The Beer Junkies Spring is in the air, and so are the delicious beer styles that come with it! While we believe all beer styles are amazing all year, some just have that extra spring in their step. Whether you’re looking to try something new from your local brewery or brew your own, we’ve got you covered with the top beer styles to keep an eye out for. Get ready to hop into spring with these refreshing and satisfying styles!
- American Lager
- American Wheat Beer
- Blonde Ale
- Cream Ale
- German Kolsch
- German Pils
- Munich Helles
- Session IPA
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Finding These Beer Styles
For each of these recommendations, we have included some excellent examples that can be found in most bottle shops. If you do not have a quality bottle shop near you, we recommend a beer subscription from Beer Drop. With packages starting at $33, they have a large, rotating catalog of beers that you can select from and have sent to you every month. They have many, if not all, of these beer styles in their current catalog. We use them ourselves to find beers we would otherwise not have access to and we highly recommend trying them. Now, onto our favorite spring styles!
American Lager
The American lager is a very pale, light-bodied lager. It is very neutral in flavor and has low bitterness. This crisp and clean style is highly drinkable and perfect for warm spring days. It has an abv between 4.2% and 5.3%, so it is very session-able. The most common example of an American lager is Budweiser and Pabst Blue Ribbon. If you would like to make your own, check out our post on how to brew an American lager here. It has slightly more malt flavor than Budweiser but is still very drinkable.
American Wheat Beer
The American wheat beer is a pale beer with a grainy, bready, and doughy flavor profile. It can range from brilliantly clear to cloudy, like in the example above. Unlike the Weissbier, this style does not have any banana or clove flavors. The light body and high carbonation lead to a highly refreshing and drinkable beer. An example of this style is the 312 Urban Wheat Ale from Goose Island. To brew your own, you can find our American Wheat Beer Recipe here.
Blonde Ale
The blonde ale is an easy-drinking, malt-oriented beer style. Some examples can have a slightly fruity aroma, but it is optional. Some examples of blonde ales are 805 by Firestone Walker and Big Wave from Kona Brewing Co. If you would like to brew your own, you can find our blonde ale recipe here.
Cream Ale
Like all the styles above, this is a very clean, refreshing, highly-carbonated, lawnmower beer. It is an extremely drinkable beer style that is very similar to the American lager but with slightly more character. Corn is commonly added to the cream ale’s grain bill to build up the abv without adding much in body and flavor. The most common example of a cream ale is the Genesee Cream Ale. To brew your own, check out our cream ale recipe here.
German Kolsch
The Kolsch is a wonderful beer style that is known for its brilliantly clear appearance and delicate balance of malt and hop character. It has everything you could possibly want, with a subtle grainy sweetness, a balancing medium bitterness, and hints of fruit and spice. A commercial example is the Gaffel Kölsch. If you would like to brew this style yourself, you can find our German Kolsch recipe here.
German Pils
The German Pils is a dry, bitter, German lager. The German noble hops shine in this style, with moderate herbal and spicy notes in the aroma and a firm, lingering bitterness. The crisp, dry finish helps make this style a very drinkable beer that is perfect for spring. Some common examples include the Bitburger Premium Pils and Warsteiner Premium German Pilsener. To brew your own, you can find out German Pils recipe here.
Munich Helles
The Munich Helles is another wonderful style that is highly refreshing when done right. It has a smooth, malty flavor with a soft, dry finish. While the finish is dry, it is not crisp and biting like the German Pils. This delicious style is sure to have you itching for more. Some examples include Ayinger Brau Hell and Spaten’s Premium Lager. To brew your own, find our Munich Helles recipe here.
Session IPA
Last, but not least, is the session IPA. This beer style ranges greatly based on the hops the brewer decides to use, but when done right it is a delicious balance of hop and malt character at a low abv. Some examples include Bell’s Light Hearted Ale and Dogfish Head’s Slightly Mighty. To brew your own, you can find our session IPA recipe here.
Closing
There are plenty of refreshing and satisfying beer styles to choose from when it comes to enjoying the spring season. Whether you prefer to try new beers from your local brewery or brew your own, these eight beer styles are definitely worth trying out. Cheers to a great spring filled with delicious beers!
