With the current golden age of microbrew, the advent of seasonal beers is becoming more and more well known.  Seasonal beers add a distinctive change of pace of the beer fan’s drinking regimen throughout the year.  There is a correlation between the changing of the seasonal beers and the changing of the season: certain beers taste better in warm weather, and certain beers taste better in cold weather.

Although Guinness is drunk almost exclusively in Ireland the year round, darker ales like stouts and porters are usually made as seasonal ales for the darker months of winter.  Their hardy body and high caloric content made them a good choice for stocking up for the cold winter months.  Darker ales tend to taste better in cold weather as well.  They are a good choice for a fall or winter seasonal ale, but in the warming days leading to summer, they can lose their luster quickly in a warm or humid environment.

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company makes an excellent seasonal Barley wine called the Bigfoot barley wine style ale.  This is a perfect example of an especially dark and strong bodied seasonal ale.  Most brewers tend to make their barley wines such that they come out after the New Year, taking advantage of the cold temperature of the winter months to gain a beneficent timber to these darker ales during their fermentation.

Summer’s seasonal beers tend to be light with low to medium alcohol level.  New Belgium’s Skinnydip ale and Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest ales being prime examples of this.  I have found that the beers with lighter flavors and less malt character do well during the hotter months.

Ambers and IPAs are good choices for the fall, and especially the spring.  I highly recommend as spring ales New Belgium’s Fat Tire and Springboard.  Fat Tire is not a seasonal beer, but it’s character is suited well to the seasons of fall through spring.  Although a good bitter is useful for fighting off colds and sickness in winter as well, for which I recommend New Belgium’s 2° Below Winter Ale – an extra special bitter.  This will help to stimulate the liver (as long as you don’t drink too much!!) to cleanse the blood and keep you healthy.

I have noticed that more and more seasonal beers are coming out in recent years.  There is a summer blueberry beer offered up by the Anheiser-Busch company that seems to miss the point.  Apparently they added some sugary blueberry syrup to a beer instead of fermenting with actual blueberries – at least this is what it tasted like to me.  I would recommend steering clear of such ad-hoc brews.  Your local micro brewery is better trusted when it comes to such questionable combinations – and they will no doubt offer you a taster before you commit to purchase!

It is wise to look ahead a bit when it comes to seasonal ales, favoring darker ales heading into winter and lighter ones heading into summer.  Of course, your meal should be taken into consideration as well, if you are planning on having beer with dinner or lunch.  Keep in mind that darker beers are somewhat of a meal in and of themselves, so these might be better for taking after the meal.  A nice crisp IPA or Amber goes wonderfully with most foods.

If you are just beginning to explore them, the best way to keep up with the seasonal beers is to ask your local quality liquor store clerk about new ales coming into the store.  Some limited edition seasonal ales are very worthwhile, so you should stock up on them if your find a particular brand that you like.  In the case of barley wines and those beers with higher alcohol content, it is always nice to save a six pack or a few bottles and see how they age over the months and years.