A SPRING MINDSET
Spring is the opening of life after a long season of cold and hibernation. The first moment your senses delight in the fresh scents of spring air, you startle. It is an intense experience for me every year. Spring is a time of excitement, of paroxysm, and I think spring beers reflect that excitement…the perfect complement. Winter beers always feel spicy and heavy to me, like a thick blanket, but spring beers are a step up, so to speak. They are crisp, floral, like citrus, as slightly alive as the scent of new tree leaves or blooming flowers. Here is a list of beer styles perfect for spring:

MAIBOCK
There are many styles of bock beer, but this beer, Maibock, is made specifically for the transition between cold winter and hot summer. Mayo means “May” in German. The German Beer Institute perfectly describes this beer:

“While most Bockbiers are dark amber to hazel brown in color and have an overly malty accent, Maibock is brewed entirely with pale malts for a warm golden hue. It is also hopped more aggressively than other bocks for a richer, richer, and more refreshing finish. Maibock, therefore, like the vigorous month of May, is a transitional drink. It is still 6-7% ABV like its winter cousins, but its brightness and bitterness already herald the perpetually blue skies of summer when Straw Blonde and Pale Helles and Dusted Weissbier Predominates.”

For this style, after much consideration (because I can’t wait to find a good maibock to enjoy this year), I think I want to try Hofbräu München Maibock. Beeradvocate.com rates this beer pretty high relative to the number of people who rate it. It has everything we want: a bit of malt and fruitiness at the beginning with a finish of roasted malt and a hint of hops. Sounds delicious.

MARZENBIER
Here we have a medium-bodied beer with a malt flavor and a slight hop profile. You can find a lighter Märzen (Helles) and a darker Märzen (Dunkles). It is served in a glass, cup or pitcher, and must be cold.

Märzenbier is as its name suggests: March beer, but the story is quite interesting. Märzenbier used to be (1500) the beer used for Oktoberfest. During the summer in Bavaria, the temperature was too warm to successfully brew without air pollutants spoiling a batch. To get around this dilemma, Bavarian brewers brewed extra batches of Märzenbier in winter for March, before summer. Leftover beer was stored in cellars or ice caves to keep it cold during the summer. At the end of the summer, in October, when the new grains and hops are harvested, the Bavarians had to consume all the leftover Märzenbier in order to put their new batches of beer in the barrels. Tada! Oktoberfest!

Since the times do not require avoiding the summer heat, Märzenbier made in March is not used in Oktoberfest celebrations. Most Oktoberfest beers are brewed for 6-8 weeks. However, this does not mean that we cannot enjoy beer! Take this opportunity to celebrate Spring with this beer and its history.

Most labels will read Märzen-oktoberfest, but if that’s uncomfortable for you, Gordon Biersch Märzen is a great option. The Beer Advocate also has a great list of rated Märzenbiers to try.

LAMBIC FRUIT BEER
What better way to celebrate the arrival of summer than with a spontaneously fermented fruit beer. Most of the beer we drink has strains of yeast specifically brewed and carefully transported for beer production. Lambic beer, however, is fermented by wild yeasts and airborne bacteria. The wort (the non-alcoholic liquid, grain/malt/barley mash before yeast is added in brewing) is left exposed, inviting anything. This often creates a unique funky tart flavor. Hops are used, but not for flavor. Hops help protect the brew from spoiling. Lambic brewers use stale hops that don’t have much flavor.

Lambic fruit beers are a derivative of the original Lambic style. Fruit is added during primary or secondary fermentation. This is exactly how fruit beers are defined here in the US when breweries add fruit as the predominant flavor to a non-Lambic base beer.

This is my favorite style of beer to enjoy when the air starts to warm up, but the crispness of spring still lingers. Phew. The first fruit beer I tried was a Lindemans Lambic Framboise. Cake. Sweet. I’m lovin ‘it. It came out beautifully when made half and half (half a beer on top with a different beer floating on top, like a black and tan). I liked to float Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout on top of Lindeman’s Framboise. SPEAKING OF SAMUEL SMITH, they also have a delicious Strawberry Ale that would make a great beer to sample in late spring.

AMERICAN “IPA”
In fact, I want to label this “American Pale Ale”: IPA, or Indian Pale Ale, they got their name because extra hops were added to the pale ale for preservation during the long journey from India to England. I digress. I choose American IPAs specifically, because American IPAs are very hoppy compared to English IPAs. Fresh hop odors are floral, citrusy, intense and, personally, intoxicating.

When we brew in our kitchen, we use Cascade hops, and I love to sit back and enjoy the aroma. These beers capture that invigorating aroma, and despite my distaste for bitter ending IPAs, I continue to drink them. My favorite this year is Rude Parrot IPA from Seven Seas Brewery. It is an intense and versatile American IPA that is enjoyed from start to finish.

DOPPLEBOCK
We are going to start and end this list with bocks.

During the spring, Catholics celebrate Lent, a time of fasting. In the 17th century, the monks of Einbeck, Germany decided to brew a beer to help them through the 40 days of Lent. A high-calorie beer intended to help with your nutritional needs. Hence the creation of bock beers. The monks, however, wanted something stronger to get them through those 40 days of Lent, so they made dopplebock.

My personal favorite dopplebock is Spaten’s Optimator, or an Ayinger Celebrator Dobblebock. They are dark, full-bodied, with a slightly toasted flavor, very fresh.

SEASONAL BEERS SEEM OLD-FASHIONED, DON’T THEY?
Well yes, but who cares? Of course, seasonal beers are no longer physically necessary. Early brewing was determined in part by the seasons (humidity, temperature). However, with today’s technologies, stations no longer play a dominant role in a brewer’s new batch of beer. Anyone could brew a winter beer or Oktoberfest year-round if they wanted to.

However, not many want to brew traditional seasonal beers throughout the year. Breweries have an excellent opportunity to brew experimental and test batches each season, and beer drinkers like me love the anticipation of their favorite seasonal beer hitting the shelves (which is getting earlier, isn’t it? ?).

Cold weather triggers a craving for complex holiday beer (and knitted scarves…and Bing Crosby…and eggnog). A hot summer afternoon by the water leaves me craving a crisp pilsner or witbier. Drizly’s blog asked a helpful question: “Are these companies repeatedly forcing fall on us, or are our buying habits guiding their marketing behavior?”

I think we can admit that both sides are the cause: our love of the seasons is rooted in a deep nostalgia, and any good company that wants to serve and profit from its target consumer will exploit this nostalgia. It is catalytic. I don’t care though. Breweries keep inventory and options up to date, keeping my attention and deepening my relationship with their product. everybody wins

With a fruit beer in hand, spring arrives: experimentation, new flavours, fresh notes and the arrival of summer. May your adventures bring you new and delicious spring beers: Cheers!