A Beer for the Season

I have a love-hate relationship with beer.

On the one hand, I love that it tends to have a lower ABV than wine or liquor which means I can have two or three servings before getting too drunk. Also I can enjoy each drink for a longer duration since the serving size is larger.

On the other hand, it has a lot of empty calories that make their way quite efficiently to my belly as fat. Also the sugars in beer often lead to a crash that make me binge on snack foods, exacerbating the belly fat problem.

I have noticed that I prefer beers with a heavier body - such as stouts and porters - in the cooler months of the year. I like to drink them served just a few degrees below than the room temperature. In recent years, I have been sticking to an ABV limit around 8%.

In the warmer months, I switch over to lighter body styles like lagers and pilsners. I like them served at much lower temperatures. They usually have an ABV of 6% or so.

I can drink pale ales year round. IPAs are quite popular in this area and some of them can get into the 12-18% ABV range. Fortunately there has been a trend of breweries making good session IPAs that have an ABV of about 5%.

I am glad that I live in a place where I have access to such a variety of beers to enjoy.

Cheers!