We can debate the best summer beer style for days. Is it a hoppy pale ale? A crisp pilsner? Perhaps, a piney, bitter IPA? Or maybe it’s a flavorful wheat beer? At least for today, we’ll go with the latter. This beer style, which consists of a higher percentage of wheat as opposed to barley, is a great pick for the July heat.
The first thing you need to know before we move on is that there are varying sub-styles and flavors in the wheat beer umbrella. They are the American pale wheat, Gose, Berliner Weisse, Belgian witbier, Hefeweizen, and others. In the US craft beer scene, versions of all of these styles are abundant.
As for summery wheat beers, we tend to lean towards American pale wheat, Belgian-style wits, and hefeweizens. Below, you’ll find eight of the best wheat beers that truly taste like summer in a can. What else would you want to drink on a hazy night while you watch Jaws on a projector under the stars?
8) Jack’s Abby Blood Orange Wheat
ABV: 4%
Average Price: $10 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Labeled as a radler, this 4% wheat beer might be available all year long, but it just drinks better in the summer. This wheat lager that’s infused with blood orange essence is known for its light, citrus-filled, sessionable flavor profile.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find aromas of sweet wheat and a ton of tangerine and orange scents. The nose isn’t overly exciting. The palate is more of the same with orange peels, wheat, cracker-like malts, and blood orange flavor. Overall, it’s pretty light but does the trick on a hot day.
Bottom Line:
This beer doesn’t purport to be anything it isn’t. It’s a wheat beer/radler. It’s light, citrusy, and easy to drink. Nothing more.
7) Odell Easy Street Wheat
ABV: 4.6%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This hazy, unfiltered 4.6% wheat ale was crafted to be sessionable on a hot summer day. It’s an American-style wheat beer known for its mix of wheat and fruit flavors with a light, crisp finish. It’s surprisingly complex, well-made, and great for the summer.
Tasting Notes:
For a sessional wheat beer, the nose is surprisingly fragrant. It’s yeasty and lightly funky with sweet malts, wheat, and citrus peels. The palate is filled with bready malts, yeast, clove, and orange peels. The finish is sweet and highly refreshing.
Bottom Line:
Session beers are often watery and bland and bland, but this wheat beer from Odell manages to be both light and refreshing and complex and flavorful.
6) Revolution Sun Crusher
ABV: 5.3%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Sun Crusher is an aptly named wheat beer. It’s brewed with flaked oats, 2-row malt, Carapils malt, and red wheat. It’s hopped with Apollo and Amarillo hops and dry-hopped with Amarillo, Crystal, and Mosaic hops. This creates a balanced, hoppy wheat beer you won’t soon forget.
Tasting Notes:
Sweet wheat, bready malts, lemongrass, orange peels, and floral hops are prevalent on the nose. Drinking it reveals hints of grassy, floral hops, orange zest, lemon peels, wheat, grapefruit, and sweet malts. It’s fruity, sweet, lightly tart, and heavenly hopped.
Bottom Line:
This is a perfect choice for wheat beer fans who also love the aroma and flavor of hops. Both kettle and dry-hopped, this is a memorable, summery brew.
5) Sudwerk Hefeweizen
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Another American take on the classic German hefeweizen, Sudwerk’s version is hazy and unfiltered and brewed with house German weizen strain, white wheat, and pale 2-row malt. It gets its floral, hoppy aroma and flavor from the addition of Huell Melon and Hallertau hops.
Tasting Notes:
Traditional aromas of funky yeast, wheat, ripe bananas, and clove are notable on the nose. Sipping it brings forth more clove, wheat, banana, and a hint of citrus zest and other fruity flavors. All in all, it’s a great take on the style and ends with a crisp, clean, refreshing finish.
Bottom Line:
There are more than a few attempts at recreating classic European wheat beers on the market. While Sudwerk’s version isn’t perfect, it’s pretty good on a hot day.
4) Brewery Ommegang Witte
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Brewery Ommegang is located in Central New York just outside of Cooperstown. But you’d think you were transported to Belgium with the appearance of the brewery and the beers themselves. One of the best examples is its Witte. This Belgian-style wheat ale is brewed with malted and unmalted wheat as well as flaked oats and Hallertau Spalter Select hops. It gets its unique flavor from the addition of coriander and orange peel.
Tasting Notes:
Your senses will be transported to Belgium with aromas of yeast, wheat, cloves, and orange zest even before your first sip. The palate is yeasty, lightly funky, and filled with wheat, orange peel, cloves, and other spices. The finish is dry and refreshing.
Bottom Line:
This beer might be available all year long but with its wheat and citrus-forward flavor profile, it’s perfect for the summer months.
3) Allagash White
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $10 for four-pack
The Beer:
If you took a poll of random wheat beer fans, you’d find that a majority would at least mention Allagash White. Brewed with malted wheat, raw wheat, and oats, it gets its unique, award-winning flavor from the addition of Curaçao orange peel and coriander.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of lemon, orange peel, wheat, yeast, and coriander fill your nostrils before your first sip. The palate is filled with bubblegum, bready malt, orange peel, and gentle spices. The finish is sweet, smooth, and lightly spicy.
Bottom Line:
There are a lot of reasons why this beer is so popular. Number one is the fact that it’s so well-balanced and complex. Every flavor works in perfect unison.
2) Civil Society Pulp
ABV: 6.3%
Average Price: $19 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
If you’ve never tried Civil Society Pulp, what are you waiting for? You’re in for a treat. This American wheat ale is dry-hopped with Mosaic hops. The result is a mix of wheat, yeast, tropical fruits, citrus, and hops. It’s a truly unique wheat beer that belongs on your summer beer rotation.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with sweet wheat, bready malts, pineapple, guava, ripe orange, and floral hops. The palate is a symphony of tangerine, caramelized pineapple, mango, wheat malt, and floral, lightly bitter hops. It’s a very interesting beer in the best way possible.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t your average wheat beer and that’s more than okay. It’s tropical, fruity, and has a nice hoppy element. A very memorable summer beer to say the least.
1) Live Oak Hefeweizen
ABV: 5.3%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This year-round brew is made with a traditional yeast strain crafted to give it an old-world flavor profile of banana and spices. The addition of wheat malt and limited hops gives it a classic flavor profile that will transport you to Germany in each sip.
Tasting Notes:
This is a well-made wheat beer. You can tell it right from the start as the nose is loaded with aromas like bubble gum, ripe bananas, clove, and other spices. The palate continues this positive trend with more banana, wheat, yeast, clove, and spices. A very great take on the German style.
Bottom Line:
Even if you’re a fan of traditional hefeweizens, you’d have a tough time telling the difference between this version and one that came straight from Bavaria.
