Seasonal Look-Ahead: Summer Beers

Perfect for after a long day at work.

Last week, the Pittsburgh area was one of the hottest regions east of the Mississippi Rover with temperatures hanging around the upper 70's and even reaching 80 degrees at certain points. Pittsburgh even set a record for the month of March, with 11-straight days of high temperatures over 70 degrees. Coinciding with that is the early release of some of the craft beer industry's summer seasonal brews.

I'm not sure about everyone else, but I definitely could have used a few of them towards the end of some of the hotter days.

Today I want to highlight some of the summer seasonal brews I've been looking forward to along with some of my all-time favorites to consume after a long and hot day.

• Bell's Oberon Ale (MI) 5.8 percent ABV: This American Pale Wheat is arguably the the most-demanded summer beer in this region among craft beer drinkers, in my opinion. It's very fruity, but some zest balances everything out. This beer should be easy to find this week as Bell's Brewery just released it on Monday.

• Troeg's Sunshine Pils (Pa.) 4.5 percent ABV: Not for the faint of heart. Although it's one of my favorite beers to have during the hotter months, it's strength seems to deter some beer drinkers. Sunshine Pils is strong, bitter on the finish and very hoppy. My personal favorite summer seasonal.

• Sierra Nevada Summerfest (CA) 5.0 percent ABV: Summerfest is a pilsner-style lager that is hoppier than your traditional pilsner. That biscuity taste I look for in pilsners is a lot livelier in this brew.

• Harpoon Summer Beer (MA) 5.0 percent ABV: Summer Beer is a Kolsch. It's sharp in taste and is extremely lively on the head. Very spicy and tastes like citrus. A perfect beer to have while sitting out back in your personal garden.

• Southern Tier Hop Sun (NY) 5.1 percent ABV: Another Pale Wheat Ale, but Hop Sun makes a name for itself by imploring sweeter undertones. Hop Sun also features the usual citrus and zest taste you'd expect.

• Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale (Ohio) 5.4 percent ABV: Holy Moses is a very spicy Belgian White. It's brewed with coriander and orange peel. Those ingredients might sound familiar to fans of Blue Moon Belgian White except you don't need the fruit garnish to fully enjoy this beer.

Just a few I've been lucky enough to sample over the past few summers. I'm hoping to try each of them at some point this summer and be able to share some thoughts on each that are quite a bit more in-depth. As always, I'm open for suggestions on other beers to keep an eye out for.