Best beers to ferment this summer

Hot summer temperatures make for long brew days and the need for frosty cold beers. But some of the most refreshing beers ferment at icy-cold temperatures. For brewers without consistent temperature control, this poses a major problem. Luckily, there are a few great yeast strains that produce styles more forgiving for a Texas summer. Here’s a few easy winners.

Saison

Just before the Belgian Draft Horse competition, it’s a great time to brew a saison. Many strains of saison yeast suggest pitch temperatures as high as 70ºF, and call for temperatures to rise naturally into the 80s. It’s still smart to throw some kind of temperature control on the fermenter for those of us in Texas — even though Lallemand’s Belle Saison can ferment as high as 95º, that doesn’t mean it will do well in a triple-digit summer.

Kettle Sour

Anything that uses lactobacillus will do well at high temperatures. When done well, kettle sours also produce a refreshing sour pucker that’s great for quaffing on a hot day. You can also play with adding fruit adjuncts for a particularly refreshing summertime treat. Just be sure you’re sanitizing and cleaning all of your surfaces carefully if you don’t want to turn your entire brewery into a sour house.

Kveik

Kveik yeasts have origins in Norwegian farmhouse ales, and have become particularly popular among homebrewers who struggle with temperature control. Some strains produce shockingly clean results when fermented at extremely high temps — we’re talking 90ºF or more.

Kölsch

For folks without any temperature control, this one can be tricky, but is a great pick if you’ve brewed ales and want to try your hand at lagering. The initial fermentation phase for many kölsch yeast strains start in a low ale temperature range, between 50ºF and 64ºF. Next, make sure to age the kölsch in the 40s or lower for a full lager phase. Some brewers will ferment in a primary, then transfer into a smaller vessel to store in the fridge for that longer lagering phase.

— Charlie Scudder and Michael Myers