There are several things we’ve come to expect from the onset of summer: warmer weather, the start of the CFL season, blockbuster movies, skirts and backyard barbeques all wet our appetite for longer days. I know of only one sure way to quench the thirst from a hot summer day, either at the office or out on the water. It involves your favorite brew (or, two).
Of late, big name breweries have, or at least tried to add to the growing list of our favorite summer prospects. Beer with lime infused flavorings, Clamato already added, or artificial lemon juices are a few of the summer marketing gimmicks being implemented. The latest in the game is an iced-tea inspired creation from Molson-Coors.
This trend of combining our favorite additives to beer started way back in 2008 when Budweiser turned the beer-brand marketing world on itself by adding the lime for us (because you really do need the lime for a Bud Light to taste like … well, anything). Who could forget the tongue-tickling catch phrase “It’s Time for Lime.”?
If I want a lime in my beer, Mr. Overpaid-Marketing-Genius, I will put one in there, thank you.
While I do enjoy the odd slice of lemon or orange in my Half Pints Little Scrapper I.P.A. or Paddockwood 606 I.P.A. on a hot day. A beer should be consumed without masking the original intent of the flavourings. Often, a good brew master will add notes of citrus, herbs, berries or even coffee beans to his or her recipe as part of an overall vision.There are smaller, localized breweries around that have creations with aforementioned ingredients within the bottle, but again, it was part of an overall vision, not just an afterthought. Mill Street Brewery’s Lemon-Tea Ale for example, comes to mind. It’s not available in Saskatchewan, but with its popularity growing in Ontario, and the mass-marketing push of these infused beers from big-box breweries, especially in the prairies, you might see the Tea Ale available in the west soon enough. As the name suggests, it’s a citrusy-sweet taste, very light and smooth.
Not my usual cup, but if the mood suits, it can be quite enjoyable.
Amber’s Brewing Company, out of Edmonton, makes a very nice “Summer” seasonal beer, which is great on it’s own, and conversely, very accepting of a lemon, lime, or orange slice. Their Australian Mountain Pepper Berry Blend is brewed with sundried blueberries found in Australia. Apparently the process of sun-drying the berries gives the flavour its peppery aftertaste. It’s that sensation of pepper that enhances the overall body of the beer.
Not buying in to the infusion trend, but still add your own ingredients? Good for you. A rule of thumb when looking to add ingredients of your own is to choose a lighter beer. That’s lighter in colour rather than alcohol content. The theory is that the lighter the colour of the brew suggests more subtle flavours, which are more accepting to additives. This is why before Bud Light With Lime came along, a typical pairing for lime-included beers like Moosehead, or Carona. Choosing bottles over cans can be to your advantage in this instance. You can actually distinguish colours, somewhat, through a bottle.
If you want to add that Clamato to your brew, go for it. You deserve it. It’s summer after all. You should be able to do so, however, without the gimmicks. Without the “here’s the same boring beer, but we’ve squeezed the lemons for you” mentality.
Who said it needs to be summer to add lime to a beer anyways…
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