Spring is Coming

As we progress through this silly little existence of ours, we have officially turned the page in our 2013 calendars to the month of March. March is generally the month when I start thinking about spring, and by extension, spring beer styles. Of course, now that I've said that, we’ll probably get three feet of snow tomorrow. Most brewers, with the exception of Sam Adams brewers who think spring seasonal styles should be released in January for some reason, start unveiling their spring brews around March.

Cherry blossoms will be here soon.

But what is a spring beer style? It is actually another one of those “brewing world mysteries,” as the answer to that question is hard to pin down. When crafting a seasonal beer, brewers usually try to “capture” something about that season in the beer. Summer beers are usually light and crisp like pilsners, kolsches, wheat beers, or saisons, as those beer’s characteristics invoke a summery feeling, and are thought to be refreshing after being outside in the hot sun. By contrast, winter seasonals are usually stouts, porters, coffee beers, and desert beers, which are dark with robust flavors, the idea being that dark and robust is good for sitting inside by a roaring fire. Autumn releases tend to be either traditional Oktoberfest styles or pumpkin-laden ales, in keeping with the themes and holidays of fall.

Look out for flying sheep!

But what about spring? The images that spring summons are of Easter, or rebirth, or green grass, trees, flowers, or rain. Easter would be interesting, though hard to pin down how it translates into a beer. Chocolate bunnies perhaps, but chocolate is already generally a winter seasonal thing. Most brewers take the approach that spring is the transition between winter and summer, so the spring release should be a transition between dark/robust and light/crispy. Obviously, that means that spring beers should be medium colored, flavorful, though not as much so as winter styles, and malty, but again, not as much so as their winter brothers and sisters.

Of course, that’s still pretty vague, and perhaps deliberately so. The fewer limitations you place on a complex system like defining a seasonal style, the more endless the possibilities, though not all of the possible outcomes will be considered good, and therein lies the gamble. Oh no, I've gone cross-eyed.

I think the best approach is to stop thinking about definitions and let the beers do the talking. Here are a few spring seasonals (all American, because that’s how I roll) that are on my mind at the moment, and that I recommend to all of you. These have been selected, solely out of my own personal biases and leanings towards local, and by no means constitute an exhaustive list of the spring beers out there.

Might be hard to find this year.

Big Thaw Bock | Dominion Brewing Company | Helles Maibock | 7.40% ABV

Old Dominion’s spring seasonal, Big Thaw Bock, is brewed as a maibock, or helles (meaning “light” or “pale”) bock, which is essentially a paler take on a traditional bock, with similar alcohol levels but a flavor profile that tends to add more emphasis to the hops. Maibock is a fairly recent development compared to other styles of bock beers, and is frequently associated with springtime and the month of May. Interestingly, Big Thaw is not currently listed on Dominion’s website, and appears to have been replaced by their new spring seasonal, Cherry Blossom Lager, which apparently is conditioned on 300 pounds of Michigan cherries for 48 hours. I wonder if this is a permanent change to their flight, or if this is just experimentation for experimentation’s sake.

Dig | New Belgium Brewing Company | Pale Ale | 5.60% ABV

New Belgium’s spring release, Dig, is aiming for a lighter transitional brew that falls closer to summer than winter. It is a pale ale that is highlighted with Sorachi Ace hops, which provide a fresh spring zing with incredible lemon aroma, and Nelson Sauvin hops, which burst with passion fruit, mango and peach flavor notes. They also add American favorites, Cascade and Centennial hops to round out the crisp, clean beer.

Conway’s Irish Ale | Great Lakes Brewing Company | Irish Ale | 6.50% ABV

What better way to say March than with an Irish beer? Not only that, but as a red ale, it also meets all of the criteria for the transition between winter dark and summer light. Red ales are the second most popular style to come from the emerald isle (dry stouts being the first) and they go perfectly in the spring when cold gives way to warm and the world seems greener.

Dandelions in beer... what will they think of next?

Pistil | Magic Hat Brewing Company | Herbed/Spiced Beer | 4.50% ABV

This one’s a little bit out there. Pistil is brewed with a combination of dandelion petals, Pale and Acidulated malts, flaked oats, and Apollo and Northern Brewer hops that results in a beer with a slightly sour acidity and a smooth malt body. It’s actually pretty tasty, and behaves like a summer beer more than a winter. The dandelion petals are noticeable, and give the beer a fresh taste, almost like the taste of fresh lettuce. As long as you can get past the whole “drinking a weed” thing (Note: you’re also drinking fungus, courtesy of the yeast).

Hopslam Ale | Bell’s Brewing Company | Double India Pale Ale | 10.00% ABV

Because it’s always a great day for hops, the final spring seasonal release brew that I will recommend to you today is the wonderfully delicious hop bomb called Hopslam. Hopslam is brewed with six different hop varieties and then dry-hopped with a massive addition of Simcoe hops. Selected specifically because of their aromatic qualities, these Pacific Northwest varieties contribute a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit, and floral notes. A generous malt bill and a solid dollop of honey provide just enough body to keep the balance in check.

As I mentioned before, this list is but a fraction of a percent of the total spring release beers available out there. My ultimate recommendation, beyond the five I listed above, is, as always, be adventurous with your beer. Try them all, or at least, try as many as you can. Spring may not have a highly anticipated style like winter and fall, but there sure are quite a few great beers that are released every year in the name of spring. Search the end caps in your local grocery store (or wherever it is that they display the seasonals), or go to your local specialty beer store where the selection will be greater.

Can you dig it?

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!