Styles by Season

Whatever. I go more by what I'm into at the time, not for the drinkability of the season. In the winter I'll drink anything, and I'm also not opposed to enjoying an Imperial stout in summer (is that still Stone's seasonal release?), although I wouldn't take it out on a boat for an all day fishing excursion! Germans Pils = anytime . My next beer will probably be a strong ale/barleywine.

 

I brew what sounds good. By the time it is ready I reluctantly drink that batch because I am craving another style.

 

I definitely try to brew some beers specifically for hot weather. I have recipes for a lemon lime hefe and a citra mosaic saison that are perfect for a hot day, I'll be brewing those later this year for sure. Other than that its pretty much just IPAs, imperial stouts and wild ales year round.

 

I can drink warm season beers any time of the year, but I don't crave heavy dark beer during the summer.

 

I brew according to the seasons here in SoCal. So, summer styles all year.

 

Sometimes I brew for the seasons, sometimes not. I do have a calendar to help me plan for the coming seasons. Some of my next brews for the coming seasons include a California Common (Steam beer), coffee-infused blonde ale, and Oktoberfest. Yes, it's not too early to start thinking about Oktoberfest. Also would be a very good time for witbier, saison, English bitter (the low-gravity kind), Kolsch...... it's all good.

 

I tend to brew for the season, but also for cravings and hit the same issue as @SFACRKnight that I am not always craving the beer style anymore once it has been brewed, packaged, and is ready to drink. I just kegged up a Bavarian Hefe last night, have a Berlinerweisse and Gose about ready to keg, and have 2 versions of IPA ready to keg. Will be doing 10 gallons of 4.5% Saison in 2 weeks. Trying to get some Spring to Summer beers on. Might do a Wit in June, also an APA and more Saison for the Summer too. Maybe a Rye Kolsch.

 

I mainly brew stouts and porters, with the occasional ale. However, this year I'm going to try to visit my local farmer's market more to get fresh fruit and such to make different batches.

 

Could you send me that hefe recipe!? Sounds amazing.

 

I guess I can't say that I do anything "typically" yet, being that I just started brewing last Fall, but so far I've been brewing according to my tastes, which definitely change with the season. Most of my first several brews were darker, maltier beers which matched the winter season (Brown Ale, Stout, CDA), but I've got more summerier (summery....summeryish...I don't know) brews in the pipeline now (Berliner Weisse, Gose...probably start a Belgian Wheat with orange and coriander in the next week or two).

 

I do, I used to do a Blonde and cream Ale, the past few years I've done a Mango IPA and Blueberry Wheat for summer. This year I think I'm going to do a couple of new session IPA recipes and a Citrillo Wit.

 

I hope it works. I'm going for a noticeable coffee flavor but trying to keep the beer as light in color as humanly possible. I've never attempted this before so it should be interesting. Some might call this a "white stout" kind of a thing. I don't. I call it a coffee-infused blonde.

 

I tend to brew with the seasons simply because the beers that I'd prefer to drink vary as the temperature and seasons change. I'm on a much better brewing schedule for the seasons now, but I used to think, "I'd like a nice blonde ale" in July and by the time I brewed it and conditioned it I'd already be transitioning into the next season. So, to brew with the season you need to stay a month or two ahead, especially if you're looking at brewing Pils, Marzens, Baltic Porters, or really any lager for that matter. The one exception for me is IPAs, I tend to brew them whenever I feel like it since my craving for hops goes in cycles.

For this summer I have a German pils that I brewed in early March that is now is lagering and I plan to tap it around mid-May. I also have a simple American blonde ale that my go to summer beer. It is incredibly simple to brew and I can go from grain to glass in about 2 weeks.

 

No such thing. And don't try to tell me there is/could be/or should be - because I'm not going to argue the point. I will, however, quote the German Beer Institute:

In a country dominated by lagers of all strengths and colors, the modern Kölsch (the beer) is Germany's only true, all-barley, pale ale.

What Makes an Ale a Kölsch?
Perhaps the best way to describe the character of a Kölsch to someone who is not too familiar with the style is to compare it to a few related and better-known styles. Unlike a British pale ale (and the Altbier, for that matter), a modern Kölsch tends to be brewed with just one type of malt, pale Pils malt.

http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/K%F6lsch.html

I've a soft spot for Kölsch precisely because it's such a deliciously basic, immensely drinkable beer. Let's not go mucking up a good thing with rye-, black-, imperial-, or 'juicy' variants a la the IPA trend du jour. Call a Kölsch a Kölsch. Anything else is just... not.

 

I tend to brew the same styles year round (blonde, pale, IPA, mild, brown, alt). If I ever had the urge the brew a RIS, I'd probably plan for it to be ready for colder months though. I have no desire to drink heavy dark high abv beers when it's 90* out.

 

Fine, a lagered Roggenbier fermented with hybrid ale yeast instead of a Hefe strain...

 

Perfect!

 

I fully intend to bastardize the Kölsch style this Summer and look forward to telling you how amazing my Tequilla Barrel Aged Peach Kölsch DIPA fermented with extra Dextrose and finished with Brett C will be. I also intend to drink the entire batch from one of those lifeless Stange glasses.