [Click to enlarge]

Zommerfest [Click to enlarge]

Curveball [Click to enlarge]

Sunset Weiss [Click to enlarge]

Cherry [Click to enlarge]

Let's face it; summer is quite possibly the best time of the year to experience beer. Unfortunately summer brew selections aren't always the best. Fans of bitter, hoppy beers will likely find something they can enjoy over the next four months, but for everyone else, this guide should help.



Zon

From Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing company, Zon is an interesting summer seasonal. A Belgian wit (wheat) beer, there is a heavy mix of floral, orange and banana which hits you over the head with a sharp, sour flavor. Not hoppy, but still tart, this is a good, refreshing summer beer. It's not something that particularly stands out as a year-round addition to a party menu, it certainly stands out as something that would taste quite refreshing sitting on the porch on an especially hot day.



Honeymoon

Molson's seasonal take on Blue Moon is a crisp honey flavor with a full body and a tart aftertaste. There is definitely a hint of orange zest in the beginning but nothing that really overshadows the initial refreshing hit on the first swig. After the tart flavor hits a deep honey flavor lingers as an aftertaste. Honey Moon is a wheat beer that doesn't really do anything to stand out as especially bitter or hoppy. This can be a good or bad thing depending on what you're looking for but anyone looking for an easy introduction to the summer seasonal flavor, this is the beer for you.



Zommerfest

This selection from the August Schell Brewing Company is the perfect selection for a nice, cool summer day after cooking some burgers on the grill. Promoted as ale brewed with Honey, this is slightly hoppy, bitter beer has a strong initial kick of citrus. While not the smoothest of beers going down, the aftertaste leaves you longing for more. My palate might have been tainted a bit by drinking Upstream's Firehouse ESB earlier in the day, but it's still a decent selection.



Curve Ball

Pyramid Brewery's summer edition is a smooth beer with a crisp aftertaste that isn't hoppy as much as invigorating. The initial kick of bitter slowly fades away into a sweetness not unlike a cranberry or grape but with a less acidic quality to it than those fruits. There isn't a lot of heft to the beer (compared to a darker, fall-type lager or stout) but it doesn't feel watered down either. This is something that would definitely be something warranting a repeat drink for those who prefer the tartness of lemonade to a tall glass of water in the summer.



Sunset Weiss

Black Dog's Sunset Weiss is a beer with the bitter aftertaste one would expect in a summer beer. While still tasting like a full-body selection the beer is a very easy, smooth drink. A tart lemon flavor helps sell the beer as a summer selection but as the description promises, there's nothing that limits it as something to just one season.



Lakefront Cherry Lager Beer

As a fan of cherry-flavored beers like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and Chermaca, Nebraska Brewing Company's Valentine's Day seasonal, I was looking forward to a good heavy beer with a slight cherry aftertaste. Unfortunately, not only could I not taste cherries but I really couldn't taste anything. Once the bitterness of the beer subsides there's a bit of sweetness still left over from the cherries, but, frankly, I've had better in terms of hops and cherry flavor and this offering from Lakefront just doesn't marry the two flavors well together.

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