I’m taking a break from the DMV by spending my summer vacation in Maine. The mild summer weather — compared to the insane heat back home — calls for outdoor activities like kayaking and hiking. After spending the day enjoying the natural beauty of Maine’s scenic rocky coast, there’s nothing better than a cold Maine brew.

As soon as we arrived at our vacation spot in Belfast, Maine, I stocked up on 12-packs from my favorite Maine breweries.

Geary’s Classics Variety Pack

D.L. Geary Brewing Company, Portland, Maine

The 12-pack includes:

• Geary’s Pale Ale, a classic British pale ale and perfect session beer
• London Porter, an award-winning English-style Porter
• Hampshire Special Ale, my favorite of the 12-pack is an English Strong Ale (7.0)%
• Summer Ale, an excellent summer offering

Variety Pack from Sebago Brewing Company, Gorham, Maine

The 12-pack includes:

• Frye’s Leap IPA, an American-style India Pale Ale (6.0%)
• Boathouse Brown, a drinkable Brown Ale with a nice hop profile (4.2%)
• Hefeweizen, a traditional Bavarian-style Hefeweizen (4.4)%
• Saddleback Ale, a sessionable Pilsner-style American Ale (3.9%)

In addition to the mix packs, I bought 12-packs of two Maine summertime favorites:

Gritty McDuff’s Vacationland Summer Ale

Portland, Maine

According to Gritty’s, You can’t put summer in a bottle, but we may have come close! When the weather gets warm we roll out our summer seasonal, Vacationland Summer Ale. Vacationland is an Extra Special Golden Ale that’s light in color but full-bodied, with a snappy hop finish.

Sea Dog Brewing Company Wild Blueberry Wheat

South Portland, Maine

These Maine brews were savored after outdoor activities like kayaking in Belfast harbor, hiking up Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park, and hiking in Acadia National Park. Does life get any better?