Summer is about to disappear like a dandelion puff in the wind. It’s still here, mind you… but it will soon be gone. Meaning you need to grab onto as much summer excitement in the next few weeks as you possibly can because you’re going to be taking your heavy winter coats out of storage before you know it.
While there are many things left to accomplish this summer, all we really want to do is kick our feet up and drink some crisp, refreshing lagers. Specifically light lagers.
For those unaware, a light lager is (as the name suggests) a light version of the classic lager. While it doesn’t necessarily have the word “light” on the packaging, it’s usually a crisp, refreshing, sessionable lager in the 3-5% ABV range. These beers are flavorful but not overly malty and are undeniably crushable on a hot summer (or early fall) day.
To help you squeeze the most out of the remaining summer days and nights, we’ve taken the step of listing eight of our favorite light lagers below. We also ranked them, so you know exactly which light lagers to fill your cooler with as you enjoy the few remaining summer evenings ahead. Keep scrolling to see where your favorites landed!
8) Spiteful Lager
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This pale lager is as no-frills as summery lagers come. Brewed with Pilsner malts and German Grüngeist hops, it’s light, drinkable, crisp, and highly crushable. It’s not trying to be anything different, though — the brewery didn’t even bother to come up with a unique name for it.
Tasting Notes:
A dull nose of lemon zest and cracker-like malts greet your nose. There’s really nothing else remotely discernable. The palate has a few notes of cereal grains, lemon, light pepper, and some more cracker malts. But that’s it.
This beer is extremely boring and… that’s probably the point.
Bottom Line:
One sip of this beer and you’ll realize that it wasn’t crafted to wow anyone with bold flavors. It’s watery, slightly crisp, and more akin to seltzer water than beer. Refreshing on a hot day but that’s about it.
7) Jack’s Abby Post Shift Pilsner
ABV: 4.7%
Average Price: $9.50 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This year-rounder beer was created to be just as the name suggests. It’s a light, easy-drinking beer to be enjoyed after a long day of work. It’s 4.7% ABV, crushable, crisp, and exactly what you need after a long, stressful workday.
Tasting Notes:
Notes of freshly baked bread, dry grass, and lemon zest are the only aromas found on the nose. The palate is surprisingly earthy and herbal with more grass and lemon zest. There’s a little bit of sweet malt presence, but overall, it’s fairly muted in general. The finish is a little more bitter than expected ending this fairly unexciting taste experience.
Bottom Line:
Post Shift Pilsner isn’t the most exciting beer and that’s likely by design. It’s supposed to be a crushable beer for after work and that’s exactly what it is. Nothing more.
6) Ballast Point Longfin Lager
ABV: 4.5%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you’re a beer drinker, you’re probably well aware of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA. But you might not be as well versed with the brewery’s other beers. If you’re not an IPA fan, the San Diego-based brewery also makes a Pilsner malt-driven German-style Helles lager created to be imbibed on hot summer days.
Tasting Notes:
Notes of bready malts, fruit juice, and some light piney hops are found on the nose. But otherwise, it’s fairly uninspired. Sipping it revealed more freshly-baked bread, some sweet cereal grains, and not much else. The finish is dry and lightly bitter. All in all, a crisp, easy drinking brew… but also fairly boring beer.
Bottom Line:
Continuing the trend of easy-drinking, fairly flavorless beers is Ballast Point Longfin Lager. It’s fine for what it’s supposed to be. You can drink it fast and you’ll enjoy it. You just probably won’t be talking about it the next day.
5) Sierra Nevada Sierraveza
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This beer has “gimmick” written all over it. From the label to the name. But that still doesn’t stop it from being a good example of a light and easy-drinking, session lager. It even has the words “easy drinking” written on the can. This Sterling hop-based lager was created to pay homage to the light, summery lagers crafted in Mexico.
Tasting Notes:
Earthy, slightly herbal, wet grass, and light fruit. These are the notable aromas that draw you in on the nose. The palate is more of the same with some freshly cut grass, sweet wheat, and more light citrus fruit. It’s undeniably crisp, crushable, and easy to drink. It doesn’t hurt that it has at least a little bit of flavor as well.
Bottom Line:
While the flavor profile won’t knock your proverbial socks off, it manages to have a few light flavors that make it more than simply a watery, fizzy, light lager.
4) Narragansett Lager
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $6.99 for a six-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
Brewed since 1890, this award-winning, classic lager was not only the first alcohol to partner with a professional sports team when it was a sponsor of the Boston Red Sox from the 40s to the 70s, but it’s also the beer “crushed” by Quint in the 1975 summer classic Jaws. It’s still just as crisp and easy to drink today.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of sweet honey, lemongrass, cereal grains, caramel malts, and light floral hops greet your nose before the first sip. While the palate is a little lighter than the nose, that’s okay. There are more sweet cereal grains, light fruity notes, honey, and a nice, malty, sweet, barely bitter finish that leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason this award-winning beer has been a summer staple for generations. It’s light, easy to drink, but also full of flavor and has little to no bitterness.
3) Green Bench Bench Life
ABV: 4.6%
Average Price: $10.99 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This light, crisp, easy-drinking lager was brewed with flaked corn for sweetness, malted barley for body, and Mount Hood hops to give it a little floral, piney zing. It’s simple and highly drinkable on a hot summer day, yet surprisingly balanced for a light lager.
Tasting Notes:
Strong fragrances of sweet corn, cereal grains, bready malts, caramel, lemon, and light floral hops greet your nose before your first sip. Drinking it brings forth flavors of cracker-like malts, lemongrass, hay, caramel, and a dry, slightly sweet slightly bitter finish that makes you want to crack one more open.
Bottom Line:
This is the kind of light lager that you’ll go back to again and again. It’s light and refreshing, but well-balanced with a smattering of malts, hops, and flaked corn sweetness.
2) Night Shift Nite Lite
ABV: 4.3%
Average Price: $8.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This 4.3% ABV light lager might be light in calories (120) and alcohol content, but it’s definitely not light in flavor with a nice mix of cereal sweetness, citrus peel, and bready malts to create a highly drinkable, memorable lager to drink as the summer winds down.
Tasting Notes:
Freshly cut grass, earthy hay, cereal grains, and light lemon zest are prevalent on the nose. The palate is highlighted by more cracker malts, sweet caramel corn, honey, lemongrass, and light, resinous, piney hops at the finish. For a light lager, it’s the rare beer that bridges the gap between low alcohol and high flavor.
Bottom Line:
You might see a name like “Nite Lite” and assume you’re in for a watery beer. Well, you’re not. It’s light and effervescent and has a nice malt backbone, gentle sweetness, and just the right amount of bitterness at the finish.
1) Burial Innertube
ABV: 3.5%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
When it comes to summery activities, there are few things more carefree and relaxing than a nice day spent tubing on a river, pond, or lake. Imagine this activity in beer form and you have Burial Innertube. This old school-style lager was brewed with corn, rice, and North American barley.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is loaded with bready malts, light citrus, sweet rice, corn, and light floral hops. It’s simple and fresh and leaves you ready to dive in and take a sip. The palate continues this trend. It’s light, fresh, crisp, and highly refreshing with notes of sweet corn, rice, bready malts, and earthy, grassy hops. All in all, it’s a thirst-quencher with surprisingly full flavor.
Bottom Line:
This is a great beer to wind down the summer with. It’s really low in alcohol, crisp, and full-flavored. It’s sessionable and perfect for an afternoon of tubing or simply sitting on a back porch and watching the world go by.