Summer is here and in a big way.  We broke triple digits here in Southwest Idaho this week and it has been sweltering on the East Coast for some time now.  With the heat and humidity of summer, all the outdoor activities and yard work we tend to need a beer. What beer to choose then when you reach into the beer fridge?  

Summer beers or “lawnmower” beers tend to be light in body and crisp with a very clean, dry finish.  Beers like American style lagers and pilsners have been the go-to beer in the US for a long time now but there are a lot more options.  Kolsch, dortmunder, Belgian pale ales, Tripels, sour ales and saisons are all excellent choices and increasingly more accessible.

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Here are some more beer-related links to get you thirsty:

• Beer Connoisseur: Innovators Series -Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing.
• Brookston Beer Bulletin: Brewery Openings Surge.
• Mutineer Magazine: FTW: Willow Garage Invents “Beer Me, Robot”.
• HereForTheBeer: Slow Fest – A Celebration of Session Beer.
• Beer News from BeerAdvocate: Odell Brewing Celebrates 10,000th Brew (Odell will be here for

Here is a quick round-up of beer-related items floating around the internet:

• Birmingham Weekly: Beer of the week: Avery Seventeen.
• The Beer Babe: Southern Tier – Gemini (review).
• Bike, Beer, BBQ: Orval Trappist Ale (video review).
• Beernews: Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter debuts next month (we'll let you know as soon as we can get our hands on this one).
• Confessions of a Beer Geek: