Introduction by Maisie Smith | Beer review by Jon Abernathy

Bend summers have a way of unfolding like an oddly specific playlist that Spotify got exactly right. River currents humming in the background, grills sizzling on patios and the satisfying pffft of cold cans cracking open in unison. Beer shows up like an old friend, slightly sweaty and ready to roll. It’s the unassuming ringleader of summer life, turning loose plans into real hangs and open space into someplace. Lawns become living rooms. Mid-hike is the new happy hour. And somehow, dusty camp chairs feel like a front row seat to everything that matters.

This is how Central Oregon gathers, casually, instinctively, and with something cold in hand. It’s a subtle kind of magic that’s equal parts sunshine and good timing. And beer is the common denominator of these beautiful, ordinary moments. The kind of moments that come from being in the right place, with the right people, tapping cans while the sun takes its sweet time saying goodnight.

Bend Beer Knows How to Hang

It’s peak beer thirty, and local breweries have stocked the high desert with brews ready for their moment in the sun: drink-me-now pilsners with personality, hazy IPAs that lean lush and citrusy or Kölsch with a snap that lands crisp and balanced. Radlers and hard seltzers slide into the cooler like the fun cousins everyone can’t help but love. The mood is bright and the flavors follow suit, citrus peel, stone fruit, melon, with the odd botanical cameo just to keep things interesting.

This is what summer gets right. The ease. The light. The people who show up. And beer, just hanging around like it has nothing to prove. From lighter lagers to flavorful hoppy ales and fun alternatives, here are some suggestions from Jon Abernathy, founder of The Brew Site (since 2004), for the best and brightest brews to drink this summer:

Deschutes Brewery: Boggs Lager

4.2% ABV, 18 IBUs: Longtime pub brewer Robin Johnson created this light American lager in honor of his fly-fishing friend, Niall Boggs. The recipe starts with clean, crisp pilsner malt and adds flaked corn for a touch of sweet character and smooth mouthfeel. Saaz hops, grown in the United States, round out the flavor with a mildly spicy, herbal note with a citrus flourish for a mellow and flavorful easy drinker.

Sunriver Brewing: Roller XPA

5% ABV, 38 IBUs: XPA stands for “Extra Pale Ale” and represents a hop-forward style from Australia that’s been growing in popularity in recent years. The style is well represented in this latest release in Sunriver’s quarterly Rotator series. Roller XPA is a light-bodied ale featuring a blend of American and New Zealand hops, which give it notes of pineapple, tangerine, white wine and exotic berries. Think summer fruit salad!

GoodLife Brewing: Blackberry Lime Hard Seltzer

5% ABV: This year, GoodLife entered the hard seltzer market with Strawberry, Blackberry Lime, Tropical and White Peach Lemonade versions. While the brewery is best known for its crushable, award-winning Sweet As! Pacific Ale, these seltzers offer a crisp, easy-drinking alternative to the usual blast of malt and hops. Blackberry Lime is light and refreshing, with a subtle sweet berry note and pop of lime that’s great for a day at the lake.

Crux Fermentation Project: NØ MØ River Refresher IPA

<0.5% ABV, 40 IBUs: When it comes to nonalcoholic beer, Crux is one of the breweries at the forefront with its NØ MØ series of NA IPAs, all with less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. River Refresher is a summertime quencher with tropical and citrus flavors that will leave you feeling fresh, clear-headed and ready for adventure.

Cascade Lakes Brewing: Muy Chido Mexican-Style Lager

5.1% ABV, 19 IBUs: When it comes to hot-weather beer styles, Mexican-style lagers first come to mind, and they fall into two camps: lighter versions brewed with corn (think Corona and Pacifico) and versions inspired by darker Vienna lager (Dos Equis, Negra Modelo). Muy Chido embraces the darker tradition with an amber-brown hue and rich, nutty flavors that will have you reaching for another.

UPP Liquids: 300 Days of Sunshine

4.5% ABV: On the lighter side, it’s hard to beat the influence of Baja, where we get the tradition of adding lime and salt to lagers, and newcomer UPP brewed this specialty with this in mind. 300 Days of Sunshine starts with a crisp and dry rice lager and layers in calamansi lime and pink sea salt to elevate it to a perfectly crushable summer quaffer.

Bevel Craft Brewing: First Run IPA

6.8% ABV: This favorite was the first batch brewed at Bevel and has been a mainstay ever since. This is a solid, dialed-in IPA featuring Simcoe hops, which bring pine, citrus and a bit of dank diesel to the aroma, and a firm bitterness featuring tree bark, citrus pith and zest, and dandelion greens to the flavor party. It’s clean and crisp, and while it may be the first run, it won’t be the last.

Van Henion Brewing: Kölsch

5% ABV, 22 IBUs: Van Henion excels in brewing two types of beers in particular, IPAs and German-style lagers, with a lineup full of palate pleasers. It’s German Kölsch-style ale, while technically not a lager, is brewed to tradition while being a crisp and flavorful modern interpretation—not to mention it has garnered multiple accolades from the North American Beer Awards, Best of Craft Beer and Oregon Beer Awards as a refreshing ale perfect for summer.

Terranaut Beer: Goat Beer

4.7% ABV, 30 IBUs: A relative newcomer, Terranaut has made a splash in the industry in its first year, thanks in part to beers like its cocktail-inspired Goat Beer, brewed in collaboration with San Simón, the bohemian bar tucked into Tin Pan Alley. Racking up awards from Best of Craft Beer and Sip Magazine, this sour-adjacent ale brewed with lime and bitters is sure to keep you refreshed all season long.

Wild Ride Brewing: Tarty to the Party Marionberry Sour Ale

5.6% ABV, 10 IBUs: How could you not like a beer with a name like this? Wild Ride repeatedly wins awards for this rotating, fruited sour beer series, most recently with a silver medal at this year’s Oregon Beer Awards for Marionberry Sour Ale. The award is for good reason: It strikes a balance between acidity, the fruit and a light, sweet creaminess, which you’ll enjoy, as the brewery says, “from tart to finish.”

Bend Brewing: 30th Anniversary IPA

7% ABV, 60 IBUs: Thirty years ago, Bend Brewing Company opened its doors in downtown Bend to become the city’s second brewery. To celebrate three decades, BBC released 30th Anniversary IPA, a milestone beer redolent with notes of candied citrus, mango, grilled pineapple and a summertime evergreen forest. The flavor hits just right with piney, fruity hops leading the way buoyed by a light, creamy malt body. It might just be the perfect IPA for summer.