spring beer styles?

What ya got? I am looking at 12" of snow outside and dreaming about spring. When summer hits I am all about light colored, light bodied wheat, kolsch, and such.

I really like having Helles, pilsner and Dortmunder on hand for spring and summer.  On the ale side - a simple, crisp blonde ale is one of my regular beers.  I also just like having a really simple American Pale Ale along the lines of SNPA or Summit Extra Pale ale.    Basically, anything crisp, clean, somewhat light and refreshing.

For me, spring is the bridge between the big and dark beers of winter and the lawnmower beers of summer. I reach for amber-colored beers with some nice malt character but not too heavy. Märzen and ESB are probably my favorites. Towards the end of spring is when the Pils and Kölsch start to hit my rotation.

I’m not a big fan of malty beers and tend to brew whatever I want for spring. I do edge towards the styles with lower ideal fermentation temps since it is easier when it is still a bit cold out and the temp drops a bit at night. Lots of Kolsch, wheats, APA and IPA.

I just brewed a dry stout to drink around St Patrick’s day and have a London porter in the fermenter to bottle next week. Early spring through early summer is a busy time with a lot of outside work so I’m thinking in a couple weeks I’ll make a large batch of ESB because its hearty but sessionable. Plopping down on a chair on the deck or in the garden and looking over my days work and admiring the burgeoning green of spring in the evening with a couple ESB’s is something I look forward too. I also want to make some patersbier. It won’t be saison and kolsch for me until late June.

I have really been wanting to brew a Helles but think that one may have to wait until summer…actually temp control might be an issue for that so I need to think about it sooner than later. I like the idea of a simple pale ale with relatively low bitterness.

+1 to the above. What part of the country you live in pretty much dictates what Spring means, weather-wise and brewing wise (for me). It’s normally cold or chilly up until near the end of spring here, so I’m not jumping on kolsch and pils type brewing until I get close to that point , as mentioned. So it’s a mixed bag for me, with a few stronger beers left to brew -  dubbel and tripel, also American styles, maybe a Scottish 80.

im really not a “seasonal brewing” guy. I brew anything and everything all year-just depends what I feel like.

For me, beers like anything else-wine, liquor, etc…all comes down to what I’m thirsty for, and the seasons cant stop me!

The weather should start to turn here late March/early April although wet heavy snow storms are still possible.

I will be modifying my fermentation chamber soon so that it has the ability to heat and cool. Right now I just use it to heat during the winter. Going with the basic son of a fermenter idea with removable interior walls so I can switch between heat in the winter and cool in the summer.

That’s mostly how I brew. I probably won’t do an RIS in summer or a cream ale or hefe in the winter, but past that I pretty much brew what sounds good. I do like to have a stout ready for Paddy’s day, though  !

+1 holiday beers do become a priority in the schedule… but I will also brew oktoberfest all year long for example.

I’m looking forward to a Maibock and a Vienna Lager as well as a German Pils.

I should brew a Dort though…

my maibock is chugging along as we speak with WLP835. day 5 and down to 1.029 from 1.066

Now if I had to pick one spring style, maibock would be pretty high up the list, though. Haven’t brewed one in forever. Last time I went to Hofbrauhaus in Newport was last year when they had their Maibock on. Won’t lie, had a few liters.    :wink:

I know right…good stuff. I will be collecting some 835 slurry and brewing another 5 gals of maibock so I have 10 gallons ready for our May party.

http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/HeisenbergHelleBock

We’re pretty spoiled in the Seattle area. It’s already routinely in the upper 50’s-mid 60’s (bad for outdoor lagering though). I’m starting my spring season this weekend (a 1.068 IPA with El Dorado, Galaxy, Citra and HBC 342). I like brewing the cirtusy IPA’s and the maltier of the lower ABV beers like Mild’s, Scottish Schillings and Alts in the Spring. Late spring becomes Kolsch and Cream Ale time. I also try to mix in one or two of the Christmas time beers as well.

+1

I can drink a 10% stout when it’s 100 degrees out

marzen on deck here. then maybe a couple more lagers while the temp is low. gotta get some farmhouse on the list as soon as it warms up a bit.

I don’t strictly go by season but I really do enjoy a barlywine or RIS more after coming in from the cold and a nice Pils or saison on a hot day. Likewise I tend to drink gin and tonics almost exclusively when its hot and whiskey when its cool or cold. I’ll occasionally play around with that and do something like make a carribean meal in winter and make corn and oils or Mexican and margueritas just to snap out of a winter funk.

I want to make my first Maibock. Anyone have a good recipe?