Summer Drinks: Grapefruit Beer

After a gin & tonic, my go-to summer drink as of late has been grapefruit and tequila. It’s tart and refreshing without being as fizzy as a tried and true paloma. But sometimes I want to drink a grapefruit libation throughout the evening and too much tequila usually = poor life choices (or just as likely, me asleep by 8pm).

Enter grapefruit beer. One of the ultimate thirst quenchers, beer and summer go together like peanut butter and jelly. (or is that beer and sports?) But I enjoy a bit of flavor to my brews, and the addition of grapefruit is seasonally perfect.

Here a few I’ve had a chance to try - any others you would recommend?

Schofferhofer Grapefruit My first foray into grapefruit brews also claim to be the first grapefruit beer on the market. Schofferhofer says their beer is a 50-50 split between heferweizen and carbonated grapefruit juice and it sure does taste a bit like a soft drink. The sweetest of the three, you can barely tell you’re drinking beer at all. And sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for. (available at Anderson’s)

Leinenkugel Grapefruit Shandy Leinenkugel’s beers can be so hit or miss for my palate, some of them are great and some of them are just plain terrible. But having spent a portion of my childhood in the badger state, I don’t mind supporting great products from Wisconsin, and I’m happy to report Grapefruit Shandy is one of them. Here Leinie’s starts with their famous Weiss beer and combines it with “white grapefruit flavor” and the result is definitely more beer-esque than the Schofferhofer. Served super cold on a hot summer day, its twice as refreshing with its grapefruit finish. (available at Kroger)

Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin This beer is a serious new find for me and its one I never would have picked for myself with out being forced to try it. You see, if there’s one type of beer that I’m usually guaranteed to refuse while out with friends, its an IPA. In general I hate how hoppy they are and I’d much rather enjoy a smooth dark brew. But there’s something about the grapefruit in this IPA that turns my IPA hate upside down. To be sure, this is a BEER. It’s not a hybrid like the two options above, it’s a 100% brewski - you can even tell just by looking at it (and at 7% alcohol, you'll start to feel it to). The grapefruit shines here though, its tart, it’s fresh, and perfect when you truly want a beer to finish off the day. (available at Trader Joes)