Spring is just around the corner, which means spending way more time outdoors with family and friends. We’ve rounded up 10 of the can’t miss beers that are perfect for enjoying under the sun. Whether you like hoppy IPAs, traditional bocks, or fruit-flavoured brews, we scoured the best craft breweries to find something for every beer lover.
Detour – Muskoka Brewery (Ontario)
Detour is a very popular beer released by Muskoka Brewery. It’s a fresh take on the classic IPA, including a dry-hopping process that yields a rewarding aroma, big hop flavours and clean finish. And with a Muskoka chair on every bottle, you know this is a good one to enjoy down by the lake.
Imperial IPA – Wild Rose Brewery (Alberta)
Speaking of India pale ales, you can get an early jump on the spring season by stocking up on Alberta Brewery Wild Rose’s excellent Imperial I.P.A. It is a shining example of the Pacific Northwest style, and offers citrus and spicy pine notes. This tasty beer is considered one of the most anticipated seasonal offerings in all of Alberta.
Orange Peel Ale – Great Lakes Brewery (Ontario)
While some prefer the crisp, hoppy flavour of IPAs during the spring season, fruit-infused beer is also common. Enter Orange Peel Ale, a delicious seasonal offering from Great Lakes Brewery. Orange Peel Ale is handcrafted with five specialty malts and five varieties of hops, along with just a touch of honey, and of course, lots of orange peels.
Beaver River – Beau’s (Ontario)
Let’s take it back to the IPA with a very strong contender for spring bliss. Beau’s is known for its tasty lagers such as Lug Tread, but you can expect a bold yet balanced blend of hop bitterness, estery yeast character, and a blend of both citrus and earthy hop aromas from this seasonal offering.
Galaxy Hop Ale – Alexander Keith’s Brewery (Nova Scotia)
Don’t let the name fool you, Alexander Keith’s new Galaxy Hop Ale contains exotic tropical fruit aromas, as well as the crisp, hoppy taste we’ve come to expect from the famous brewing company.
“Seedspitter” Watermelon Wit – Parallel 49 Brewing Company (British Columbia)
A watermelon-flavoured beer? Crazy! Give this Belgian style Witbier a chance to win you over with it’s crisp taste and fruity finish. Still skeptical? What if I told you it was named in the top 10 essential craft BC beers by VancityBuzz.com?
Red Racer – Central City Brewing Company (British Columbia)
Don’t let the campy can design fool you, Red Racer is a seriously hoppy IPA, made by a serious brewery (Central City Brewery won the 2012 Canadian Brewing Awards). They describe the taste as “ruby red grapefruit, with depth of malt backbone.”
Seasonal Spring Mix Pack – Mill Street Brewery (Ontario)
Mill Street Brewery certainly takes their seasonal beer seriously! This spring they’ll be offering six packs of two spring-themed beer, Portage Ale and Spring Thaw Maple Ale. The Portage Ale is a cream ale, which boasts a two-part fermentation process, once with ale yeast, then a second time with lager yeast. The Spring Thaw Maple Ale uses lightly smoked malt and, of course, maple syrup from Lanark County, yielding a slightly sweet, hardwood-smoked character.
Blueberry Ale – Pumphouse Brewery Ltd. (New Brunswick)
This delicious beer won a bronze medal in the 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards for its blonde-coloured ale infused with the essence of fresh blueberries. This one-of-a-kind beer combines the sweet flavours of peppery blueberries, malts and spicy hops to help you ring in the spring with style.
Spring Bok – Amsterdam Brewery (Ontario)
Aside from a nice IPA or a fruit-infused beer, the German bock style of beer is also heavily associated with Spring. And one of the best is Amsterdam Brewery’s seasonal Spring Bock. At 7% alcohol/volume and extremely rich-tasting, this isn’t a beer you’d drink all night, but is quite a treat. Aged three times as long as normal beers, this is more than a beer, it’s an experience.
Did we miss any of your favourite beers? Let us know in the comments section.
