The Session is a monthly one-day event held by beer bloggers around the world, where they each post their thoughts on a unified theme.

This edition of The Session is sponsored Peter Estaniel at BetterBeerBlog.

Announcing The Session #31: Summer Beers

Which brings me to this months Session topic: Summer Beers. With the summer coming to a close, what was your favorite beer of the summer? It doesn’t even have to be from this summer. Is it a lager or maybe a light bodied wheat ale? Maybe you’re drinking anti-seasonally and are having a barleywine or Russian Imperial Stout. Why is this beer your favorite? Is there a particular memory associated with this beer? How about a city? Maybe there was a particular dish that made this beer memorable? Spare no detail.

Oh, so many memories. Hanging out on Andy’s screened-in porch. Getting busted. (Okay, so maybe they’re not all good memories.) In later years, lying in my hammock after a hard day’s worth of yard work. Celebrating Max’s 21st birthday down the shore and discovering Rich Meyer. Dennis’s famous summer cookouts. That crazy barbecue where I met the woman who would become my roommate and, later, my wife.

So many memories. And in all of them there was beer-a-plenty. The thing is, there is nothing memorable about the beer itself. No, the memories come from the people and places. Mostly the people. The beer was just that little extra spice.

That’s not to say I haven’t had some good beers, of course. If nothing else, my little Beer-a-Day project has introduced me to a lot of beer I might not have otherwise tried. I particularly like this time of year because the Octoberfest beers start hitting the shelves, but they’re not “summer” beers. Honestly, if there’s any beer that I particularly like I’ll drink it all year long (assuming I can get it).

Magic Hat Wacko (image © Christopher Vigliotti)

A “summer beer” sounds like a seasonal to me. The summer is almost over, so I picked up a few before they disappeared.

The first of these is Wacko by Magic Hat. My brother Don (½ of the Hop Talk Advisory Council) has a special affection for Magic Hat’s offerings. He is consistently disappointed by the lack of witty text on the inside of other brewers’ bottle caps. I like their irreverence and adherence to their theme. “Wacko” is also something of a term of endearment in my family.

Besides, I had to have something for Beer-a-Day #247.

Here’s what Magic Hat has to say about it:

Crisp like the morning, cool like the evening and quenching all day long. It’s the beer that dances to the beat of summer. Pop the top and set your summer loose. Wacko is the liquid song of summer.

A delicious, beet-red summer beer with a big malty aroma, a subdued hop bite and a clean, slightly sweet finish.

Sounds interesting.

It’s…pink. It looks like some sort of cranberry soda. Head doesn’t stick around. Aroma is light. Slightly sweet (as they suggest) with an unusual “tang” in the finish. I can see how this would be refreshing on a hot summer day, but I think I’ll stick to my IPAs.

Oh, the inside of the cap says: “it’s Good to be Queen”