Continuing our focus on beers for the summer, we’ve selected a fine Belgian blond for our Beer of the Week.  Troubadour Blond Ale is likely one of the best blonds you’ll ever taste.  This bittersweet, balanced, creamy pale ale is perfect for the summer.  While it is light and very easy to drink, don’t let the 6.5% alcohol content sneak up on you. We can only think of one negative for this excellent beer– it can be very difficult to find.  Call your local boutique beer shop, major liquor store chain or grocer to ask if they can carry it or score you a case.

Buy: $4.00/bottle

Continuing our focus on summer beers at GearCrave, we select Goose Island’s Summertime as our Beer of the Week.  Based in the city of Chicago, Goose Island has become one of the most recognizable domestic microbreweries in operation.  Their Honkers Ale, 312 Urban Wheat, India Pale Ale and Hex Nut Brown can be found in most liquor stores and supermarkets with any attention to domestic brews.  During this, the best of seasons, Goose Island’s summer ale “Summertime”, a German-style Kolsch beer, is produced and ready for warm weather consumption.  The Summertime beer tastes of citrus, wheat and honey, with a light flavor perfect to quench your thirst on a hot day.  Even though Goose Island may not be our favorite domestic brewery, we have to salute them on some of their recipes– the Summertime included.  On your next visit to the liquor store, we suggest trying this one out.  Let us know what you think in the comments!

Buy: $7/six

We’ve been running our beer of the week column for a few months now.  We wanted to look back at our past favorites with you to see which beer has been your favorite.  If you want to look back at our beer of the week coverage, take a look at our Beer category.  For now, let’s see what beer has been your personal choice.

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Thirsty? As that summer heat keeps on rising, so does our urge to grab a cold one. Many domestic microbrews around the country do their part by releasing fresh summer brews, many of which we’ll be covering in our beer of the week columns this summer. We’ll start off our summer ale coverage with Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest Lager, a light, smooth, refreshing pilsner-style lager. Summerfest Lager has a mildly tangy flavor with citrus and spice, finishing with plenty of room for more. That’s what makes a good summer ale– light enough to quench the thirst while leaving room for plenty more…

Buy: $7/six

Rogue Brewery is considered by many to be one of the premier domestic microbreweries in operation today. While beers like the Dead Guy Ale and the Shakespeare Stout are most widely acknowledged, Rogue’s Morimoto line of beers command recognition on their own. After tasting the Morimoto Soba Ale, we immediately felt that this one is fit for GearCrave’s Beer of the Week. Its a shame we popped this one as a dresser drink before leaving for sushi, as this would have paired brilliantly with our meal. The Morimoto Soba’s bittersweet taste accompanies flavors of lemon zest, spice and wheat, building into a medium bodied aftertaste that left room for a few more bottles… These might be a little tough to find, so call your local specialty market or liquor store. If they carry Rogue, chances are they can order this for you. Need help talking them into it? Just show ‘em this post!

Buy: $7 (one 22 oz. bottle)

A few weeks back, we honored Bell’s Oberon as our Beer of the Week. Bell’s Brewery fans who have gone beyond the Oberon flagship have likely tried– and loved– Bell’s Third Coast Beer, this week’s Beer of the Week. Third Coast Beer is an American blonde ale with a sweet, citrus and malty flavor with a hoppy finish. Like most blonde ales, Third Coast is very drinkable, you’ll be on your third before you know it. Bell’s Third Coast is a great warm weather beer, and that warm weather is on us like sweat on a beer bottle. Unlike Oberon, Third Coast may be a bit harder to find– so call your local liquor superstore and ask about Bell’s Third Coast Beer.

Buy: $8/six

Today’s beer of the week comes from Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, California. Sierra Nevada’s Porter has been a favorite of ours for some time, and we thought it was time we share this one with you. Fans of porter will find the Sierra Nevada brew to be a little lighter than most– and to some this will be a welcome characteristic. The Sierra Nevada Porter is dark, rich, light-medium bodied with a smooth, caramely aftertaste. Pair this one with a nice steak and you’ll have one hell of a meal. On its own, this porter is quite drinkable, whereas some other traditional porters will have you filled up after a few. Take our advice this weekend, head to your local grocery/liquor store and give Sierra Nevada’s Porter a try.

Buy: $7/six

Suck at golf? If not, do you prefer to swing with a cocktail in hand? Here’s the ultimate solution for your golf bag. Taking a page out of Al Czervik‘s golf game, the Drink Caddie adds a beverage container and golf club spout to your golf bag, perfect for beer, wine and margaritas. Just don’t mix all three together in the same bag. Take this one out on the course with some extra glasses for the fellas and plenty of ice, and you’re sure for a ton of fun on the fairway.  We know you’re going to slice it into the woods regardless… And a thousand bucks says you do.

Buy: $118.99

(image: courtesy: IntangibleArts)

This week’s Beer of the Week comes from our French Canadian friends at the Unibroue brewery in Chambly, Quebec. Their triple-style golden ale, La Fin Du Monde, is our recommendation for this week. La Fin Du Monde, which translates to English as “The End of the World” is a strong, triple-fermented ale with a sweet smell and flavor sealed by a 9% alcohol bite. For a beer so strong, you’ll be surprised at how smooth this is to the tongue. That said, don’t plan on drinking six of these, or it might really be “The End Of Your Night”. Enjoy one or two of these and move to something a little less commanding. For those new to the triple-style golden ale beer, Unibroue describes the taste of their flagship as “smooth, slightly tart with the balanced flavors of wild spices, malt and hops”. If you spot it at your local Whole Foods, liquor store or watering hole, give Unibroue’s La Fin Du Monde a try.