5 Summer Styles of Beer to try Before September Comes Around!

Fruit Infused Wheat Beers

My pick: Watermelon Wheat – Kensington Brewing Company

Anyone who knows me knows that, from the very first sip, this style became my summer beer of choice. I even went on a fruit infused tour at a local pub that used to carry over 75 craft brands (10-15 of which were seasonal fruit wheat beers). In the fruit infused wheat department I am partial to the watermelon style as it leaves just a hint of the flavour and isn't overbearing in any way. I found the apple and raspberry brews to be too powerful and sweet. With the watermelon wheat you get a crisp tasting wheat beer with a hint of a watermelon finish that leaves you feeling refreshed and wanting to drink more. There are some great brands out there in the US and Canada perfecting this style, but my choice is made right here in Toronto in a cool little neighbourhood known as Kensington Market.

Sours

My pick: Collective Arts Gose

I had my initial gose sour experience moments before stepping into one of my first Prud'homme classes. It was completely different from anything I had ever had. The first batch of this particular gose had me sucking in my cheeks, unfortunately the same brand has lost a lot of the sourness it once had. Thankfully more and more gose sours are popping up, like this one from Collective Arts. This style is typically a one off in trendy bars, so good luck hunting them down!

Shandys/Radlers

My pick: Stiegl Grapefruit

What do you drink when you want something refreshing, but also want a low alcohol content? Let me introduce you to the shandy category! Shandies are typically beer mixed with a carbonated beverage, usually lemonade or fruit juice; root beer or ginger ale. For our summer beer choice we are going to focus on a particular style created by our beer drinking genius friends, the Germans!

Essentially they created Radlers by mixing beer and sparkling lemonade to act as a more refreshing beverage (think the Gatorade of beer) during long haul bike rides. A more common practice these days is to mix fruit sodas and other sparkling drinks to beer to get the radlers we know and love today. To me a radler is the perfect breakfast beer. I’m not saying crush one before work every day. But after a long night of drinking, a radler the next morning will get you on the right path for the day. 

Ciders

My pick: None 

What!? I have no suggestions for this category? To be honest, I am just not a fan of ciders. They are either way to sweet and remind me of syrupy juice or too damn dry and reminiscent of poor quality white wine. However, this style is a huge player in the beer market and should not be discredited. If you prefer a sweeter drink I’d point you in the direction of Somersby Apple Flavoured Cider. If you prefer a dryer cider, I’d direct you over to Pommies Dry Cider.

BeerTails

My pick: White Summer (50/50 blend of Somersby Apple Flavoured Cider and Kronenbourg Blanc)

BeerTails (Beer-Cocktails) have been around for a while; in fact, us gents at Real Man Travels actually have a signature drink we call Beer Bombsicles. However I cannot disclose the information of said cocktail publicly, so I chose my number two BeerTail, the White Summer. "But wait," you say... "it has a cider in it!?" You are absolutely correct, it does. "But Ed, you’re not a fan of ciders." Also true. But when cut with the Kronenbourg Blanc the sweetness is reduced and we are left with just the apple flavour with a hint of the refreshing citrus notes of the Kronenbourg Blanc. Overall it’s a damn fine drink that even I am able to pound a few of. This is the perfect mix during any backyard activities like ladder ball, bocce, washer toss or horseshoes. Trust me, it's still manly.





Get out to your local beer or liquor store and find some of these styles to crush before it becomes sweater season!

In the spirit of transparency, Ed Arsenault works for Carlsberg Canada Inc and some of his choices may seem biased on that fact. However all these drinks are tasty and you should try them regardless.

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Drinking Beer in Collingwood

Once strictly viewed as a winter destination on account of the incredible Blue Mountain ski resort, Collingwood, Ontario has transformed itself into a haven for day-trippers and vacationers alike during all four seasons. Home to attractions like the Blue Mountain Village (complete with shopping, restaurants, hotels and an adventure park featuring the Ridge Runner mountain roller coaster, a ropes course with zip lines, the Apex Bagjump, and gondolas to the top of Blue Mountain), Scenic Caves, Scandinave Spa and a variety of other attractions, there is no shortage of ways to fill you days.

The town also features an incredible trail system. During our stay we trekked along the Heather Pathway which does a loop through the better part of the town and starts and ends at two magnificent lookouts over Collingwood Harbour.

With the development of four season tourism along with a strong community of both seasonal and full time residents, an array of beer, wine and spirit manufacturers have also found their homes in Collingwood. The town is home to three breweries; Canadian Mist Distillery, makers of the excellent Collingwood rye whiskey; and an array of wineries.

Never missing the chance to try local beer, I visited two of the three local breweries during my visit and found the following gems. I look forward to checking out Collingwood Brewery on my next visit.

Side Launch Brewery

Formally known as Denison’s, the brewery re-branded and are now named for the method of launching ships used in Collingwood for generations. Side Launch has experienced impressive success in the Ontario beer market. Their lineup is focused and features mainstays that are quality approaches to traditional beer styles, along with a revolving selection of seasonals.

Wheat

One of the brewery’s three mainstay beers, and likely their most popular, Side Launch’s wheat is a German Hefeweizen, and likely one of the better efforts at the style amoung Ontario breweries. Banana predominates on both nose and flavour and is backed with strong yeast character. Coriander and other mild spices round out the flavour.

Dark Lager

I’ve been drawn to this style (traditionally called German Dunkel), of late. The beer is pure malt on the nose with the flavour of light caramel, bready malt and a little bit of brown sugar. The beer leaves you smacking your lips long after your sip.

Northwinds Brewhouse & Eatery

A brand new entry into the Ontario beer market, Northwinds opened a little over a year ago and offers a great selection of food and beer at their brewhouse. You won’t find these beers in major retailers, but the variety of beers on tap is astounding. While there were a few misses, the following beers really grabbed my attention.

Brew Mountain SMaSH Series (Centennial)

A great entry in the American Pale Ale category. Thin body with plenty of citrus on nose and flavour. Grapefruit and floral/piney notes predominate with the centennial hops really coming through as advertised. Great for summer.

Old Baldy Farmhouse Ale

With so many saisons on tap I feel brewmaster Andrew Bartle must have been a homebrewer. While lacking the usually yeast forward character of many saisons, this entry brings the hops to the forefront with the hot taste of rye malt coming through. Unique and tasty.

Side note! If you are looking for a truly unique place to eat while around the Collingwood area, check out Hai Sai in Singhampton (20 minutes south of Collingwood). Managed by restaurant legend Michael Stadtländer, Hai Sai is completely and utterly surprising. Both food and décor are out of the ordinary and definitely worth the trip off the beaten path.

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