As I searched the shelves and coolers at Colonial Spirits in Acton, MA, I had one thing in mind:  Summer Beer.

What is summer beer?  It’s not a formal style – a summer beer could be a Kölsch, Lager, or Wheat, among other styles.  Summer beers do have common traits:  crisp, refreshing, golden, light-bodied, thirst-quenching, clean-finishing, and highly drinkable.

A six pack of summer brews

I looked for as many regionally brewed summer seasonals as I could find.
My summer beer tasting on July 26 included (pictured from left to right):

• Geary’s Summer Ale, a German Kölsch from D.L. Geary Brewing Company, Portland, ME
• Hop Sun Summer Wheat Beer, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY
• Über Sun, an Imperial Summer Wheat Ale from Southern Tier (8%)
• Summer of Lager, Cisco Brewers, Nantucket, MA
• Summer Ale, an American Wheat Beer from Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland, ME
• Summer Ale, an American Wheat Beer from Wachusett Brewing Company, Westminster, MA

It would be hard to pick a favorite from the beer tasting, but I really enjoyed the Hop Sun and his bigger brother, Über Sun.

I picked up a lot of other great beer from Colonial Spirits that I enjoyed throughout the vacation:

• Blueberry Wheat, Sea Dog Brewing Company, Portland, ME (Beth’s personal favorite)
• UFO White, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA
• Raspberry Wheat, Opa Opa Brewing Company, Southampton, MA (in a growler)

In addition, I bought a Summer Survival 12-Pack from one of my favorite New England regional breweries, Long Trail Brewing Company, Bridgewater, VT.  The 12-Pack included:

• Long Trail Ale
• IPA
• Belgian White
• Blackberry Wheat

Finally, I’ll note some great beers I enjoyed on draft while out at restaurants during my vacation:

• Long Trail Double IPA, an excellent, hoppy brew  (8.6%)
• Big Bohemian Pilsner, from the Harpoon Leviathan Series (9%)
• Summer Wheat, Buzzards Bay Brewing Company, Westport, MA
• Fisherman’s Brew, an amber lager from Cape Ann Brewing Company, Gloucester, MA

My favorite part of traveling is drinking the local beer!