Summer in April? Now that the warm weather is here it is time to start checking out some of the local session beers available in the Twin Cities. What is a session beer? A session beer is generally a beer that is lighter in body and has a lower alcohol content, which makes it easy to enjoy a few without falling off your bar stool. This means that you can spend more time imbibing with your friends, perhaps outdoors, and less time worrying about how you are going to kill off that nasty hangover in the morning. Lucky for us our local breweries have given us many choices a few of which I have recently sampled.

The first session beer that I tried was the Finnegan's Blonde Ale, which was light in body and tasted a little sweet with some bread flavors and a subtle hop flavor. The beer finished very smooth and would accompany your grilled fare nicely. Also, in case you didn't know, 100% of the profits from Finnegan's goes to charity and the Blonde Ale proceeds are specifically allocated to help fight hunger.

The second session beer that I tried was Brau Brothers Strawberry Wheat. This beer was very light in color but had a very nice malty, wheat flavor. I liked that the fruit flavor was subtle and did not dominate the flavor of the malt. This one went down very smooth and is perfect for those 90 degree days of summer.

Schell's Pils was the last session beer that I tried. This beer was well balanced between the barley malt and the noticeable hop presence and it finished dry, perfect for summer weather. The straw yellow color is typical of the style, but do not be fooled, this is no Miller Lite.

One other session beer that is not local but is worth mentioning is Summerfest by Sierra Nevada. This pale lager is sure to please anyone with its crisp hop and biscuity malt flavor. You can find these beers at most of your local liquor stores. Now get outside and enjoy this early summer weather with your friends and family... and a beer, of course!

Cheers!