5 Easy-to-Drink Session Beers for Summer

AKA brews with lower alcohol content and all of the flavor.

Session beers—beers with lower alcohol content—are perfect for day drinking at the beach, a music festival, wherever. Cayla Marvil, cofounder of Lamplighter Brewing Co., a microbrewery and taproom in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gives us the scoop on which ones to sip.

What it tastes like: "A mildly hoppy ale with a clean finish."

When you'll drink it: "An out- door dinner party with friends—it's approachable, easy-drinking, and complementary with just about any food."

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2. Lost Nation Brewing Gose (4.5% ABV)

What it tastes like: "A traditional German-style sour beer brewed with salt and coriander."

When you'll drink it: "At the beach. The salinity in the beer complements the ocean, and the light body and tartness are refreshing on a hot day."

3. Grimm Present Perfect (4% ABV)

What it tastes like: "A Berliner weisse that's the ideal blend of fruity, oaky, and creamy."

When you'll drink it: "I'd drink this beer anywhere, anytime."

4. Lamplighter Sound & Vision (4.3% ABV)

What it tastes like: "A dry- hopped sour with satsuma citrus juice. It's fruity and tart, but still has a solid malt body."

When you'll drink it: "Best enjoyed while floating in a pool."

5. Fiddlehead Hodad Porter (5.5% ABV)

What it tastes like: "A porter brewed with chocolate, toasted coconut, and vanilla bean."

When you'll drink it: "Great for sipping by a bonfire. Bonus: It pairs perfectly with s'mores."

This article appears in the June issue of Marie Claire, on newsstands now.

Samantha Leal
Senior Editor

Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.