A Minnesota beer lover’s six-pack to weather spring’s temperature swings

It’s 30 degrees one day, 70 and sunny the next. Or there’s 18 inches of wet, heavy snow in late April. This is springtime in Minnesota. Hailing from warmer climes, spring is my least favorite season. It feels like the lingering winter will never end.

The radical swings make picking springtime beers a challenge. Enjoying a casual patio beer is possible. But days with temperatures that call for a backyard bonfire are also not out of the question. It’s not cold enough for the heavy, boozy beers of winter. But it’s not warm enough for the fizzy refreshers of summer’s swelter.

A range of beers is needed, beers that are neither too heavy nor too light. Spring calls for beers with a bit of malt and heft to smooth out the chilly days, as well as lighter, brighter brews to sip in the sunshine. Lower alcohol is generally desirable.

Here is a six-pack of seasonal selections to get you started.

Starting on the cold-weather end of the spectrum, Luna Obscura Mexican Dark Lager from Venn Brewing Co. (3550 E. 46th St., Mpls.) is a clean lager that is springtime light, but with smooth, colder-weather maltiness. Its base is soothing and slightly sweet caramel that’s cut with a touch of bitter-chocolate roast. Hop bitterness is low but is propped up by the bitterness of roasted malt. A hint of spicy hop flavor finishes it off.

St. Patrick’s Day may be past, but Irish red ale is still a go-to beer to bridge the warm and the cold. And Padraigs Brewing’s Red Chimney (945 NE. Broadway, Mpls.) is a go-to for the style. Malty caramel and toasted grain are the drivers, with coffee-like roast in the passenger seat. Moderate bitterness and subtle, herbal hops balance any malt sweetness. That hint of roast brings an impression of dryness in the finish.

Moving to something zestier, Size 4 Session IPA from Steel Toe Brewing (4848 W. 35th St., St. Louis Park) delivers IPA-level hops with just 4.4% alcohol. It’s crisp, light and very dry with a burst of hop flavor and aroma. Tangerine and orange citrus lead the way with background notes of blueberry and juicy tropical fruits. Bitterness is moderate but enhanced by the beer’s dry finish.

On the global market, gose (gō-zuh) is an old-style, German, sour wheat ale brewed with coriander and salt. Most American versions are lightweight and very tart — definitely summer beers. But Original Ritterguts Gose from Brauerei Reichenbrand in Leipzig, Germany, is a well-balanced, full-bodied delight. Bready wheat gives subtle sweetness and unexpected heft. The lactic sourness melds rather than dominates. It’s surrounded by luscious pears and fruity-floral coriander with just a touch of salinity in the finish. On the first sip I said, “yummy.”

La Vermontoise is a collaboration between Belgium’s Brasserie de Blaugies and Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont. The Blaugies website says this is a lager, but it’s the funkiest lager you’re likely to have. It exudes the pleasing barnyard and cellar aromas that can characterize Belgian farmhouse ales. The flavor is a complex blend of bready grains, hay, fermentation-derived black pepper and ample citrus, lemon and grapefruit peel hops. Bitterness is high and accentuated by the extreme dryness. Other fruits like pear come in as you sip and it finishes with a lemony lift.