The 18 Best Canned Beers For Summer

The type of beer we drink changes as the year goes around. With the summer months fast approaching and warm weather and bright sunshine on the horizon, it will soon be time to ditch the stouts, porters, and other beer styles better suited for winter and move onto the crisp, refreshing suds of summer. 

Generally, the qualifications for a summer beer are quite simple: Intense double IPAs, super malt-forward, biscuity brews, and thick barrel-aged behemoths are better left behind while lighter and fruitier options move into our refrigerators. Furthermore, there is no better vessel from which to drink a sun-soaked beer than the classic can. Just the noise of cracking a cold one open is an experience better enjoyed in warm weather.

The beer options you will find when summer rolls in can be overwhelming. So, when you take a trip to the liquor store this summer in search of a crisp and refreshing beer, look out for these cans which are ideal for poolside sipping, backyard barbecues, or just chilling out on a Sunday afternoon.

San Diego's Societe Brewing opened in 2012 and remains a standout in the city's crowded field of craft breweries. When the summer rolls in and the temperature rises, the brewery's 4.5% ABV Light Beer will be the one that unites everyone together in refreshment.

This beer is one of many in the Societe catalog, which also includes a range of IPAs, The Harlot blonde ale, and a hefty imperial stout known as The Butcher. It's a far cry from the straightforward and uncomplicated Light Beer which absolutely lives up to its name. This brew is a crisp, refreshing, easy-drinking delight that can be a reliable backbone in your cooler all summer long. There are no bells and whistles to distract from enjoying this simple pleasure.

Upstate New York's Sloop Brewing is a popular craft option throughout the Northeast. You can't go wrong with the brand's flagship Juice Bomb, a fruity, tropic hazy "Northeastern" IPA, but Sauer Peach takes the cake in terms of summertime refreshment. For those that tend to stay away from sours because they are too acidic and abrasive, this Berliner Weisse fermented with fresh peaches is far from that (in other words, there is no need to have Tums on hand).   

The mild wheat malt lays a steady foundation on which the stone fruit's tartness and sweetness can shine. It's that perfect balance of sour and sweet which makes this beer so successful. If you are able to find Sloop Brewing Sauer Peach this summer, skip the hard seltzer and grab a six-pack of this.

Even if you're a casual craft beer drinker, you're probably familiar with Allagash. The brewery was founded in the early 1990s in Portland, Maine, and has become one of the most recognizable brands in the American craft beer industry.

The signature brew by Allagash is its white ale. This smooth, effortless beer is a Belgian-style wheat beer brewed with coriander and orange peels. If you are looking for a summer beer that is more complex and unique than the more simplistic, classic-tasting light beers out there, look no further than this one. Allagash White is bright and citrus-forward with subtle hints of spice layered on top. If you decide to enjoy this out of a cup, you may even be tempted to drop a slice of lemon or orange into it, but one of the brewery's founders swears that there is plenty of flavor and vibrancy in the beer already.

Sierra Nevada is often credited with pioneering the American craft beer industry when it was founded in the late 1970s. Its signature Pale Ale was among the first of its kind to reach American palates and has inspired countless takes on the style ever since. Sierra Nevada specializes in West Coast-style IPAs, reflective of the environment it is made. Its own unique take on the hazy New England style, however, is just as admirable.

Sierra Nevada's Hazy Little Thing is the perfect IPA in the hot weather but still packs a punch with an ABV of 6.7%. This IPA is kept super crushable and refreshing through a variety of factors, including a combination of oats and wheat, being dry-hopped, and being less filtered. The hop profile that built Sierra Nevada shines bright in this beer, but is kept at ease with a juiciness that makes for a delicious IPA that straddles both coasts.

Zero Gravity Brewing Company is among the best craft breweries in Vermont which is saying a lot. Green State Lager is one of the brewery's four flagship beers, and while it may be one of the most straightforward brews on this list, that is exactly why it is a great option in the summer.

This beer is crisp and light but is also kept flavorful by the German pilsner malt and a combination of German and Czech hops. Another great aspect of this beer is that is sold in both 16 oz cans and 12 oz cans, so if you want to go for a full pint, you can.

Plus, by trying out Green State Lager directly at Zero Gravity's taproom in Burlington, you are directly supporting a great cause. Every month, the brewery donates one dollar of every Green State Lager sold in its taproom to a different non-profit. In March of 2023, for example, they are donating to Bee the Change, an organization working to restore bee habitats.

If you are a passionate hop-head and believe there is no off-season for enjoying hop-forward beers, Zombie Dust by 3 Floyd's Brewing will satisfy that craving. This beer is a pale ale that is bursting with hops and is a firm 6.5% ABV. The Munster, Indiana brewery is keen on its hops, and this beer is available year-round in case you want to get a head start.

All the beers from 3 Floyds, including Zombie Dust, have labels designed by comic artists, a collaboration between the two art forms that is unique, fun, and always eye-catching. The Zombie Dust label, for example, was designed by an artist named Tim Seeley. Zombie Dust is more commonly found in glass bottles, but it is also sold in cans as well.

Dessert-inspired beers are usually designated to styles like stouts, porters, and milkshake IPAs, but this summer sipper is one that comes in the form of a gose. These traditional German wheat beers is made with coriander and have a certain salinity to them, making them comparable to sours in their sharpness and twang.

Though Westbrook Brewing Co. offers an excellent standard gose, the key lime version is even better. The beer combines key limes, cinnamon, and vanilla, along with the standard combo of salt and coriander. Key lime pie is one of the best desserts to enjoy in the summer, and its bright refreshment is enhanced even more through this beer. Westbrook Brewing only releases Key Lime Pie Gose between March and October, so be sure to take advantage of a six-pack of cans if you are fortunate enough to come across it.

Pilsners are one of the most popular styles of beer because of their classic taste and easy drinkability. The style belongs to the Czech Republic, but the German take on the pilsner is unique in its own way. German pilsners (or pils) differ by being drier and sharper, and putting more of an emphasis on the hops than on the malt. The malt in a German pils still makes for an easily drinkable beer, which is a combination that makes them so great.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company presents its take on this classic German beer with Pivo Pils which utilizes West Coast hops to dry hop the beer for a great balance of bite and palatability. The mild sharpness and refreshing nature of this 5.3% ABV pilsner is exactly what you want in a summer beer. 

Back when Anderson Valley started operations in 1987, it was one of only 20 craft breweries in the U.S. Over the ensuing decades, new and experimental beers have been the bread and butter of the Northern California stalwart, and its Tropical Hazy Sour is proof positive of that.

Guava and passion fruit are added to the kettle sour during fermentation, and the fruit duo brings this beer to life. Tropical Hazy Sour Ale actually fits the qualifications of a gose, and its hint of salinity on the back palate is just another reason why this brew is so great. It is rich in flavor, hazy and juicy, but still easy to drink at just 4.2%, plus each can only contains 9 carbs and 120 calories. Whether or not you're a fan of sours or not, this one deserves a try.