Summer beers

Hope we’re not jumping he gun where you live, but everybody seems to be thinking about summer beers, including us.

– Don Russell suggests styles to consider today in his Joe Sixpack column, as well as individual beers to consider.

– Both Flying Dog Ales and Otter Creek have rolled out new Belgian-inspired wit/white beers.

Tom Havey of Wilsonville, Ore., won a three-day trip to Denver for for the Great American Beer Festival and VIP treatment at Flying Dog’s brewery by coming up with the name for the new Woody Creek White (pictured here). Flying Dog’s “Name our Summer Seasonal Contest” attracted about 1,500 entries.

“Woody Creek White was the perfect name because it reinforces Flying Dog’s remarkable story and the collection of social misfits that created the brand,” said Neal Stewart, Flying Dog’s director of marketing. “Woody Creek, Colorado, is a small, yet unconventional, mountain community that many people consider to be “Gonzo Ground Zero” and it is also home to our founder, George Stranahan.”

As you’d expect, Woody Creak White is cloudy – blame wheat proteins and unfiltered yeast – and has the spicy orange peel and coriander flavors associated with the style.

Otter Creek’s White Sail (5% abv) also leans on tradition, with a cloudy presentation and notes of orange and coriander. The brewery suggests serving it with an orange – ala Blue Moon Belgian White, the nation’s top-selling white beer.

– Samuel Adams’ Summer Variety Pack offers something of an instant party with two each of six different beers in the 12-pack. Three are wheat-based, including its Summer Ale – which reminds of a Belgian White. It is brewed with wheat malt, lemon zest and Grains of Paradise.

The other five: Boston Lager, Boston Ale, Cherry Wheat, Hefeweizen and Pale Ale.