Beerista: Four summery beers to try at home

Lawnmower beers with an Irish twist

They call them lawnmower beers in the United States. Light, golden and thirst-quenching, they're the type of cool beverage knocked back when the sun comes out and the barbecue gets dusted off.

Usually a kind of lager or pale ale, they’re low in alcohol and a pretty bland bunch of beers, it has to be said.

But that’s the great thing about this whole craft beer movement – for every mainstream style you can get a craft version that will have a little more of a story, and definitely more flavour.

So if you’re planning a barbecue and going to all the effort of getting good chicken or beef sourced from Irish farms, make sure to give your beer selection some love too.

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For an Irish lawnmower beer alternative – tasty, easy-drinking and balanced – try Mountain Man's Hairy Goat. This is an English-style India Pale Ale with a medium bitterness and a good grapefruity aroma. At 4.5% it's not too strong either (worth keeping an eye on when choosing beers for afternoon or early-evening barbecues).

For something with a little more bite, grab a few cans of Black's Kinsale Pale Ale 5%, which has a good, crisp hoppiness and balance that will stand up to stronger flavours if you've got spicy sausages or chicken on the menu.

Beer Garden Wit is a seasonal beer worth checking out from the Longford brewery, St Mel’s. This is a 5% Belgian-style witbier with orange peel, coriander and elderflower with an earthy flavour and a summery golden haze.

For something totally different try Lindeman’s Pecheresse – this is a 2.5% Belgian lambic which mixes sweet and sour with a hint of peach.

I tried it one evening recently and even though the rain was coming down outside I swear I could hear the sound of a lawnmower going in the distance.

@ITbeerista