A Couple of Summer Lagers for Farmers Market Weekend

Friends, I’m tight on time, so this one is going to be short and slightly bitter. As you all probably know, the summer edition of the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market kicks off this weekend. That means summer has arrived! Or damned close enough, anyway. So, here are a couple of legitimate summer brews that are highly gulp-able, full of flavor and easy to find in Oshkosh.

Sprecher Summer Pils
From our state mates down in Milwaukee comes this beauty. She’s a Czech-style pilsener that hits all the right notes. It’s a golden beer that introduces itself with the floral aroma of Saaz hops. The draw is mildly grainy and a wee bit sweet with those peppery hops taking command before the glass lands back on the table. This is an especially crisp beer that finishes dry giving way to a sneaky bitterness that is pleasing as all hell. Like Buddha sitting under the Bodhi tree, down a few of these beside your climbing hop plants and some form of (temporary) enlightenment will surely follow.

New Belgium Summer Helles
Have you noticed my theme for today? Lager, Über Alles! Just as the name says, this is a helles, or "light" beer. But they’re only referring to the color, folks, this ain’t no Lite beer. This straw-colored lager has all sorts of good things going for it. The aroma is of honey-like malt with a scent of fresh-cut grass blowing around the edges. In the mouth, there’s a nice biscuit flavor that gets chased down by an earthy, firm bitterness that makes you want to return to the glass maybe a little faster than you should. Oh, what the hell, it’s summer, have another!

OK, I’m out of here. You can find both these beers at the big grocery stores here in town, but don’t linger in those dumps… get outside, sit in the dirt and drink some beer.