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CHEERS BEER TASTING By Lucy Saunders and often less than five percent alcohol by volume. Some brewing industry professionals call these lower ABV styles "session beers" as they do in the British Isles, where mild ales are classic quaffs for evenings spent at the pub. Light Brews for Sunny Days F As temperatures rise, low ABV beers will shine. orecast: sunny, warm and low ABV. It's beer's best season, and summer releases are light, refreshing citrusy hops evoking tangerine and grapefruit, with moderate caramel malt flavors and sparkling carbonation. Try it with grilled vegetables and seafood. (Shorts Brewing, Bellaire, MI) Tafelbier - Notch Brewing in Massachusetts dedicates its entire lineup to low ABV beers brewed for maximum flavor. For example, their Tafelbier, or "table beer" is a Flemish- influenced ale designed to be enjoyed with food and weighs in at just 2.8 percent ABV. It relies on subtlety and makes a drinkable beer for the heat and extended activities of summer. This beer is amply quenching and can be paired with spicy foods or traditional flammekuche, caramelized onion flatbread. (Notch Brewing, Ipswich, MA) Shift Pale Lager - Dubbed "Shift" in a nod to the brewery's traditional end-of-shift beer tasting, this pale lager from New Belgium Brewing Co. is refreshing. Shift is packaged in tall 16-ounce cans, and sports a bike chain label. It's a medium-bodied lager with five percent ABV, balanced flavors of bready malts and grassy hops. (New Belgium Brewing Co., Ft. Collins, CO) Prolonged Enjoyment – Hops forward, this session IPA from Shorts Brewing offers juicy hops flavors wrapped in a light pale ale, with 3.7 percent ABV. It's a tasty blend of Anchor Steam – Time to celebrate an American classic: Anchor Steam in its modern, bottled incarnation, marks 40 years in production. It's the flagship beer of Anchor Brewing, one of the first breweries to produce handcrafted beer in the U.S.A. Anchor Steam is a coppery-gold hybrid: brewed with a blend of pale and caramel malts. It is bold in hops flavor and balanced on the palate, at 4.9 percent ABV. Excellent paired with barbecue and burgers. (Anchor Brewery, San Francisco, CA) Key West Southernmost Wheat – The Florida Beer Company produces ales and lagers that are destined for vacation. This beer is full of flavor, but not heavy-hitting at 4.8 percent ABV, the Key West Southernmost Wheat is an award-winning addition to the line up. With a blend of malted wheat, Belgian pilsner malt, flaked oats for smoothness, bitter orange, sweet orange peel, coriander and Florida Key limes, the Southernmost Wheat is tangy and tart, perfect with coconut shrimp or Spicy Fish Tacos with Grilled Zucchini, Fresh Mango and Pineapple Salsa. (Florida Beer Company, Melbourne, FL) Twilight – Deschutes Brewery continues to refine its summer seasonal ale, meant for evening sipping as the name suggests. This is a lighter, yet full-flavored, aromatic beer at five percent ABV, This beer is excellent with grilled lamb with rosemary to echo the ale's piney hops. (Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR) Wisconsinite – New from Lakefront Brewery, this weiss ale is made with 100 percent Wisconsin-grown malted barley, wheat and hops, including a unique, indigenous Wisconsin yeast strain freshly cultivated by Northern Brewer. It pours a hazy, unfiltered, straw color with a fine white head. The mild clove, banana and citrus aromas from the yeast go well with the malty sweetness and fresh baked bread flavors. With its light body, lively effervescence, and 4.2 percent ABV, Wisconsinite is a refreshing summer session beer. and Food. Lucy Saunders is the author of The Best of American Beer ANOTHER ROUND Visit CheersOnline.com/more more information on tea-time for brewers. Or use your smart phone to instantly scan the image to the right. www.cheersonline.com JULY/AUGUST 2012 | 45